Wow, aren't genealogies exciting?? I'll be honest, I was a little nervous about reading it out loud in front of everyone. But if you're like me, you might wonder: Why would the Gospel of Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, begin with a long, boring genealogy? It's tempting to quickly skim this passage or just skip it all and move on to the better stuff. But this Ancestor Record provides some important information about Jesus. Scholars point out that Jewish people find genealogies particularly important and interesting. In fact, for Jews, starting someone's life story with a genealogy is essential, because family trees were often used to demonstrate how pure someone's lineage was. If a Jew could prove that he had a pure bloodline, it would prove to everyone that he is indeed a member of God's people. Genealogies were a way to achieve a certain social status. Some of you may be familiar with the movie A Knight's Tale. It is set in medieval England and tells the story of a young man named William who wished to become a knight. And if you want to become a knight you must descend from a royal lineage. The only problem is that William is a poor farmer. So, William comes up with a plan with the help of some friends. He changes his name to Ulrich, falsifies his family history, and pretends to be a knight born into the royal family. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay On the day of his first competition, posing as a knight, his friend (acting as a squire) presents him before a large audience. He provides this summary of Ulrich's false royal lineage. “I would list Lord Ulrich's lineage if it would honor him. Most men here – it's sad, but it's true – look to their past to prove their worth; they look to the deeds of their fathers. Now, Sir Ulrich has great ancestors, don't get me wrong. Sir Chirard von Richbach, Duke Guelph of Saxony, Van Misch IV of Brunswick – but these great, great men pale before him. I don't list them to honor him; I list this to honor them! In this story, William, a poor farmer, had to falsify his family history to gain the status of “Knight”. And I think there is a connection between A Knight's Tale and the genealogy of Jesus. There are many incredible characters in the story of Jesus' family that spans over 40 generations. I guess you could say they are characters of “biblical proportions.” Matthew begins by quoting two of the greatest names in all of Judaism: Abraham (the father of faith) and David (the greatest king Israel has ever known). These two figures are giants in the Jewish faith and, for a Jew, it would be incredible to see that Jesus' lineage can be traced back to Abraham. Yet, just as in A Knight's Tale, these great, great men pale into insignificance next to Jesus. But this lineage still functions as an introduction to who Jesus is. It tells his story, his legacy, and his identity . Looking back at our history and heritage has become quite a popular thing. Many people have started tracing their ancestors. It helps people find connections to their past and can even help them explain and identify the relationships and values ​​that have shaped who they are. Ancestry.com has allowed people to reconnect with family members and find lost information about their history. And the results can sometimes be surprising. I was talking to some friends the other day who say it wasalways told them that they had Native American blood in their family, but after receiving the results of their DNA test, they discovered that this was not the case. But I love some of their commercials, because they talk about an unknown story just waiting to be discovered. I like that phrase: “Unlock your past. Inspire your future.” Our past tells us where we come from and can inspire us as we move forward into the future. And I think a lot of people find good and bad when they dig into the past. I traced some of my family history and found both the good and the bad. I found celebration and tragedy. I learned about my great, great, grandfather who served as a Methodist preacher in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee. I heard a story about a relative who supposedly helped a young Dolly Parton when she had car trouble after getting her hair done. I heard about my grandfather who helped a stranger save his animals and farm equipment from a burning barn. I listened to these stories that make me smile and make me proud of my origins. But I also learned of another great, great grandfather who died at the premature age of 30. I have heard of a number of children who died in childhood without ever having the chance to grow up and carry on their legacy. grandmother who was engaged to a man who died suddenly of appendicitis – and went to his funeral on the day they were supposed to get married. I have listened to these stories and read these letters which give me insight into who they were and the tragedies they experienced. Our ancestors have stories that tell us who they are. The Gospel of Matthew certainly tells a story about Jesus and his past. It paints a vivid picture. Some of these people evoke powerful and positive images. Some of these people have a somewhat checkered past. King David sure has some baggage. King Ahaz was no saint. Some of Jesus' ancestors evoke unpleasant memories of the past. Abraham also made some missteps along the way. And not only does this genealogy show some unsavory characters, it also shows Israel's mixed history: times were good and times were bad. It reminds us of when King David ruled during a peaceful time in Israel's history. It also reminds us of the Babylonian exile. It has ups and downs. It's the same for us, isn't it? We can remember our ancestors who lived through the Great Depression and various wars. We listen to their stories and it influences how we think about them and ourselves. We can remember the good and bad moments in our lives. We can remember the times we celebrated and the times we cried. I think what I love most about this genealogy is that some unexpected characters are listed. For example, the fact that Matthew mentions five women in this genealogy is quite remarkable. In ancient Israel it was certainly a man's world. But there are five women mentioned in Jesus' family lineage. Four of these women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba) come from a foreign lineage. They were outsiders. They were not originally Jews. In light of this, John Wesley observed that it was “remarkable in sacred history” that four non-Jewish women were mentioned in Jesus' family tree. I also find it interesting that these four women are mentioned in connection with their son or husband. In other words, they are somehow defined by men. Everyone except Maria. This is particularly interesting because technically this is Joseph's lineage, not Mary's. But in this text Joseph is the only man who is defined by his wife – and not the other way around. Joseph is referred to as Mary's husband. Maria is the only woman identified as a main character over a man in all.