The Family Tree is a Little Knotty

Family

Ancestors, we’ve all got them. Some we’re proud of, others, not so much.

Family has a lot to do w/ who we grow up to be.

I was born in 1960, grew up in the 60s and 70s.

One of things my family is most proud of, that we can take no credit for, Daniel Boone is my 8-great grandfather.

As a child of the 60s, that was one of the most popular TVs, along w/ Gunsmoke. Fess Parker, coonskin cap.

Which, come to find out, Daniel Boone never actually wore a coonskin cap. My mom worked at a TV station in Wichita so we got to meet Fess Parker. He was was tall man, over 6’.

Daniel Boone was maybe 5’8”, my height.

One of his descendants married Cherokee, the son of the Cherokee chief. He became Chief when his father died.

So, I’ve got a little royalty in my blood.

My grandfather told the story that Ulysses S. Grant was another grandfather. Great General for Abraham Lincoln that led the Union to win the Civil War, establishing state’s right and freeing the slaves.

Apparently, he was terrible president. That time in his life was referred to by my grandfather as, Useless S. Grant.

I watched the biography of him on the History channel a few years ago. I’m not sure which told more truth, the History Channel, or my grandfather.

My grandparents played a huge role in raising me. That’s because my dad was not faithful to my mom, more than once, they divorced and my mom moved back to Wichita after.

This was 1962. Nobody got divorced in the 60s.

One of the things that influences me and my ministry today is how the church treated my mom after the divorce, then. She need support. My father was not a good husband or father.He broke her heart. But the church painted the scarlet ‘D’ on my mom and pushed her out into the margins.

You know what they say about divorcees, right? They’ve got their eye on every married man in the place. Not true. But that was the reputation and you know the bible says God hates divorce. So, who in their right mind would do something knowingly, on purpose, that God hates.

I have also since learned that God hates what leads to the divorce. Not only was he an adulterer, broke my mom’s heart, he married twice more, had 2 more kids, died a chain-smoking alcoholic, tied to an oxygen tank, at 53 years old.

My mom, waited till I went off to college to re-marry. My step-dad, Joe, was a good man, he was good to mom. They dated 6 years, broke up once b/c he wanted t/b the most important person to her, but she had 2 kids that outranked him. I don’t know that he was a man of faith. He was raised in a Catholic church in southern Illinois.

I appreciate step-dads who invest in children they didn’t conceive. I am committed to being supportive, merciful, and gracious w/ people who are in bad marriages and who are committed to blending families. I’m sensitive to the realities that a divorce might be, may have been, the best option.

Sara’s family has an interesting history thru her dad’s line. Sara’s dad was adopted as very young child.

For years he didn’t want to know anything about his bio family. But, then, just a few years ago, his interest was peaked. They went thru one of the DNA websites. Sara did her best sleuthing and eventually connected with a cousin.

It turns out, his bio dad spent a couple of years in prison for arson. Later, died in a fire.

His bio mom moved back in w/ her parents when her marriage went bad. Her father was an itinerate Methodist preacher. They couldn’t afford to keep all 3 of her kids. It was the early 30s, the depression. So they put the 2 youngest up for adoption.

A doctor and his wife from Tyler, TX adopted Sara’s dad. His name was Charles Estin Willingham. His father was Charles Hayden Willingham and he was a doctor in Whitehouse, TX.

They named Sara’s dad, Charles Harold. He went to William & Mary in Va for his undergrad and then Baylor med school in Galveston, TX and became and orthopedic surgeon.

Sara’s brother is Charles Lawrence (Larry). He’s an excavating contractor in Tucson. His son is Charles Hayden. Back where it started.

Ancestors. If he had stayed w/ his bio parents and gone into the family business, he might have been a fire-starter, or maybe a fire-fighter, who knows.

But, he ended up a doctor. And you know 2 generations of doctors had an influence on him and what he ended up doing.

Our family tree has a lot to do who we are and how we turn out. It is also true of Jesus.

His family tree, at first look, has some white sheep and some black sheep. Some, anyone else, would be embarrassed, not proud to talk about and claim as a DNA contributor.

Jesus ancestors played a big role in showing Who He is and why He is that way.

God is a keeper of his promises, redeemer of black sheep and bad situations, and supporter of step-dads and adoptive dads who raise their kids as their own flesh and blood.

We looking at Jesus’s genealogies today. Exciting.

There are some great stories that come out them.

They humanize Jesus, the Son of God, promised King of God’s kingdom. We all have them, Jesus did, too. Ancestors.

B/C of the importance of the ancestry of all Jews, the temple kept great records in Jerusalem until it was destroyed in ad 70. The gospel writers would have had access to these records for their research.

