History Is Important

This is a historical moment in the United States, as we celebrate 250 years as a nation. While it is well known that Jamestown, established on May 14, 1607, was the first permanent English settlement in North America, founded by the Virginia Company of London in pursuit of wealth and trade opportunities.

Virginia was among the first colonies to resist British authority leading up to the American Revolution. In 1774, Virginians convened the First Continental Congress, and in 1775, Patrick Henry delivered his famous “Give me liberty or give me death” speech at a Virginia convention. During the American Revolution, Virginia emerged as a key player, providing many notable leaders. Then in 1781 the decisive Battle of Yorktown occurred, where a combined American and French forces defeated the British, and effectively secured American independence.

Additionally, the first four Presidents amassed 24 years of leading the new nation were Virginians; George Washington, James Madison, James Monroe, and Thomas Jefferson. Virginia's history also took a rough turn during the Civil War, becoming the Confederacy’s capital and the battleground for many significant conflicts. But in the end, Virginia has strong roots in the beginning and the strengthening of the United States.

Not only did our nations roots begin in Virginia, but our history as a denomination has strong roots in Virginia. Baptist history and theology seems to be deeply steeped in controversy with other denominations throughout history, similar to the controversy with England and our own divided beliefs as a country. It was understood when Virginia was settled at Jamestown the colonists would be loyal to the Church of England.  With the signing of the Virginian charter in 1606, the Church of England was officially designated as the “religion of the colony”.  Faith, in the beginnings of this country, was seen as an integral part of the success of the colonists.  They were so sincere in their act of corporate worship that, in 1611, the governor and subsequent governors, established punishment for those that neglected their worship on the Sabbath.  This brought about even further rules that addressed non-conformists and the fine for not attending the parish church.  Proclamation of the governor in 1623 required each “plantation or settlement” to have a place of worship and conform to the Church of England.  These actions must have certainly been imposing upon settlers of the continent who may have hoped for religious freedom and freedom from the ever-watching eye of the English aristocrats.  This condemnation towards colonists that were non-conformists continued, and Dr. Francis L. Hawks, an episcopal priest and historian, stated some within the colonies were “perverted from religious to treasonable purposes” leading to an “intensification of the persecution of Nonconformists”.   

Shortly after the intense persecution, in 1686, the Act of Toleration was passed with the intent of lessening the persecution and the punishment for non-conformists in England and increasing religious freedom.  This Act did not translate into religious freedom in the colonies, though.  Armitage states: 

“When, however, news of this Act reached Virginia, the few individual Baptists then scattered abroad there resolved on their full liberty as British subjects under its provisions.”

While Baptists were hidden amongst the colonials, they apparently were conforming to the “law of the land” until religious freedoms were granted and they could feel the sense of freedom to worship as they pleased.  By 1714, Baptist ministers had made their way to the colonies, and a formal organization of Baptists are recorded in Isle of Wight County on the “south side of the river and opposite Jamestown” even though no established Baptist church was recorded until 1765. 

To me, this is why it is so important for us to have an interest in and study history. George Santayana, a Spanish-American philosopher, in his 1905 book The Life of Reason, or The Phases of Human Progress, made this statement “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” If I could go a step further, those who attempt to erase history are seeking destruction of this country and all it stands for. Whether it is religious freedoms, freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, if we fail to study history we fail to acknowledge the previous sacrifices and protections that support our freedoms.

This can also be the case for our religion and denomination, we need to study history so we know what has gone on in our past so we do not repeat or make the same mistakes in the future. This is why we should find history in the Bible to be so important, it tells us of mistakes in the past, shows us repeated patterns of failure to obey God and their consequences, and we should see the same potential consequences when we (individually and corporately as the body of Christ) fail to obey God’s commands. But there is also another aspect of history that is important.

It seems there comes a time in everyone's life where we become interested in our ancestry. We want to know who our kin folk were past those we have knowledge of. Most of us can tell who our parents, grandparents, and maybe even great-grandparents but most of us do not know much past that. I’m sure we can remember family get togethers where family would come in to their home places and there would be a reunion that would last days, if not weeks. There was a special tie, a bond, something that drew us together. I fear that, in todays society focused on technology, that we soon will not know any extended family. But in the time of Christ, family was important, genealogies were taught from generation to generation, but more importantly we see a historical background of genealogies that lay out a clear path to Jesus and the prophecies given.

