December 1, 2021 - Luke 3:23-38
Stories abound of my relatives who lived in Western New York. Both sides of my family came to the region to farm the land and raise cattle, sheep, and horses. My father's side came from Germany and my mother's family came much earlier from England. While we get our name from my father, we do not know a lot about that ancestry. Paperwork was lost at Ellis Island and therefore our ancestral origin in Germany is uncertain.
As you examine this second genealogy of Christ's background, you notice that there are some differences between Matthew and Luke's accounts. Matthew begins with the royal lineage of David and then to the patriarch Abraham before proceeding forward to the birth of Christ by Mary, the wife of Joseph. Luke conversely begins with Joseph as the supposed father (v.24) and works backward through the genealogy until he reaches Adam. In Matthew, Joseph is stated as the son of Jacob (1:16) and in Luke, Joseph is named the son of Heli (v.24). A careful examination of the two accounts will also unveil that the genealogies are different and the lineage of Jesus in Luke's account is attributed to a distinct son of David! Matthew spoke of the lineage coming through Solomon (Matthew 1:6), while Luke declares Christ's lineage came through Nathan (Luke 3:31).
These variations speak to the fact that Luke's account was writing the ancestry of Mary and not Joseph. Luke emphasizes Mary's position as the key character in the early chapters of his gospel. Mary's role in Luke's writings help us see her heart and subservient nature to the Heavenly Father's plan. Her willingness to accept the supernatural announcement of a virgin birth, continuing to the hill country to visit and sing a spirit led song to Elizabeth, and then traveling with Joseph to Bethlehem demonstrated her submissive nature. Luke 2:19 states, "But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart." She was a godly young woman who trusted God's word and work regardless of misunderstanding, accusations, and threatened abandonment.
Believers are often asked to walk by faith and not by sight. Mary is an example of how to accomplish an impossible event against seemingly incredible odds. Her unshakable grip upon the promise of God's messenger and the encouragement of godly individuals to persevere, enabled her feat to be accomplished. What is God asking you to trust about Him? Is it a relationship, finances, a step of faith that could bring ridicule or possible desertion? Take heart, God is in control down to the fourth, fifth or sixth generation and is preparing the path He wants you to take.