This is why it became important for Mormon’s to keep accurate genealogies. You used to have make the trip to Salt Lake City to do your family research. Now, it’s available online and thru ancestry.com, 23andme, and other services.

We’ll be in 2 passages today, Mt. 1 and Lk. 3.

The Beginning

Matthew 1:1–2 NIV

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Matthew starts w/ Abraham. He is the father of the Jewish race. What happened before him, who came before him, are insignificant when it comes to considering who Jesus is in His family tree.

He traces Jesus’s line thru David.

It’s the first thing Matthew writes, chapter 1, verse 1.

That’s because, to Jewish readers, this would be the first question they would ask about any candidate claiming to be their Messiah.

Is he a descendant of Abraham and David?

Their promised Messiah is the answer to promises God made to both of these men.

God promised Abe land and descendants. He had neither at the time. But part of the promise was the entire world would be blessed thru his descendants in a Messiah.

David’s promise was there would always be a descendant sitting on the throne of Israel, and on special descendant would sit on the throne of God’s kingdom.

Anyone being considered t/b their Messiah had to meet these qualifications first.

And, interestingly, they Jewish leadership never challenged Jesus on this. Plenty of other things they challenged him on. But they must have known, thru their own record-keeping and research, that he met these qualifications.

Matthew organized his list in 3 sections of 14 generations each.

Abraham to David

David to the Babylonian exile

The exile to Jesus.

To organize it this way, he had to leave a few generations out. But remember, a middle-eastern reader wouldn’t have any issues with omissions or taking things out of order to get the message.

The message his organization of the tree communicates is this:

Every letter of the Hebrew alphabet has a numeric value.

Words were not written using vowels, just consonants.

So, David’s name would appear in the text as DVD.

The numeric value of D is 4. The value of V is 6.

So, 4+6+4=14. 14 generations in ea section.

All point to Matthew’s intention of communicating that Jesus is related to David and the King who is the rightful heir to David’s throne for eternity.

Luke, writing to a Greek audience, knew these qualifications were important. But not to the extent they were to the Jews.

Luke 3:38 NIV

the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Interestingly, Luke goes backwards. He started w/ Jesus, then backed up all the way to Adam.

To the Jews, Abraham was the father of the Jewish race. Jesus’s rel to him mattered quite a bit.

To the Greeks, Adam is the father of the entire human race.

Remember the question Luke asked and answered in his gospel:

I’m not Jewish. Who is Jesus to me?

He is the Savior of all ppl, of any background, who believe.

And Luke doesn’t get around to the ancestry until the end of his 3rd chapter.

His birth, baptism, then just before he starts his public ministry.

What qualifies Jesus to be Who He is about to claim to be. The Son of Man. The Son of a human woman. As a human, we can all relate. We don’t have t/b Jewish.

Maybe we can’t relate to a Jewish man. But we can relate to a man who has a family tree made up of white sheep, black sheep, Jews and non-Jews, who came to save us.

Luke’s org of his gospel, the family tree is not the same priority, b/c it’s not as important to the Greeks. Important, just not as much.

This is parenthetical. Like he just plugged it in the best place he could between Jesus’s baptism and public ministry.

One of the more interesting differences between the two are the paths they take from David to Joseph and Mary.

They are different. They don’t conflict. This is not the error that those who don’t want to believe are looking for.

There is an important reason why they differ from David.

They are 2 branches of the same tree.

Different Branches

Matthew 1:6–7 NIV

and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,

Jesse, David, then Solomon, whose mother was Bathsheba. More on that later. Then, the list of kings who sat on the throne of Israel that you can find in your OT, Kings and Chronicles.

Matthew goes thru David’s son Solomon and kings. Jesus is the legal heir to David’s throne. This is Jesus’s inherited right.

Matthew also uses the phrase, the father of, or King James “begat”.

Jesse begat David. David begat Solomon. And so on.

Begat means sired, contributed to the conception of.

Then, look at this:

Matthew 1:16 NIV

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary. Then, Mary begat Jesus.

That’s b/c Joseph didn’t contribute to Jesus’s conception.

Matthew’s tree supports the virgin birth of Jesus. Luke gives the details of the conception and birth. Matthew communicates the same in a different way.

Matthew’s tree is the line of Joseph, Jesus’s step-dad.

This was customary for c.1 Judaism to list the ancestors thru the father, not the mother.

Look at Luke’s line from David

Luke 3:31–32 NIV

the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,

Remember, he goes backwards, so start at the bottom.

Salmon was Boaz’s father.

Boaz had Obed. Obed had Jesse. Jesse had David.

