Where Do We Come From? (Matthew 1:1-17)

When you turn to the first gospel account of the life of Jesus to try to understand Him, His mission and the legacy He longs for us to carry on, you first have to deal with the genealogy of Jesus, the man. After all, just like every one of us before Him and those who have followed in His wake, there is a list of ancestors that stretches back into the far reaches of when time began. Jesus is no different.

The genealogy of the Messiah is slightly irregular than most, as His human stepfather, Joseph, is the ancestral line we are given in Matthew 1:1-17. Having no earthly father, this is a logical presentation for Matthew to make.

We all have unsavory characters in our family. We also have spiritual forefathers who broke with their culture and followed YHWH no matter the cost. Most people gloss over the lineage of Jesus, son of Joseph. After all, those "begats" get slightly confusing. But as we delve into His heritage, we find a treasure trove of information and an even more amazing gift of how to deal with our own.

One of the first things you'll notice is that there are five women who are also named in the lineage of the Messiah. This was not normal protocol of the time period. "Bar" in a name meant son of...and a woman's moniker never followed. Thus, Jesus bar Joseph (Yeshua bar Yosef) would have been the earthly identity of Jesus in His village, not Jesus bar Mary. It just didn't work that way. So to have women specifically named in His lineage must be significant.

The inclusion of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary have typically been explained as Matthew wanted to signify that Jesus came to save the Gentiles as well. Nice thought, but Matthew is writing to a predominantly Jewish audience. The genealogy is proof of the Jewish roots of Jesus. In his recent book Reversing Hermon, Dr. Michael Heiser presents interesting scholarly reasons why these specific women were chosen as representatives of precisely whom Jesus was descended from. It goes back to Second Temple teachings on Genesis 6 and the sin of the Watchers. (Definitely a conversation for another day!) For our purposes here though, I just want to emphasize that there is no sin too big for Jesus to reverse/redeem and no sinner that Jesus would like to push back into the closet to hide in the darkness.

If I Live Like Jesus, I embrace the good, the bad, and even the downright ugly in this sordid, messy tapestry of lineage that was woven decades and centuries before I arrived on the scene. In fact, I wear those "incidents", "whispers", and "goings on" like a badge of honor...because they made me precisely who I am!!

I also don't hide the yuck, because only Darkness hides. Jesus is the Light of the world. We all know that Darkness can only be stopped by the Light. So throw open those closets, knock down those cobwebs and toss the skeletons out in the trash were they belong. 

This definitely is not as easy as it sounds. And don't throw this information out on social media for the ridicule and condemnation of everyone you met at a Gymboree play class for your kids. Instead, start by pouring it out to Jesus. Let him break the generational sins that have their hooks in your family. If you don't even know where those hooks are digging in, just ask Him...He'll be well-pleased to show you exactly where they are located.

Remember, every single one of these women and men for whom we know the darkness of their past...it was recorded in the Old Testament thousands of years ago...were also in the lineage of Joseph. Joseph had these sordid characters in his past too! This is what he brought to the table for Jesus, his divine step-son. Beth Moore says, 'to every generation is given the opportunity to break the chains of the past. It's just a matter of who is going to do the work.'

Next post, we'll look at how I believe Joseph 'did the work.' Without embracing every facet of who he was, who he was destined to be...yet failed to become, Joseph may never have been humble enough to recognize this child for who He really was...the Son of God.

It's Been A Long Time

Over 2 years ago, I wrote my last blog post. I knew then it probably wouldn't be the last one ever, but I knew it would be a lengthy hiatus at best. There were several reasons for this, and now there are several reasons for returning.

A lot has happened in the last 2 years...politics aside...I mean personally. For the last year, I worked in a homeless shelter. You want some perspective on what matters in this world, go to work for a population of people who carry all of their personal belongings in a backpack. Also, about 2 years ago, I embarked down an area of study in my spiritual life that has completely changed the way I look at this world and my place in it. More importantly, God has awakened me to His power within me and the dark forces that are at work against every single one of us, whether you're a Christian or not. Just being human means you have an enemy that wants to destroy you, because he wants to destroy everything and everyone that God created...and that means you.

But as a Jesus-follower, I am empowered with certain gifts...promised to each of us...that will not only aid in my survival, but will actually help me soar above the muckety-muck of this world we call home.

I'm now at the cusp of yet another new beginning on this Journey. And as the Holy Spirit always does, He has been prepping me for this one too. I don't yet know where it will lead, but I do know it will involve growing things and growing people. That's pretty much how He's summed up my purpose here. And because of the heart He's given me, I know those things include plants that feed people, and the people will involve those on the fringes of our everyday lives.

I've struggled a lot over the last year, first with my health, and then stress and anxiety that were digging deep roots into my soul and taking hold in ways I didn't know were possible...and I've had a lot of stress in my past. (Just read previous posts...particularly in years 2009-2011!) But as I finally listened to what He's been telling me to do for the last 2 months, the source of the stress is gone, and now I just need to let Him work on digging up the stump. I know He will be faithful to do it!

Not coincidentally at this same time, He's been calling me to get back to finding out who He really is. A lot of the teaching I've heard, and the lessons I've learned amid the cacophony of voices that seep into our lives through news, media, the internet and even our churches, is so diametrically opposed to who God says He is, that part of my stress has involved simply trying to hear His Voice.

The best way I know to get back to the heart of God is through Jesus. Who did He say He was? How did He live His life? Not just what did He say, but what did He do? To whom did He go?

I have to strip down that muckety-muck I referred to previously and look with new eyes upon the One who gave everything just so I could commune with Him. So the best place that I know to start is in the gospels...Matthew to be specific. I know I'll find Him there, because He promised that when I seek Him, I will find Him. (see Jeremiah 29:13)

Do you want to join me on the Journey? He promised there is no greater adventure! I don't know how long it will take, but it would be good to hear your thoughts and observations along the way. Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't insert here that the plan isn't just to find out who He is, but to put it into practice too! After all, James the half-brother of Jesus, told us that "faith without works is dead." (see James 2:20) I honestly don't need any more head-knowledge, do you? What I do need is the transformational power of Jesus to so infect my life that the world is different because I know and love Him!

I can't think of anything more worthy of my time, energy and attention...let's get started!