Matthew 1:1-17 The Genealogy of Jesus

Matthew gives us a genealogy of Jesus, conveniently telling us that there were fourteen generations between the beginning of man and King David, fourteen between David and the Babylonian captivity, and fourteen between the captivity and Christ Jesus.   Listed are many kings both good and bad, a contrast to help us see clearly God’s presence in the history of Israel.  Some of those kings struggled led the nation astray or to be conquered, allowing us to see God’s mercy in helping Israel through those listed kings who were good, who sought to restore the people of God and helped them conform to God’s ways.  Mentioned too are women and men who God directly heard, protected, and preserved.  Allowing us to know that God remembers each of us specifically as we form his people.  We remember through this genealogy how merciful and loving the Lord is. 

  We know that if we were to compare this genealogy to 1 Chronicles that Matthew has edited some names from the actual genealogy.  Why does this occur?  Matthew is writing to the Jewish people.   For them fourteen is a special number.  It is the number of steps in the Passover supper commemorating when God saved his people leading them out of slavery.  It is the Date in the Jewish month of Adar when Purim is celebrated, which commemorates the saving of the Jewish people from Haman in Babylonia when he tried to have them all killed.  The number fourteen in also represented the day of Pesach Sheni, the day before the Passover when they celebrated bringing forth the Paschal lamb.  These ideas are invoked by the number fourteen. 

Matthew has already instilled in our minds the idea of God's mercy and love.  Now he is drawing us to consider the Purim, and especially Pasch through which God saved his people.  Matthew specifically draws us to Christ and his birth into the human family, using the word twice at the end of today's passage.    We are called to stay awake, sit-up, pay attention!  Christ is coming in glory.  May we continue to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord in his mercy.