Reflection for December 17
In my job as an English/Reading teacher, I taught students to start essays with a “hook,” that is, a sentence or two that grabs the reader and entices them to read more.
In light of this, I have to ask, “Why on earth would St. Matthew start his Gospels with something as repetitive and, dare I say, boring as the genealogy of Jesus?” Not much of a hook. Well, not much of a hook for us, anyway. But for Jews and early Christians, genealogy was your pedigree, resume, and respectability all in one. A lineage that traced you back to David was impressive, especially because prophecies indicated the savior was to come from that line.
So pedigree, check. Jesus had it, and that alone may have been intriguing enough to interest first-century people. But there’s more — a hook for all time. Matthew veers from the norm and doesn’t just include high-status ancestors. He includes women (low-status in olden times), non-Jews, and sinners known for incest, prostitution, adultery, and murder. Herein lies the good news within Christ’s genealogy: While Jesus is God — perfect and mighty — He humbled himself and became just like one of us, flawed history and all, so we could relate to Him and believe in His love. His very genealogy is a hook or invitation for everyone to begin or deepen a relationship with Him. Status, career, successful family, wealth, good works, or pedigree won’t guarantee the deep, holy peace available when, whoever and wherever we are in our faith journey, we genuinely turn to Jesus and accept a fuller measure of grace.
Advent, a time of quiet waiting and reflection, seems like a perfect time to explore what it means to step farther into the light of that grace.
Mary Beth Radke