There are 25 different genealogies in the Bible and they tend to be viewed as boring and difficult to read. “Can I just skip it?” “The lists of names are rough!” “They must be important, but I don’t get it.”
The genealogies are like a dot-to-dot puzzle. When looking at them unsolved they’re a confusing unappealing mess. When we connect them we can see the complete picture that they provide.
How do we do this? We read about the people. When we dive into the stories of the people listed, they become so much more than names. Life is brought to the originally boring text. The dots start to connect.
The genealogies we’ll be connecting in this study involve the family line of Jesus. When we look at this picture it shows us the beauty of how their lives pointed to Him and./or how He used broken imperfect people to achieve something beyond important.
So let’s begin this puzzle by simply taking a look at it. The largest genealogy of Jesus is found in Luke 3:23-38. It goes in reverse, starting with Jesus and ending at the very beginning of the Bible with Adam. The second genealogy of Jesus is found in Matthew 1:1-17. He takes a different approach listing them in chronological order. He also comes at it differently with his perspective as an accountant and adds a mathematical way to look at it, starting with Abraham and ending with Jesus.
Read through the genealogies of Jesus in Luke 3:23-38 and Matthew 1:1-17
Do any names stick out to you?
Which ones do you know? Write “title(s)” for the thing(s)/stories that you know about them.
Do any seem familiar, but not enough to give a title? List them out below.
What do you think of the different ways that Matthew & Luke presented the genealogy of Jesus?
Is there anything that stood out to you? Why so?
Do you have a preference for one or more than the other? Why so?
Deeper Reflection Question:
What did this teach me about God?
What did this teach me about people (or myself)?
What should I do in response to this?
Who can I tell about what God is teaching me?
