THE GOSPELS – the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah

9 August 2024

We are proceeding with our study of the GOSPELS, Matthew, Mark, Luke & John. We have now already done a short introduction to all FOUR GOSPELS and in TOTDAY’s message we are going to talk about the GENEALOGY, with other words THE FAMILY TREE of Yeshua the Messiah, working mainly from the Complete Jewish Study Bible – insight for Jews and Christians with cross references to other Bible versions. As well as the Nelson’s Foundational Bible Dictionary.

As you know we are using the Hebrew names for God the Father, namely YHVH which we will pronounce as Yahveh and Yeshua the Messiah instead of the English Name Jesus Christ translated from the Greek.

In our very first message on the GOSPELS we acknowledged that the GOSPELS are about the GOOD NEWS of mankind’s salvation through the price paid for our sins through the blood of our Messiah Yeshua, BUT the GOSPELS also teaches us how to live our lives in the EXACT example that Yeshua our Messiah came to demonstrate to us in His life on earth! He Himself said in John 10:10 b “…I have come so that they may have life, life in full measure” We therefore can conclude, He did not only come to DIE for us but He also came to show us how to LIVE IN VICTORY!

So today we are only going to FOCUSS on the Genealogy of YESHUA our MESSIAH as well as what we learn from it in terms of our own lives.

We will start off with the:

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

As we study the GOSPELS it becomes more and more clear how important it is to UNDERSTAND the perspective of the respective writers of the GOSPELS.

As discussed in the INTRODUCTION MESSAGES, the BOOK of MATTHEW focusses on YESHUA as the LION OF JUDAH, also known as the KING of the JEWS, the long-awaited Messiah. You will remember in the camp outlay in Numbers chapter 2 as instructed by YHVH, the tribe of Judah camping on the EAST SIDE of the Tabernacle as the leader of the tribes of Issachar and Zebulon had a flag a GOLDEN LION on a BRIGHT RED FIELD.

And as also explained in our previous messages we read in Ezekiel 1:10 and in The THRONE ROOM in Revelation chapter 4:7 there are four living beings around the throne and one of them was like a LION.

The BOOK of MATTHEW therefore starts as indicated in the Nelsons’ Bible Dictionary, with PRESENTING YESHUA the MESSIAH as the KING and therefore the first chapter talks about the ADVENT (the arrival, the coming) of the KING. And we read in chapter 1:1-17 of YESHUA’s genealogy from Abraham to KING DAVID from the TRIBE OF JUDAH (who are known today as THE JEWS).

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice also mentions that Matthew, who was a Jew starts his GOSPEL with the genealogy of Yeshua since it was very important to the Jews to understand how someone fits into the chosen people of YHVH the God of Israel. It was also important for Matthew to show that the ancestry of the Messiah was in agreement with the Old Testament prophecies. We therefore read in Matthew 1:1-17 about the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham and Matthew then clearly shows the connection of Yeshua to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob the father of Judah through to Boaz, Obed, Jesse and king David and hen all the way from there to Jacob the father of JOSEPH, the husband of Mary and Mary was the mother of Yeshua who is called the Messiah.

The Jewish Study Bible explains that the phrase genealogy appears ten times in Genesis, framing the story of Yeshua the Messiah as a reflection and continuation of the narratives in the Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy). The genealogy in Matthew confirms that YESHUA meets all the requirements of the Tanakh (a Hebrew word for the Old Testament) for the MESSIAH: a descendant of Abraham (according to Genesis 22:18), Jacob (Numbers 24:17), Judah (Genesis 49:10), Jesse (Isaiah 11:1) and David (2 Samuel 7:13).

The Jewish Study Bible further notes that in verse 16 we see a change of language in terms of Joseph where it is indicated that he was the husband of Mary and Mary was the mother of Yeshua who is called the Messiah. This reveals that Yeshua was not conceived in the usual way, for as we know other passages state the RUACH HA KODESH (the Holy Spirit) overshadowed Mary, causing her to become pregnant without sexual union (see Matthew 1:18-20 and Luke 1:27-38). So, although Joseph was the legal farther of Yeshua from the house of David, He was not the biological son of Joseph.

