Roots Run Deep

 

"When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 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, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."                                        Luke 3:23-38

 

Good Morning my beloved,

We welcome you to worship in the name of God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Its good to be back together with all of you today, we're glad you're here. I'd like to personally thank those of you who have been faithfully sharing the ministry website, God has continued to abundantly bless the results of your efforts with more and more people coming to Christ. I humbly ask that you join me in praying that God will continue to use this ministry mightily to reach those whose hearts He has prepared. 

I remember when the interest in genealogy first really started to surge in the mid 1990's, since that time people have become more and more intrigued by delving into genealogical records to trace their family history, uncovering both the famous and the infamous in their family trees, as well as the DNA testing kits that will trace down one's family ethnicity. One Christmas, twenty or so years ago, my sister gave me a copy of a book that one of the relatives on our mother's side had published, I must admit it was interesting to learn that we were connected to some very famous people, both living and deceased. I've been blessed to have a very dear friend of mine who has a passion for researching old records, and lives near by the towns and villages where much of my mother's side of the family was from, who was instrumental in locating many of the missing genealogical pieces. For some people, delving into their ancestry has evolved beyond mere curiosity; it now serves as a way to satisfy a psychological need, or in some cases a relentless obsession to uncover their true identity and origins.

However, in biblical times, genealogical records were not just a form of recreation, or a way of satisfying one's curiosities, they were extremely important in determining the validity an individual's claim to a piece of land or right of inheritance, or prove that they were in the priestly line. And, if anyone claimed to have a royal pedigree, it would be absolutely essential that they have the genealogy in their family lineage to be able to prove it. The Jews were known to have meticulously kept very accurate genealogical records, even after they returned from seventy years in exile after the Babylonian captivity around 586 B.C., some forty years after the prophet Jeremiah warned them that God was going to punish them if they did not repent and come back to Him, which the Jews never did obviously. And since God brought judgment again in 70 A.D, through the Romans, nobody knows their ancestral heritage much beyond the New Testament era, because all the genealogical records have been destroyed, much to the disappointment of the Jewish people. However, there's really no need to keep such records any longer, since the Messiah has already arrived and the priesthood came to an end, which were the primary purposes for keeping such impeccable records. For example, Rabbi Hillel, one of the most influential Rabbi's around the time of Jesus, was proud of the fact that he could trace his genealogy all the way back to King David.

Joseph and Mary were well aware of their ancestral background, they knew their family genealogy went back to the city of David, which is why they traveled to Bethlehem to be registered for the census to be taxed. Because genealogical records were matter of the public record, some historians tell us that many of the Jews kept private genealogies, as did many of the Greeks. I mention this because regardless of the audience Luke is addressing, whether they are Jews or Gentiles, they would have understood the importance of genealogy, and why it was particularly important for someone like Jesus claiming to be the Messiah. It isn't the only criteria, but it certainly is an important component, because the absence of it could discredit someone. And so Luke includes the genealogical credentials as proof that Jesus is not merely a self-appointed Messiah, we've already read the affirmation from God the Father and God the Holy Spirit at His baptism weren't already enough. He is not just a great man, a good teacher or even just a prophet, He is the fulfillment of God's redemptive purpose. It's one thing to claim to be the Messiah, the Savior of the world, it is something else to be able to prove it, which Luke is very good at, giving us all of this irrefutable evidence validating that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah beginning back in chapter 1 with the divine revelation from the angel Gabriel that Mary will miraculously conceive in her virgin womb the Son of God and give birth to the Messiah, the King Who will rule forever and ever.

 

Then there's the testimony of John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah while he was still in the womb of Elizabeth, and angels’ testimony to the shepherds in the field outside of Bethlehem and the glory of the Lord that shone around them, then the testimony of the shepherds who found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger that went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen. Then you have the proof that Jesus is the Messiah from Simeon and Anna in the temple. Then there's the testimony of Jesus Himself at the age of twelve that He knows that God is His true Father.

