Seventy- seven

Most people when reading the genealogy of Jesus read it in Matthew 1:1-16. What bothered me about that as a kid was this found in Matthew 1:15-16 continuing on with the genealogy of Jesus, “…who had a son named Eleazar, who had a son named Matthan, who had a son named Jacob, who was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary the mother of Jesus, who is called “the Anointed One.” I never understood why we read Jesus’ genealogy based on Joseph, when in reality, and I say this with no disrespect or shade, Joseph was akin to an adoptive parent to Jesus. He was not involved in the conception of Jesus. He married Mary, obeyed God and loved Jesus as his own, and he is amazing for that, but he was not Jesus’ biological father.

So as a kid, I always wondered why the genealogy was written this way, because that is all I was familiar with until I was introduced to Luke 3. Have y’all realised that the genealogy in Luke 3 is slightly different to Matthew 1? It has all the key people but there are some differences. In the Passion Translation it starts off with, “Here are the names of Mary’s ancestors, traced from her father all the way back to Adam…”, see Luke 3:23-38. Now this is a genealogy that I understand. If I really want to test the faithfulness of God and whether or not He kept His promises to all the people along the way, this is the genealogy that I wanted to see.

We have been talking about the faithfulness of God in keeping His promises to us and as Christians, we need to be convinced that our God is promise keeping God. He is a covenant keeping God. God’s word is as good as a signed contract because He means it and He will do it. We may not know how, or when or what it will look like, but fact remains, it will happen.

So, why was Joseph’s lineage included? Firstly, it gives us a list of the women that God weaved into Jesus’ genealogy along the way. Women were always part of the plan. Secondly, it shows us that no matter how you look at it whether in Matthew 1 or Luke 3, God kept His promises. God kept His promise to Eve in the garden (Genesis 3:15), His promise to Abraham when He called him (Genesis 12:3 and 7), His promise to king David when David honoured Him (2 Samuel 7:12-16, 1 Chronicles 17:11-14, Ezekiel 34:23-24, Jeremiah 33:14-15, Jeremiah 23:5-6) and his promise to Zerubbabel when He was obedient to God (Haggai 2:23).

Do you know where the difference occurs in the lineages of Mary and Joseph? At king David. Joseph’s lineage branches from king Solomon, king David’s son. Mary’s lineage branches from Nathan, king David’s other son. The lineages collide again at Shealtiel, Zerubbabel’s father, so God could keep His promise to Zerubbabel in Haggai 2 and then branches off again after Zerubbabel. How detailed is God? He was very meticulously tailoring Jesus’ lineage through multiple generations. 77 generations to be exact. I believe God is doing the same with our lives. We grow impatient in our waiting, but you can’t rush perfection. God knows what He is doing.

See sometimes we don’t bother with the begets and the son of this and son of that because let’s face it, the lists are long and the names hard to pronounce. However, in doing so, sometimes we miss the fact that those names are there for a reason. We miss the reminder of God’s faithfulness through the generations.

Most of the people in the lineage of Jesus were long gone when Jesus was born, but God made sure that we knew that He was faithful to keep His promises. How much more will He keep His promises to us in our lives? That He will never leave nor forsake us, Deuteronomy 31:8. That He loves us with an everlasting love, Jeremiah 31:3. That we are His children and co-heirs with Jesus Christ, Romans 8:15-17. That He will supply all our needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus, Philippians 4:19. God will honour His promises to you. You just keep walking with Him and trusting Him.

I’ll leave you with this, Proverbs 3:5-10, “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong. Then you will find the healing refreshment your body and spirit long for. Glorify God with all your wealth, honoring him with your firstfruits, with every increase that comes to you. Then every dimension of your life will overflow with blessings from an uncontainable source of inner joy!”

Love and blessings,

Melissa Tsingano.