Old Testament

Abraham – God’s covenant promise that “all the families of the earth will be blessed through you” (Genesis 12:3)

Genesis 12:3 ESV

3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Isaac – Abraham’s son, continuing the covenant line.

Jacob (Israel) – Isaac’s son, father of the twelve tribes.

Judah – One of Jacob’s sons, prophesied to produce the Messiah (Genesis 49:10).

Genesis 49:10 ESV

10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Jesse – Father of King David.

David – King of Judah, to whom God promised an eternal throne (2 Samuel 7:14–16).

2 Samuel 7:14–16 ESV

14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, 15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’ ”

This is one of the greatest chapters in all the Bible, one of the greatest promises ever given by God, covering the greatest hope ever given to the human race. This chapter covers the wonderful promises of God given to David and, through him, to the whole human race.

God made a most unique promise to David: namely, that He would establish his throne or kingdom forever

2 Samuel 7:13 ESV

13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Interestingly enough, David’s descendents do not rule Israel today, so what was this kingdom forever speaking of? This was speaking of an eternal kingdom established through the lineage of David - Jesus Himself. Not only does the Old Testament speak of the coming Messiah and the genealogy in which He would come from, the New Testament confirms the genealogy.

Paternal

Matthew 1:1–17 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

The genealogy of Jesus Christ shows that Jesus is the legal heir to the throne of David. Matthew traces the roots of Jesus Christ in order to prove that He is the promised Messiah.

The Messiah was to be the son of Abraham and the son of David; that is, He was to be a descendant of both.

The Jews believed these promises of God. Therefore, Matthew sets out to prove that Jesus “who is called Christ” is the promised son of Abraham and the promised son of David. Matthew is the paternal Ancestry.com!

If Matthew can prove that Jesus’ roots go all the way back to David and Abraham, he will have shown how seriously man must take the claims of Jesus to be the Messiah.

But the Bible does not stop with only the paternal ancestry, but also includes the MATERNAL ancestry to simply prove He was the Messiah. There was no way He could be mistaken for anyone else as both the paternal AND maternal lines prove Him to be THE Messiah.

Maternal

Luke 3:23–38 ESV

23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Paternally, we see a connection to Abraham in whom God made the covenant relationship to bless. Now, we see the genealogy going back even further to Adam - the original son of God through creation.

Jesus was now ready to begin His ministry. But did He have the right? What proof was there that He was the Messiah, the Son of God? In this passage Luke makes a phenomenal point. He says that even the roots of Jesus, His genealogy, prove He is the Messiah. His roots give Him the right to claim Messiahship, to claim that He is the Savior, the Son of God.

There are two significant facts here. First, Luke follows Mary’s line (genealogy), the line of Jesus’ mother. Second, he traces Mary’s line all the way back to Adam. What he does is show that God’s Son actually p 62 became a man. Jesus was the promised Messiah. Luke is writing to Gentiles who placed great emphasis on a transcendental God, a God way out in space someplace who was thought to be far removed from the day-to-day affairs of men. Luke had to show that Jesus was man, fully human. He was a man born of a woman, full of emotions and feelings and personal day-to-day experiences just like all other men.

Matthew’s genealogy differs in that he was writing primarily to Jews who placed great emphasis on pure lineage. An impure lineage deprived a Jew of his nationality, of his right to be called a Jew; and tragically, this meant that he lost his right to be called a child of God. To combat this problem, Matthew traces Joseph’s line all the way back through King David and Abraham, the founding father of Israel. He does this to show that Jesus had the legal right to the throne of David and to the promises made to Abraham. This is not to say that Jesus was the actual physical son of Joseph, but rather as the Son of God, Jesus was sent into the family of Joseph. By such He became the legal heir of Joseph

This meant two things. First, Jesus was legally of the pure line of the Jewish nation. He fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies that said the Messiah would be born of the Jewish nation. Second, as a Jew and as the Son of God, Jesus had the legal right to claim Messiahship. He had the legal right to the throne of David and to the promises made to Abraham.

Closing

Historically, genealogically, ancestrally, however you want to described it, we see Jesus cannot be mistaken as anyone but the Messiah. However, even the Jews themselves denied and rejected Jesus as who He truly was. While we cannot deny who WE are, He could not deny who He was either.

Yet today, there are people who will continue to deny Jesus and who He is as the Son of God. It should be up to us to teach others the history - the theology - of Christ so they, too, can come to know Him for who He truly is. Let us learn from the past, and not repeat the rejection of the Messiah.