David’s son Nathan, not Solomon, and it continues from there with a different list of names.

What’s up?

Notice Luke, working backwards, uses the phrase, “the son of” not “the father of” or “begat”.

Now, back up to v.23-24

Luke 3:23–24 NIV

Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melki, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

He starts w/ Jesus, about 30 years old.

c.1 grammar, Aramaic or Greek didn’t have the term “son-in-law”. The man that married your daughter was considered your son. Not on par w/ the sons had biologically, but you son.

He preserves the virgin birth, too.

Jesus was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph.

Joseph was the son of Heli.

Not exactly. Heli was Mary’s father. He had not surviving sons. And a daughter could not inherit the family land.

From the time they entered the PL, Israel kept everyone’s land in the family. If you were in the line of Judah, his sons, his sons, his sons, and so on; the same land Judah was assigned by Joshua was still in the possession of his descendants in the c.1.

Except, daughters didn’t get a share of the inheritance. Joseph wouldn’t get Heli’s inheritance either. It would have gone to a nephew.

So, how is Jesus the rightful heir to David’s throne if he doesn’t have Joseph’s DNA going back to David?

He does thru Mary.

While Mary cannot inherit her family’s land or pass it on to her children, Joseph can inherit the family’s land.

Mary did pass on David’s DNA making Jesus the genetic heir to David’s throne that Joseph couldn’t, didn’t do.

Thru Joseph, Jesus is the legal heir to David’s throne.

Thru Mary, Jesus is the genetic heir to David’s throne.

Both Joseph and Mary are descendants of David thru different sons of his, Solomon and Nathan.

Both matter to the Jews. The Greeks care that his genetics are right. Many Pagan cultures had different views and values on women. Some valued them more, some less.

But, either way, Jesus was qualified to be the Messiah of the Jews and Savior of the Greeks, and everyone else.

Matthew had is own way of communicating thru the family tree that Jesus was the Messiah for everyone. He did it thru the women included in the line.

It was not customary to include the mothers. But he included 5 in his; 4 besides Mary.

Redemption

Of these 4, 3 made terrible life choices that would have DQ’d them from and honor at that time and even in c.1.

The other, found herself in a tough situ, not of her own doing, but demonstrated great faith and family commitment that would be commendable in any culture.

None of the 4 were Jewish by birth.

First, Tamar

Matthew 1:3 NIV

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,

Jesus was predicted, prophecied, to come from the line of Judah. Jacob has 12 sons, the 12 tribes of Israel that were given land in the PL. Jesus was to be of line of Judah, remember he is called, the Lion of Judah.

Judah had 3 sons. The oldest, Er; married Tamar who was a Canaanite, a local native of the people who lived in the land Judah moved into.

Er died. It was customary to give the wife of the elder brother to the next brother if there were no sons to inherit his share.

So, Judah gave Tamar to Onan. Onan died.

Judah told Tamar to wait for Shelah, the 3rd son. He was old enough to marry, but Judah was afraid he would die young, so he made them wait.

Tamar had no children. And, remember Jesus is going to come from the Judah’s line and there are no sons, yet. She moved to be closer to her family until Judah approved the next marriage.

Judah’s wife, Shua died. He mourned her for an appropriate amount of time.

Tamar heard that Judah was coming into her neighborhood to shear his sheep. She hatched a plan, took matters into her own hands rather than trusting God, to have children.

She disguised herself as a prostitute and when Judah showed up she made herself available to him. He hired her for her services.

The going rate at the time was a goat. She got a goat.

She conceived twins that day. Judah then had an heir.

Bad choices by both. Judah should not have delayed giving her to son #3, Shelah. Tamar should not have made a play for Judah. Judah should not have slept w/ a prostitute.

But, God used their poor choices and redeemed their bad situation and fulfilled his promise to produce and heir of Judah that would lead to Jesus.

Somehow, in God’s providence, while he could prevent our poor choices, He allows us to make them, and he uses them in spite of their poorness to fulfill His promises and purposes.

We can’t mess up God’s plan. We can only mess up our lives. He can redeem it and make it work.

Second, Rahab

Matthew 1:5 NIV

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,

Rahab was the prostitute in Jericho. She heard of the miracles God performed thru Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt.

Jericho was the first city of any size in the way of Israel taking and occupying the PL.

After choosing a lifestyle and profession that was repulsive in any culture, she chose to believe in God and be on His side.

Her ppl were not taking care of her, they were taking advantage of her.

She delivered the spies who came from Israel to check out Jericho to safety.

Israel delivered her and her family to safety when they invaded and conquered Jericho.

