“When
Jesus began his ministry he was about thirty years of age. He was the son, as
was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Melea…” [Luke 3:32–24]
Both Luke’s
and Matthew’s Gospels share the genealogy of Jesus according to Saint Luke. Matthew’s version might be more familiar since
it comes at the very beginning of his Gospel. Though the two genealogies differ
significantly for various reasons, they both have the goal of tracing Jesus’
lineage. Luke inserts the genealogy of
Jesus in Chapter Three of his Gospel, after Jesus is baptized and just before
His public ministry. He presents the genealogy in ascending order, starting
with Jesus and ending with Adam, identifying seventy-seven generations. Matthew presents the genealogy in descending
order, beginning with Abraham and concluding with Jesus, identifying forty-one
generations.
The Farnsworth
family held a reunion in the eighties (I think it must have been ’82 or ’83,
because Sarah was very young—my memory is that she was still an infant) and my
sister Florence had printed out and distributed a paper with our genealogy going
all the way back to Adam. I give a lot
of credit to the Mormon sensibilities regarding genealogy, but not a lot of
credibility. There were several kings
and Old Testament prophets in the lineage she presented to us. There’s a lot of folklore and ego involved in
the searches made by the Mormon Church…I’m just sayin’. It’s
just a list. We aren’t meant to read any
meaning into it. In fact, for me, I get
more chuckles out of the Farnsworth list than any spiritual meanings.
But the two
genealogies in the Gospels have been commented on by much more scholarly folk
over the centuries, adding to their authenticity. Saint Augustine, in commenting upon Luke’s
genealogy, points out that Luke identifies seventy-seven generations because
Jesus states that we must forgive seventy-seven times [Matthew 18:21–22]. Furthermore, since Jesus had just entered the
waters of baptism, Augustine sees this as a way of saying that the Sacrament of
Baptism offers all people of all times the unlimited gift of the forgiveness of
sins.
Perhaps one
of the most important reflections we can take from either of Jesus’ genealogies
is the fact that He came to give us the gift of new life as the new Adam. His gift of baptism is a way of starting over
with fallen humanity. From the time of
our creation, we sinned. Adam and Eve
sinned. And all generations to follow
have sinned. Thus, in Christ, through
Baptism, we are able to begin again, to be born again, and to be transformed
from the natural fallen order to the supernatural order of grace.
Over the next
week or so, we will celebrate the Epiphany and the Feast of the Baptism of our
Lord. After that, we enter into the
beginning of Ordinary Time when we ponder the public ministry of Jesus. As we do so, we must regularly remind
ourselves of the reason Jesus came. He
did not come simply to inspire us or to teach us His wisdom. Rather, He came to save fallen humanity in
accord with the perfect plan of the Father. The Father’s plan began at the beginning of
time when humanity fell from grace. From
there, the Father prepared the world for the coming of His divine Son through
generation after generation of prophets, priests and kings. Slowly, He revealed His plan of salvation
until it came to fruition and perfection in the Person of His Beloved Son.
Jesus, my
Savior, I do thank You for the unfathomable gift You have given me. You took on
our fallen human nature and transformed it by this unity of Your divinity and
humanity. You died for my sins and the sins of all who turn to You, and You
opened the doors to Heaven. May I always grow more deeply in gratitude for all
You have done for us. Jesus, I trust in You.
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