Who Cares?

by | May 30, 2019 | Moments of Grace

I saw a video clip of a woman going before a judge to address a ticket she received for a moving violation, and in this exchange, the lady’s 3-digit license plate became the focal point of their discussion. Apparently, you have to be somebody special to have a 3-digit license plate in their state. I believe it was Rhode Island. It is supposed to be a sign of power and prestige or a status symbol. I am always dumbfounded by such trivial things. Who cares?

To be honest, I have often read Matthew 1, which includes the genealogy of Jesus, and thought to myself, “of what value are pedigrees?” Why are all those names mentioned? Apparently, I am not alone in wondering this because I found a whole lot of discussions and articles on this very question. Who cares? Evidently some people do, and for good reason.

Did you know that you can learn a lot about your genetics and your history from your ancestors? Doctors can use information from your pedigree to study causes and cures for family related illnesses. Knowing who you came from can help you determine risks factors for developing problems and prevention measures for avoiding them.

It is true that some people only want to show they are related to royalty or celebrities or geniuses so they can brag about it, like having a low number license plate in Rhode Island, people use their ancestry as a status symbol. But with the popularity of 23&me and Ancestory.com and a host of other DNA discovery companies, it seems that a lot of people are curious about their origins. Sometimes they are able to connect with relatives they never knew existed or in some cases claim an inheritance!

There is a significant reason, that has nothing to do with health or wealth or status in the genealogy of Jesus. In Matthew chapter 1, there are 42 generations that provide the path from Abraham to David continuing on to Jesus Christ. Like a pedigree used as evidence, to prove a title, or to make a claim. The purpose is to prove that our Lord Jesus is the son of David, and the son of Abraham, and therefore of that nation and family out of which the Messiah was to arise. It was promised to Abraham that Christ should descend from him, and to David that he should descend from him. In calling Christ the son of David, and the son of Abraham, Matthew shows that God is faithful to his promise, and will make good every word that he has spoken.

The simple list of names showing the lineage of Jesus demonstrates God’s promise to Abraham was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Abraham had a son, as promised, and through his very great grandson, the whole world has been blessed! Because of Christ’s rightful and just claim as the Messiah, as presented in the Gospels, evidenced by his genealogy, miracles, death, burial and resurrection, by faith, we have a claim to a spiritual inheritance that will last for eternity!

So, NOT as trivial as I thought!

 

Photo by John-Mark Smith from Pexels

Chris Coggins
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