God redeemed her from the disgrace of her profession of choice and graciously honored her w/ physical salvation, spiritual salvation, and a husband would take good care of her.

She and Salmon had a son, Boaz. And, he redeemed and married Ruth. The 3rd woman in Matthew’s list

Third, Ruth (also v.5)

Ruth was from Moab. A Moabite, not Jewish.

She married one of Naomi’s sons. The men in Naomi’s life had bad genes. Her husband died. Her sons had Hebrew names that meant sickly and weak.

Ruth had one of these winners for a husband. Both sons died young leaving Naomi, Ruth, and the other DIL to fend for themselves.

Ruth did right by Naomi. She did not leave her. But she stayed w/ her and cared for her as she returned to her family in the PL.

Ruth became a Jew by belief and behavior.

Her bad situation, not of her doing. But she stepped up and did the right thing when life dealt her a bad hand.

God redeemed Ruth when Boaz, Naomi’s close relative, redeemed her and married her.

Ruth and Boaz had a grandson, Jesse who became the father of David, who married Bathsheba, the 4th woman in Matthew’s list.

Fourth, Bathsheba

Matthew 1:6 NIV

and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

David had a special relationship w/ God. He is described as a man after God’s heart. He wrote most of the Psalms. And he rec’d God’s promise that a descendant would sit on God’s throne for all eternity.

Yet, David was far from perfect. God’s original plan was one man and one woman for marriage. David had 8 wives.

Bathsheba was his 8th.

His army had gone off to war. He should have gone w/ them. He didn’t. Kings didn’t send their armies w/out going, too.

One evening he was on the roof of his palace and he accidentally saw Bathsheba on the roof of her home.

The first look is innocent. No harm, no foul, no problem.

It’s the second look that gets you in trouble. It’s planned, premeditated, and fantasized about.

Bathsheba was Hittite. Her husband was Uriah and he was away w/ the army.

David had his ppl bring her into the palace. They were intimate and she conceived a baby.

Rather than admit the poor choice, they compounded their problems by scheming to cover it up. Their cover up went awry so the schemed to have Uriah killed in battle.

A conspiracy to kill is just as bad committing the kill.

As consequence, their baby died. Then David took her to be his wife.

God redeemed their situation by providing a son, not the eldest as was customary, but her 4th son by David, to be the heir to his throne and he became the wisest and wealthiest person in history.

Matthew, in including these women and their situations communicated to all Israel that God values women as much as men even though their culture did not at the time.

God sent His son to save everyone. And all are equals in God’s sight.

And, there is no situation that DQ’s us from God’s redemption. He can redeem anyone and any bad situation we find ourselves in when we commit from that time forward to believe in, have faith in, and follow Jesus for the rest of our lives.

Applications

Redemption

Are you in a bad situ, either of your own doing or someone else’s?

God can redeem you and your entire situation.

Redemption gives you value. When you redeem a coupon code when you buy something online it is given value and subtracts from what you have to pay.

When God redeems you, you have value.

If you feel worthless at all, whether in all areas of your life or just one, commit your life to Christ, commit your situation to Christ.

Surrender it all and God will redeem it and you.

He makes beauty out the ashes that are your life.

Promises

God promised Abraham and David a descendant of each would bless all the people of the world. He keeps every promise He makes.

God’s unconditional promise to us, the new covenant is, He will save anyone, everyone who believes. You don’t have t/b Jewish, Greek, and you don’t have to clean up your act before you come to Jesus.

Come w/ your mess and he will clean it up for you.

Promise. You believe in Jesus, receive Him, and He will save you for all eternity.

Step-Dads & Adoptive Dads

God honors any man, or woman, who does not give birth to child, but raises them, loves them, and provides for them regardless.

Joseph was Jesus’s step-dad and adoptive dad.

Thank you men for stepping up for the dad who vacated. You filled a vacuum that needed to be filled in a child’s life.

We value you, appreciate you for doing so.

If you know a man, or woman, like this. Tell them how much you appreciate what they are doing for all the kids in their life.

The family tree gets a little knotty. Mine has.

My grandfather played a huge role in my life. My step-dad contributed to me by honoring my mom.

My dad, not so much. But, I am who I am b/c they all contributed something.

Sara’s dad’s family tree got a little knotty.

Sara’s dad contributed a significant amount to her. He raised her, has loved her, gave her security and showed her was a faithful parent looks like.

I bet yours is, too.

Jesus’s is. Still, he is the product of the DNA that led to being the One who will Save the world.

Jesus ancestors played a big role in showing Who He is and why He is that way.

God is a keeper of his promises, redeemer of black sheep and bad situations, and supporter of step-dads and adoptive dads who raise their kids as their own flesh and blood.