Chuck Larsen

Verse 6, of Matthew chapter 1, ends with the identification of another woman in the genealogy of Jesus. It reads, “And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.” It doesn’t give her name. But we all know who she is. She’s the woman who committed adultery with David and whose husband David murdered to cover it up. Whereas it’s clear that Ruth, the Moabite, was a woman of great character, we don’t necessarily see that with Bathsheba. Every one of the women in the genealogy of Jesus present us with a difficulty; Tamar the adulteress, Rahab the prostitute, Ruth of Moab, (From incest), Bathsheba the adulteress. Even Mary, the Mother of Jesus, was accused of conception out of wedlock when the religious leaders referred to Jesus as illegitimate. View full article »

It’s fascinating to me that “Ruth” the Moabite is especially noted as being in the genealogy of the Christ, the King. You might remember that she’s an offspring of Lot through his own daughter. After they fled from Sodom they holed up in a cave and Lot’s daughter got him drunk and copulated with him. From her own father she conceived and gave birth to Moab. His name means “From my father.” What a disgrace to live with such a title all your life! Every time the word “Moabite” was used it brought to mind the meaning of the word. View full article »

One cannot miss the fact the four women besides Mary, the mother of Jesus, are recorded in this lineage that led to the birth of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. They are, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba (although Bathsheba is not mentioned by name, only as the wife of Uriah). View full article »

The last verse in our passage outlines the passage for us. It explains that there are exactly 14 generations from Abraham to David. That marks out the first section. The second section contains 14 generations from David to the fall of the southern Kingdom of Judah to Babylon and the deportation of the Jews from their homeland. The third section is identified from the return to Jerusalem under Nehemiah through 14 generations the lead to the birth of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah. Thus we have 14, 14 and 14. Thus there are three sections of 14 generations that led to the birth of Jesus, the son of David. View full article »

Matthew opens with a genealogy as does the book of Genesis in Chapter five where it says, “This is the generation of Adam….” But the book of Adam’s genealogy and the book of Jesus’ genealogy are radically different. The constant refrain in the Genesis genealogy is “…and he died.” It’s often called the obituary chapter. But the genealogy in Matthew repeats the phrase “…and he begat…” There is no mention of death. It’s through Adam’s line we inherited death. But it’s through Christ’s line we inherit eternal life. View full article »