It's interesting that the very first chapter of the first book of the New Testament (Matthew 1) begins with Jesus' family tree.
Matthew chose to start with this to immediately show the reader how Jesus' lineage fulfilled prophesy relating to the promised Messiah. He's building his case, so to speak, that Jesus was the Messiah.
Multiple prophesies throughout the Old Testament foretold of the Messiah coming from the tribe of Judah, and more specifically, as a direct descendent of King David, son of Jesse.
Matthew's record describes the pedigree of Joseph while Luke's pedigree is generally accepted as Mary's. Both show a similar lineage through David's line (they were cousins).
James Talmage's conclusion here is fascinating:
"Had Judah been a free and independent nation, ruled by her rightful sovereign, Joseph the carpenter would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."
Throughout the scriptures, the Pharisees and other religious leaders often criticized Jesus but never is there mention of them questioning his lineage. The Jews kept meticulous family records, so they would have known he met this requirement.
I enjoy family history and think it's important for us to understand where we come from and how that impacts us today. But even more important than our physical family tree is our spiritual.
The Father of our spirits is God, and we are each His beloved children. It's the simplest and most important family tree: us --> God. He loves each one of us, and Jesus is evidence of that love.
(Matthew 1, Luke 3)
No comments:
Post a Comment