 

We've already studied Jesus' genealogy in Matthew who very carefully gives us the legal genealogy from Joseph's side to satisfy the Jews who wanted to discredit Jesus. You may recall Matthew even included four women, a few prostitutes and adulteresses and Gentiles in the line of the Messiah, which I believe is pretty amazing way to demonstrate that even in the midst of the law there is grace. It should not be lost on us that Luke doesn't give us Jesus' genealogy from Joseph's side of the story, there wouldn't be much point in that, so he tells the story from Mary's side, since there were all kinds of people looking to find any possible way that they could eliminate Him from His messianic claim. What I find interesting, is none of the scribes, Pharisees, the Sadducees or anybody who wanted Him killed ever dispute the fact that His ancestry was Davidic. In reality, that's all it would have taken for them to discredit Jesus' claims to be the Messiah, a Son of David, but they never once brought the issue up because they knew He had the credentials, through Joseph legally and through the bloodline of Mary naturally. Aside from His ancestry, aside from the fact that He was virgin born, teaching, and all the miracles. Genealogies are more than just a list, it tells us there are others who have gone before us, that have faced the same questions and struggles that we face today. In other words, the roots of our relationship with God run deep.

Let's pray

Heavenly Father,

 

Father, thank You for Your Word, for taking us through this thrilling adventure of this genealogy of the One Who was born to be the Savior of sinners. Father, we thank You for Your plan of redemption, Your gracious salvation, we confess we have nothing to offer You in return except for our humble devotion, our worship and our praise. As we go out to communicate the gospel of Jesus Christ to sinners, may we always be faithful to speak the truth in love, may we tell them about the forgiveness and the eternal life that You offer to repentant sinner in Jesus Christ. May we be committed to lovingly proclaim that message to others. O' how it must break Your heart to know that the church You purchased with Your own blood has shoved people onto the broad road that leads to destruction. Lord, help us to be completely consumed with and committed to Your will, all for Your glory and Christ's sake. We ask and pray these things in Christ's precious name

Amen

Today's Message: Roots Run Deep

 

Open you Bibles with me, if you would and turn them to Luke chapter 3. I trust that you will be following along with me read the text to you, to set it in our minds as we open our hearts and listen for the voice of our Lord. Luke 3:23-38.

 

"When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 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, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God."      

 

Let's look at verse 23, "When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age," prior to His baptism at the age of thirty He lived in obscurity, and He didn't have a public ministry. Thirty was the common appropriate age when people would acknowledge someone in a position of authority. For example, according to Genesis 41, it was at thirty years of age when Joseph entered into his position of prime minister in Egypt. And, according to Ezekiel chapter 1,  it was in his thirtieth year, on the fifth day of the fourth month, when the prophet Ezekiel entered into his prophetic ministry. According to 2 Samuel 5, David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years. If you strip the Old Testament down and it becomes the picture of God preparing the way for Jesus to emerge. Of course it would have been assumed by most that He would be a carpenter like His earthly father, and He was certainly trained in that trade, however, from an early age, Jesus knew what He had been sent to do when the time came. Then notice Luke says "being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph." This is another way of saying He is actually only the Son of Mary and not the Son of Joseph, this a subtle affirmation of His miraculous conception and virgin birth, because everybody knew that Joseph and Mary were husband and wife, so most people would assume He was another natural born Son of Joseph just like all of their other children, so Luke puts supposedly being the son of Joseph to emphasize Joseph is not His biological father without directly saying it. Luke backhandedly counters the erroneous supposition with the genealogy of Jesus going through Mary's side without mentioning Mary, but Mary's father Eli, or Heli back to Nathan. Everybody would have known the father of Joseph was Jacob back to Solomon, but one of Solomon’s descendants named Jeconiah was so evil that God declared that no descendant of Jeconiah would ever sit on the throne of David. (c.f. Jeremiah 22:28-30) But because God is sovereign, His plans are never thwarted, Jesus is the rightful Heir to David's throne, both legally and spiritually. It's worth mentioning, in the original Greek, the word "the" is not there with reference to Joseph but the word "huios" is. 