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice explains as follows: In the first 17 verses of Matthew chapter 1 we meet 46 people that lived over 2000 years. They were all ancestors of Yeshua with vastly different personalities, experiences and spiritual lives. Some were heroes of the faith, others had dubious reputations. Many were ordinary and some were bad people. This however serve as proof that God’s work is not restricted by people’s weaknesses and failures. We also see that God works through ordinary people to let His will be done.

And then we read in verse 17: “Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.” Therefore totaling 42 generations. The Afrikaans Bible in Practice explains that Matthew divides the history of Israel in three parts of 14 generations each. Fourteen is the numerical value of the NAME of DAVID in Hebrew which refers to Yeshua as he son of David.

In this genealogy we see the importance of the patriarch, the father’s connection to His offspring. There is however also an interesting reference to FOUR WOMAN in the genealogy of Yeshua namely, TAMAR, he mother of Perez and Zerah (who deceitfully posed as a prostitute to bear her children), RAHAB, the mother of Boaz (who was a prostitute in the city of Jericho), RUTH the mother of Obed (who was a Moabite), BATSHEBA, indicated as Uriah’s wife, the mother of Solomon (with whom David committed adultery).

The mentioning of woman was unusual in genealogies as we see from the Old Testament and three of the women mentioned were of low moral standing. Their mentioning here shows that God, YHVH the Father is able to use anyone to accomplish His plan. He could have handpicked the people to be in the genealogy of Yeshua, but He included imperfect people showing us His sovereign desire, plan and redemptive power to take what is broken and make it new.

So just like Yeshua the Messiah who had a flesh-and-blood family, descending from the TRIBE OF JUDAH (called the Jews today), you and I are also born belonging to a SPESCIFIC TRIBE (a population group and family). And the lineage through our FATHER’s still determines our SURNAMES to this day, thus emphasizing the importance of the father in the family lines. And just like the HUMAN FAMILY TREE of Yeshua our Messiah, our FAMILY TREES are full of people with different personalities and belief systems, some strong in their faith, others who made the wrong choices with bad reputations, and most just being ordinary people. But as we see NONE of them DEFINED who Yeshua the Messiah was and how He succeeded to fulfil His purpose and therefore none of us have to be defined and bogged down by our lineage. And therefore, each of us can decide to choose to acknowledge the weaknesses and failures of us as humans, including the families we are born in and we can rejoice that YHVH our Father is able to save us and work through us in spite of our generational and own weaknesses, to let His will be done.

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

Luke portrays Yeshua the Messiah in His humanity as the SON OF MAN. You will remember in Numbers chapter 2 REUBEN camping on the SOUTH SIDE and heading up the tribes of Simeon and Gad had a flag with a MAN on a GOLDEN FIELD. And in Ezekiel 1:10 and in The THRONE ROOM in Revelation chapter 4:7 one of the four living beings around the throne had a face like a MAN. And we know that Yeshua the Messiah is the Savior of Mankind.

Luke only tells us about the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah after His baptism when Yeshua was approximately 30 years old. The genealogy in Matthew showed us Yeshua’s lineage through Joseph. His legal but not his biological father. And in Luke chapter 3:23-37 Luke tells us of the genealogy of the Messiah through Mary, a daughter of Eli through the lineage of David, but still Luke indicates it as Joseph and he works it all the way past Abraham and down to Shem, Noah, Enoch, Seth and Adam and he concludes with Adam, the (small letter) son of God (YHVH the Father) to show us that Yeshua is not only from the TRIBE OF JUDAH through His earthly father Joseph and mother Mary but He is also related to ALL people originating from Adam. (See Genesis 5:1-2).

In terms of us as humans we also have a lineage through our mothers. And just as we see in the Gospel of Luke that Yeshua our Messiah’s lineage could be traced back accurately right through to Adam, so could ours. We also know that after the flood it is again confirmed in Genesis 9:18 that the whole earth was populated by the descendants from Noah’s three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth.  Therefore, including you and me.

