Saturday, February 24, 2007

Genealogies and Matthew 1:1-17: A Review

Here is a review of last Wednesday's Bible Study.

1. Unlike the purpose of genealogies today, the genealogies in the Scriptures are not meant to be strictly biological history. They are rather to demonstrate a person's corporate identity and to demonstrate one's status. See Thomas A. Graves, "Matthew 1:1-17" RevExp (Fall 1989) p.596.

2. Why start a book with a genealogy? What was Matthew thinking? Was he trying to lose readers? While I am willing to wager that many contemporary readers of Matthew quickly blow over the first 17 verses of Matthew thinking to themselves that it is of little or no practical value, it is clear the original Jewish audience would have loved and devoured such a purposeful genealogy. Consider Ezra 2:62! This genealogy establishes a legitimate claim to a particular line!Jesus Christ is the son of David the son of Abraham! See Genesis 12 and 1 Samuel 7.

3. I will quote from Overstreet for this third preliminary consideration, "The NT opens with an arresting prefatory record of names. Many readers probably pass over them as being of no practical value. However, this genealogy which opens the NT is, in many respects, one of the most important documents in the Scriptures. Much of the Bible stands or falls with its accuracy. If the Word of God contains mistakes in this section, how is any of it to be trusted, for this is the connecting link between the OT and NT?" R. Larry Overstreet, "Difficulties of New Testament Genealogies," GTJ (Fall 81) pg. 304.

4. The genealogy is divided into three main sections (Matt. 1:17). Why three? Specifically, we can say with certainty he has cut the genealogy down to three main sections to achieve literary symmetry and to highlight key events in Israel's history thus demonstrating God's sure hand in directing their affairs toward the promised King and Messiah. Not so certainly we can say Matthew is using a method called Gematria to emphasize Jesus Christ's relationship with David.

5. Matthew includes five women in his genealogy, Tamar (1:3), Rahab (1:5), Ruth (1:5), Bathsheba (referred to as "her who had been the wife of Uriah" in 1:6), and Mary (1:16). While I am not convinced this is as unusual or unnecessary as many commentators have posited, see Gen. 25:1, 36:10, 36:22; 1Chronicles 2:4, 2:18-19, 2:49 for examples of women being placed in genealogies, it is nevertheless very significant; Significant in a number of ways. First, consider women he has not included in the genealogy such as Sarah the mother of all nations or Rebekah! Second, as Graves mentions in his article I previously cited, "If Matthew were to scour the Old Testament stories, could he have produced any more surprising cast for his story of Jesus ancestry - harlots, adulterers, non-Jews, liars, and schemers?" So the question that we must ask ourselves and seek answers for in text becomes why has Matthew in his portrait of Christ's genealogy included these five women and not others? While not being dogmatic, I believe a very good case can be made, as Hutchison has, that "Matthew intentionally cited four Old Testament women in his genealogy in order to bring attention not to four persons, but to four familiar Old Testament stories that illustrate a common point. The allusions span the Old Testament periods of the patriarchs, the Conquest, the judges, and David's kingdom, and in each case a Gentile shows extraordinary faith in contrast to Jews, who were greatly lacking in their faith" John C. Hutchison, "Women, Gentiles, and the Messianic Mission in Matthew's Genealogy," BibSac (Apr 01). Third, Matthew by including these other four women with Mary has blunted the force of Mary being pregnant though unmarried. Each of those four women were in seemingly scandolous sexual situations yet through divine intervention they are lifted up for their faith and righteousness in Scripture (see Gen. 38:26; Heb. 11:31). Matthew has in a sure and definite way prepared the careful reader to expect something unusual yet wonderful in the birth of the Messiah Jesus Christ. God works his will in the midst of scandal and seeming chaos. Nothing can deter his plan or will. We must take seriously God's ability to work in situations of decadence, scandal, moral decay, and impropriety (Graves, "Matthew 1:1-17," 600).

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