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The genealogy of Jesus in Matthew

Some notes on Jesus’ background from the first chapter of Matthew:

Ancient biographies often opened with the noble background of their subject, background that would shed light on the identity or character of the person about whom they wrote. By tracing Jesus’ royal ancestry, Matthew emphasizes that Jesus comes from a lineage of kings. This is not Jesus’ genetic line through his mother, but the legal line of Joseph; yet for kingship, it was the legal line that counted. (For that matter, most Roman emperors in this period were adopted relatives of their predecessors, not their genetic sons.)

Like a good rabbi skilled with words, Matthew plays on a couple names in a way that hints that Jesus’ character transcends that of his legal ancestors. Although it is not obvious in most translations, he changes the letters in a couple names. The evil king Amon becomes Amos—alluding to the prophets. The better king Asa becomes Asaph, one of the psalmists, alluding to the Psalms. Jesus’ heritage is not only royal; it evokes the entire heritage of earlier Scripture, the law and prophets and writings.

The opening words of Matthew’s Gospel are literally, “The book of the Genesis of Jesus Christ.” Matthew borrows these words from genealogies in Genesis, especially the genealogy of Adam, for which the Book of Genesis was named (not only in English but also in Greek).

The genealogy that follows is striking, however: whereas the phrase in Genesis identifies a person’s descendants, here it identifies Jesus’ ancestors. In ancient thought, people depended in some sense on their ancestors for their significance; but here, their ultimate descendant heads the list. Matthew does not use the genealogy merely to identify Jesus in terms of his ancestors. Rather, Matthew reads Jesus’ ancestors in terms of him. Jesus is the climax and goal of Israel’s past history; as such, even his famous ancestors depend on him for their ultimate significance.

 

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Thanksgiving in Romans 1:8-15

In what constitutes a single long sentence in Greek, Paul emphasizes his appreciation for Roman believers. He explains that he would have eagerly visited them to serve them with his apostolic ministry, as he has been gifted to serve all the Gentiles, but that he has been detained so far (1:8-15). Toward the end of his letter he will indicate that he has been detained by spiritually needier destinations (15:19-22).

Paul starts by thanking God for them (1:8). Thanksgivings were common (though by no means pervasive) in ancient letters, and Paul nearly always thanks God for the churches to whom he writes (though this feature is conspicuously omitted in his opening rebuke to the Galatians). Paul not only thanks God for them, but he regularly prays for them (1:9); calling a deity to “witness” underlined the veracity of one’s claim, since deities were expected to avenge false claims about them. Paul prays especially that he might visit them (1:10) so he can serve them the way God has gifted him to do (1:11). “In God’s will” (1:10) does not absolutely promise his coming, but acknowledges that, while he plans to come, only God knows whether future circumstances will fully permit it. This was a common enough caveat, and Paul undoubtedly thinks also of dangers he may face.

(Adapted from Romans: A New Covenant Commentary, published by Cascade Books. Buy the book here.)

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The good Samaritan, part two: Luke 10:31-37

Verse 31: Priests tried to avoid unnecessary impurity from corpses (touching a corpse rendered one unclean for seven days), even though this one is leaving Jerusalem, hence not about to serve in the temple. Some Jews went so far as to teach that one could contract impurity if so much as one’s shadow touched the corpse! Because this priest is heading (presumably home) to Jericho, where many wealthy priests lived, he might be a wealthy priest.

32: Levites sought to avoid ritual impurity, although the standards for them were less strict than for priests (see 10:31).

33: Because some Jewish stories involved a priest, a Levite, and an Israelite, some suggest that Jesus’ first audience may have expected him to mention a lay Israelite next. Jews and Samaritans were mutually hostile, and religious justified their respective nationalisms.

34: People used oil medicinally and for washing wounds; they could also use wine to disinfect wounds. Sources suggest that strict Jewish people avoided Gentile oil, so they may have done the same with Samaritan oil. A donkey might have seated both men, unless (as is very possible for a donkey-owner) the Samaritan was a merchant with many wares.

The Samaritan instead leads the donkey, taking the inferior (even servile) position to help the Israelite. The possible allusion to 2 Chronicles 28:15 and its context would remind Jesus’ most biblically literate hearers of a common bond uniting two different kingdoms in the land.

35: “I will repay” appears as a common formula in ancient documents about debts. Because inns were known for immorality and innkeepers often mistrusted, his promise to pay more offered the innkeeper further incentive to tend to the wounded man.

37: Although the legal expert is reluctant to simply confess, “the Samaritan,” Jesus has forced him to answer his own question offered in 10:29.

(Adapted from Dr. Keener’s personal research. Used with permission from InterVarsity Press, which published similar research by Dr. Keener in The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. Buy the book here.)