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

Introduces Yeshua as the Son of Man who did not come to be SERVED, BUT TO SERVE, and to give His life as ransom to many (Mark 10:45). Mark portrays Yeshua as a SERVANT on the move, instantly responsive to the will of the Father. By preaching, teaching and healing, He ministered to the needs of others even to the point of death. In the camp outlay in Numbers chapter 2 as instructed by YHVH, the tribe of Ephraim camping on the WEST SIDE of the Tabernacle as the leader of the tribes of Manasseh and Benjamin had a flag of a BLACK OX on a GOLDEN FIELD. And in Ezekiel 1:10 and in The THRONE ROOM in Revelation chapter 4:7 one of the four living beings around the throne was like an OX. And the OX is a symbol of a SERVANT.

We read in Philippians 2:5-8 Paul saying: “Let your attitude toward one another be governed by your being in union with the messiah Yeshua: through He was in the form of God, He did not regard equality with God something to be possessed by force (meaning He did not take up His divine rulership over creation). On the contrary, He emptied Himself, in that He took the form of a slave (or a SERVANT) by becoming like human beings are. And when He appeared as a human being, He humbled Himself still more by becoming obedient to death – death on a stake as a criminal!” (Also read Isaiah 52:13-53:12 describing Yeshua as the SERVANT of God the Father).

Although Mark therefore does not provide a genealogy for Yeshua, he explains the purpose of Yeshua’s birth with the dual focus of service and sacrifice. Similarly, we are born for the purpose of service and being a living sacrifice to God the Father (read 2^nd Timothy 3:17 and Romans 12:1-2).

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

Introduces Yeshua as the SON OF GOD (the Father) and therefore he focusses on the DEITY of the MESSIAH. In the camp outlay in Numbers chapter 2 as instructed by YHVH, the tribe of DAN camping on the NORTH SIDE of the Tabernacle as the leader of the tribes of Asher and Naftali and they had a flag of a GOLDEN EAGLE on a BLUE FIELD

And in Ezekiel 1:10 and in The THRONE ROOM in Revelation chapter 4:7 one of the four living beings around the throne was like an EAGLE. And we saw from the Bible that the EAGLE represents the AUTHORITY of a KING and in terms of YESHUA THE MESSIAH as the RIGHTEOUS JUDGE being GOD Himself.

So John tells us in chapter 1:1-2 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning.

The Afrikaans Bible in Practice explains that: John indicated to us that Yeshua is both completely human and completely GOD. He still exists from eternity to eternity, and He is the source of eternal life. He is the only TRUTH of the Father and the foundation of ALL THRUTH. And this is the very reason why we have faith to leave our eternal destiny in His hands. The Gospel of John is therefore written for all believers. John was the beloved disciple of Yeshua and therefore was a witness of all that happened. Many of the first readers of John’s Gospel came from a Greek culture and background filled with mythological small letter gods whose supernatural traits were as important to the Greeks as a genealogy was to the Jews. John therefore explains the origin of Yeshua as the Son of the capital letter God who is above all other small letter gods.

Yeshua is not just LIKE God YHVH the Father, He actually IS GOD. John is therefore making a very important Trinitarian statement. But Yeshua is also WITH GOD, meaning that He is separate from God.

This is sometimes a very difficult concept for people to understand but the following may help to make it easier to grasp this important fact namely:

