Understanding Jesus' Connections

Have your eyes ever glazed over when reading the genealogical records in the Bible? For the most part, it’s a list of names you can’t even begin to pronounce, besides being somebody else’s family tree (which usually isn’t all that exciting to look at anyway).

God isn’t wanting to torture us by throwing large chunks of weird names at us for no reason. These names are designed to connect people with a family – Jesus’ family to be specific. But why is that important?

Matthew begins his Good News story with a list of names that show how Jesus connects with some of the biggest names in the Bible. Jesus didn’t appear out of nowhere, nor was His ministry completely new. It seemed new, but to those who realized His connections, He was the promised one of God, the rightful heir to the best king Israel ever had – David, the man after God’s own heart (1 Samuel 13:14).

Paul makes it clear that Jesus’ relationship to David is essential to the story of the Gospel itself. Romans: 2-3, “…the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures regarding his Son, who as to His earthly life was a descendant of David, and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Some of the obvious connections are: they were both born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2, Matthew 2, Luke 2), both shepherds (1 Samuel 17, John 10:14), and both would be the standard for the new kingdom.

1 Chronicles 22:10, “He is the one who will build a house for my Name. He will be my son, and I will be his father. And I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’”

Revelations 11:15, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.”

But there are other similarities that all point to the fact that God was helping us get a glimpse of the kind of kingdom (and king) that He had in mind from the beginning. Hebrews 1:8-9, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.”

There is a constant reminder throughout the New Testament of the kingdom God has ushered in through Jesus. What a wonderful thing to be a citizen of His kingdom, an everlasting kingdom! So, just as the Israelites honored David’s legacy for generations after his reign, the church will honor Jesus' legacy for all eternity.

Acts 2:30-33, “[David] was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that He was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did His body see decay. God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. Exalted to the right hand of God, He has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear.”