God's Plan of Salvation in Seventeen Verses

Homily for Saturday of the Fourth Week in Advent

It is probably a safe bet that if any one of us decided to tell a story that begins with a recitation of fourteen generations in our family tree, the interest in the story would wane in a hurry. Most of us probably have stories to tell about how this Gospel reading is avoided. Yet, as some of you already know, I find this particular Gospel reading not only interesting but also important. Anyone with only a passing acquaintance with the Hebrew Scriptures might recognize seven or eight names in this Gospel, but the Jews to whom Matthew addresses his account were familiar with the whole list. To them, this represented salvation history – God’s promise of salvation for his people.

The first person as well as the last person mentioned in the account is none other than Jesus Christ.

The genealogy shows Jesus’ legal, rather than biological, right to the throne of God’s kingdom. Interestingly, the lineage includes not just members of the tribes of Israel, but Gentiles: foretelling the salvation of all. It also has less to do with emphasizing the greatness of the individuals in each generation (especially since it includes murderers, idolaters, adulterers, and a variety of other embodied sinfulness) and more to do with highlighting the providence and faithfulness of God. Our ancestors gave God every reason in the book to turn away from us, but God didn’t.

The very first line links Jesus with two of the most important figures in Jewish history – David and Abraham. David and Jesus are the only two people identified with titles – David as King and Jesus as Messiah. This calls to mind that God promised David that he would have an everlasting kingdom. Matthew identifying Jesus as the son of David and the Messiah would certainly be telling the Israelites that Jesus is the Messiah-King for whom they had been waiting.

Throughout Advent we have been remembering salvation history. Today Matthew puts the history of Israel before us in seventeen verses. Our anticipation of Jesus’ birth grows. Soon we will celebrate our Savior.