1. The TABERNACLE picture in the dessert and later the Temple depicts Yeshua as the TABERNACLE (see Hebrews 9:11) and calling Him EMMANUEL meaning: God with us.” Read Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23. Looking at the TABERNACLE there are THREE DISTINCT parts: an OUTER COURT where the bronze altar and wash basin were – signifying the death of Yeshua on the cross for our sins as well as His burial and resurrection as explained in the first THREE FEASTS of YHVH in Leviticus 23. We can therefore say this is a PICTURE OF YESHUA, the HUMAN BODY of GOD (many Bible verses like John 14:9 and Colossians 1:15 confirms this). Then we see the HOLY PLACE where we find the table of showbread, the Menorah and the golden altar of incense, depicting the HOLY SPIRIT teaching us the WORD and setting us ablaze for God the Father and teaching us to pray and worship God the Father in spirit and in TRUTH. Again, explained in YHVH’s Feast 4-6. And then we enter into the HOLIEST OF HOLIES where God the Father can be found, represented by the Arc of the Covenant and the Mercy Seat, depicting the throne of YHVH the Father reigning RIGHTEOUSSLY and SUPREMELY over heaven and earth. When a person therefore look at the TABERNACLE – only the OUTER COURT is clearly visible – the HOLY PLACE and the HOLIEST PLACE are hidden although the Holy Spirit lives in us and we are able to enter into the presence of God the Father, we cannot SEE them while living in our physical earthly bodies but we can KNOW them through the WORD which we know is also Yeshua;
2. Likewise, we are created in the image of God according to Genesis 1:27 and many Bible verses refers to the BODY, SPIRIT and SOUL of mankind like Genesis 2:7, Ecclesiastes 12:7 and Matthew 10:28. And Paul tells us very clearly in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 that we consist of THREE PARTS, namely a SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY. But like YESHUA, the HOLY SPIRIT and GOD THE FATHER, ONLY our BODIES are clearly visible to other people. Our spirits and souls are hidden although we can expose some of it when verbalizing our thoughts and emotions.

We further read in John 1:3 “All things came to be though Him, and without Him nothing made had being.”

Paul also tells us in Colossians 1:1517 “It is through the Son that we have redemption – that is, our sins have been forgiven. He is the image of the invisible God. He is supreme over all creation, because in connection with Him were all things created – in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones, lordships, rulers, authorities – they have all been created through Him and for Him. He existed before all things, and He holds everything together.”

We read in John 1:4-9: “In Him was life, and the life was the light of mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not suppressed it. There was a man sent from God (the Father) whose name was John (referring to John the Baptist). He came to be a testimony, to bear witness concerning the light; so that through Him, everyone might put his trust in God (the Father) and be faithful to Him. He himself (referring to John the Baptist) was not that light, no. He came to bear witness concerning the light. This was the true light, which gives light to everyone entering the world.”

Many Bible verses tell us that He is LIGHT, and we will explore more on this topic as we proceed through the GOSPELS.

We further read in John 1:10-13 “He was in the world – the world came to be through Him – yet the world did not know Him. He came to His own homeland, yet His people did not receive Him. But to as many as did receive Him, to those who put their trust (faith, hope, belief) in His person and power, He gave the right to become children of God (the Father), NOT BECAUSE OF BLOODLINE (or descent), PHYSICAL IMPULSE (or desire) OR HUMAN INTENTION (or plan) BUT BECAUSE OF GOD (THE FATHER).

The Jewish Study Bible explains the WORLD in general and the TRIBE of JUDAH (today known as the JEWS) specifically did not recognize Him as the Messiah. But those who accepted Him, and became children of God the Father meaning they had an intimate personal relationship with Him as did Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David.

In terms of genealogy we see the very important words in John 1:12-13 that when we accept Yeshua the Messiah as our Savior and we put our trust (faith, hope, belief) in Him and in His power, He gives us the right to become children of God (the Father), NOT BECAUSE OF BLOODLINE (our genealogy or family trees), human desire or plan BUT BECAUSE OF GOD (THE FATHER), the NIV says: children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but BORN OF GOD.

Although we all therefore have an earthly father and mother, we become born again into the FAMILY of ABBA FATHER when we accept by faith Hs free gift of salvation through Yeshua our Messiah. No matter who we were or what we have done or who our parents and generations before them were or were not, and what they have done to us or not do to us, we are called by God to honor our parents (according to the commandment in Exodus 20:12, Deuteronomy 5:16, Mathew 19:19 and Ephesians 6:2) and each one of us have the privilege and the possibility to become a new person in Him and receive His Holy Spirit to live a new live and one day live eternally with Him with a new resurrected body. And we can be sure of His everlasting love for us because we read in Isaiah 49:15 NIV, “Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands;” and although this passage speaks of Jerusalem, Yeshua our Messiah later said in line with this in John 10:27-29 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are One.”  And David also knew this saying in Psalm 27:10 “Even though my father and mother have left me, YHVH will care for me.”