 

Allow me to explain, there are two Greek words that are both translated "son," teknon and huios, both words indicate sonship by parentage, however,  the word "teknon" indicates that the sonship has taken place by physical descent, while the word "huios" indicates that sonship has taken place more from the legal side as with adoption. Then, throughout the rest of the genealogy you have the word "the" is there and not the word "son." In other words, the way you would actually read the verse is, "Jesus Himself, supposedly Joseph's son, was about thirty years old when He began His ministry, being a son of Eli." So Luke begins with "Jesus Himself, supposedly Joseph's son," then goes to the first male member behind Jesus which is Mary's father or Jesus' grandfather. Unfortunately, we know nothing of Mary’s father, Heli. The Bible contains not another word about Him. We can only speculate about what kind of father he must have been having raised a godly daughter like Mary.

 

Then, in verses 24 through 27, "the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri."

 

Since 2 Timothy 3:16 says "All Scripture is God breathed and is profitable for teaching…" I believe that must include genealogies since God put them there for a reason. The problem we have with Mary's genealogy is, we don't know anything about most them because they're not mentioned anywhere else except for Shealtiel, which is Zerubbabel's father and Zerubbabel, who also in Joseph's genealogy. How can that be? At the end of the day, we have no idea, nobody knows for certain because those were common names, it could have been that at some point, there was a levirate marriage involved, where if a man leaves his wife childless and there's no heir for his estate, a relative can marry that widow and raise up a child. God provided for that in Deuteronomy 25, or even an adoption. Again, we cannot be dogmatic because we just don't know. Which by the way, is probably why most pastors and teachers often skip over genealogies in the Bible with many of them making barely even a comment at all.

 

There's another interesting note worth mentioning, in Matthew's genealogical record Jeconiah is the father of Shealtiel, but in 1 Chronicles 3, it says "The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei." The best answer is probably either there was a levirate marriage involved or an adoption. So, it's possible that he could be the son of Shealtiel but became the adopted son of the brother of Shealtiel, or the son of Shealtiel. One thing for sure, there are more twists and turns than a good whodunit movie.

 

Then, at the end of verse 27,  you end with Neri you go down to verse 31 to Nathan, then once you hit David, the names in both genealogies from David all the way back to Abraham become familiar and are the same as in Matthew's genealogy. In verse 38, Luke goes back to Adam, who was a son of God by creation and bore the image of God, until he fell into sin. Since the time of Adam, all of his descendants have been tainted, corrupted by sin, that is until Jesus, Who came into the world perfectly reflecting the image of God and pleasing Him. Similarly to Adam, Jesus also faced temptation but did not succumb to sin. He is not only Son of God, possessing full divinity, but also the Son of Adam, fully human in every sense, making Him the God-Man. As to His nationality, He is the descendant of Abraham, the promised seed through whom all Abrahamic blessings would flow. As to royalty, He is Son of David, inheriting royalty as the promised King Who would fulfill all the Davidic promises of the glorious kingdom. 

 

Jesus acknowledged the calling on His life, He lived an absolutely perfect life of obedience without error, demonstrating for us the true essence of complete surrender. When you forsake everything to follow Christ, walking in His footsteps, you will encounter suffering, opposition, persecution, hatred, you may even be killed  but realized that you’re not going down some road that hasn’t been traveled before, albeit  a road that is certainly less traveled, you'll experience the presence of the Holy Spirit Who is going to manifest Himself to you, transforming your desires and lifestyle, so you'll never again be content to live the way you did before. This is the significance of baptism in our lives, an outward symbol of total surrender and a break from our sinful past, ensuring there is no turning back. Thanks to Jesus Christ, Who came to bring new life to both Jews and Gentiles alike, we all have the opportunity for a new beginning through spiritual rebirth and regeneration!

May it be so..

And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;

the Lord make His face shine upon you,

And be gracious to you;

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,

And give you peace.

Now and forever, in Jesus' name

Amen

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