A significant part of our identity is found in our ancestry. Perhaps that explains the fascination and energy many devote to discovering their family's genealogy.
Matthew 1:1 lists "The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham". The human connection of Jesus is inescapable; He could no more divorce Himself from His human genealogy than you or I could. It's an intrinsic part of His very being.
The public record of Jesus' ancestry is openly displayed for all to see and there are a few "skeletons in his genealogy closet". He is related to famous cheat (Jacob); a murderer and adulterer (David); and a prostitute (Rahab), to name a few. His ancestry seems just a bit too human for the sinless Son of God. But, warts and all, His ancestry is significant to His identity.
I find comfort in Jesus' all-too-human genealogy. He really is one of us. True, none other can claim Divine parentage as he can, but His human connection is inescapable. His human DNA firmly embeds Him in the human race.
A family historian has shed some light on our family tree and it's at least as flawed as that of Jesus. There are some swindlers and thieves in our past as well as a preacher who got in a bar room brawl and lost his ministerial license, if I understand correctly. It's nothing to brag about but it is a significant part of who I am.
The genealogy of Jesus matters because it clearly indicates that He is one of us. To convert Jesus from the Son of God to God, the Son is to eradicate His human ancestry and radically distort His true nature. To remove Jesus from His human ancestry is to negate the truth that "we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus' human connection puts Him in touch with the reality of sin and temptation and qualifies Him to truly conquer both for our benefit.
The humanity of Jesus in no way diminishes Him but instead perfectly defines Him. Because of it we find great comfort, reassurance, and hope in knowing that "there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).
May the Jesus who is inseparably connected to us in our humanity bring peace, joy and victory today as He ushers us into the very presence of His Father and ours, the One true God.
Steve
Matthew 1:1 lists "The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham". The human connection of Jesus is inescapable; He could no more divorce Himself from His human genealogy than you or I could. It's an intrinsic part of His very being.
The public record of Jesus' ancestry is openly displayed for all to see and there are a few "skeletons in his genealogy closet". He is related to famous cheat (Jacob); a murderer and adulterer (David); and a prostitute (Rahab), to name a few. His ancestry seems just a bit too human for the sinless Son of God. But, warts and all, His ancestry is significant to His identity.
I find comfort in Jesus' all-too-human genealogy. He really is one of us. True, none other can claim Divine parentage as he can, but His human connection is inescapable. His human DNA firmly embeds Him in the human race.
A family historian has shed some light on our family tree and it's at least as flawed as that of Jesus. There are some swindlers and thieves in our past as well as a preacher who got in a bar room brawl and lost his ministerial license, if I understand correctly. It's nothing to brag about but it is a significant part of who I am.
The genealogy of Jesus matters because it clearly indicates that He is one of us. To convert Jesus from the Son of God to God, the Son is to eradicate His human ancestry and radically distort His true nature. To remove Jesus from His human ancestry is to negate the truth that "we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus' human connection puts Him in touch with the reality of sin and temptation and qualifies Him to truly conquer both for our benefit.
The humanity of Jesus in no way diminishes Him but instead perfectly defines Him. Because of it we find great comfort, reassurance, and hope in knowing that "there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 2:5).
May the Jesus who is inseparably connected to us in our humanity bring peace, joy and victory today as He ushers us into the very presence of His Father and ours, the One true God.
Steve
posted by steve @ 9:34 AM
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