Genealogies

Have you ever researched your family tree and found yourself wincing? I suspect that some of you have. The deeper you dig, the more ‘enlightened’ you become and in the midst of digging up the ‘good’, you also discover some ‘bad.’ I was born in Australia and nowadays it’s quite a status symbol if you can prove that you have ‘convict blood’. For those of you who don’t know Australian history, we became a penal colony back in the late 1700’s and many British subjects were transported there to serve their sentences. Some of the convicts had committed serious crimes but many others had committed simple misdemeanours, such as stealing a loaf of bread. Justice was very ‘harsh’ in those days and so were the conditions that the early convicts experienced. You don’t often hear people boast about having a rapist or a murderer in their family line though. I don’t have any convict ancestors but I do have the odd ‘black sheep’ or individual with a ‘colourful’ history. Perhaps you do too.

I have met people in Ellel who are fourth or fifth generation Christian and I am amazed to hear that. I hasten to add though that this is usually the exception rather than the rule. It’s certainly not my story. It used to bother me once but not anymore. One day I read the first chapter of Matthew with new understanding and it gave me hope. Have you ever seriously studied the genealogy of Jesus Christ? If not, I challenge you to do so. If you think you come from a dysfunctional family line, have a look at Jesus’. Yes He was the sinless Son of God but He was also the Son of Man, who had some really imperfect relatives!

The Bible could have left out all these peoples ‘colourful’ stories but it didn’t. For instance, what do you know of Jacob, of Rahab, of Ruth, of David, of Ahaz or Uzziah or Manasseh? Jacob was a deceiver, Rahab was a prostitute (Joshua 2) and Ruth was from the despised country of Moab. David was an adulterer, a murderer, and had a disorderly family. Ahaz offered up his son as a burnt offering to a foreign god (2 Kings 16). Uzziah was prideful (2 Chronicles 26:16), and Manasseh shed so much innocent blood that the streets of Jerusalem were flowing with it! (2 Kings 21:16). I don’t think that I need to dig any deeper because you have the point by now. Jesus Christ did not have a human genealogy that was ‘squeaky clean’, yet God still managed to bring about His purposes for mankind through Him. He is well able to do the same for each of us. How awe–inspiring is that?

Prayer: Thank You, Father God, that You are bigger than anything negative that I may discover in my own genealogy. My ancestors may not have chosen You, or to walk in Your ways, but as for me and my house, we will serve You, Lord. Amen.