Barry Metz 12/10/17

The Genealogy of Jesus ChristMatthew 1:1–17

It’s a joy to begin the book of Matthew this morning. I anticipate that our journey through it will be a blessing to us all!

What I’d like to do in our time together is whet our appetites for the feast that’s coming over the next year and then we’ll take a look at the first seventeen verses which are often titled ‘The Genealogy of Jesus Christ.’

Just a few general quotes about the book of Matthew’s importance: “The Gospel according to Matthew, according to citations found in early Christian writers, was the most widely read and frequently used gospel in the formative years of the church.”1

And then this one, “Many contend that Matthew’s gospel was the most important one for much of church history.”2

And then this final one, “Matthew’s gospel has been a pivotal book throughout church history to help the church understand the relationship between the Old and New testaments. Placed first in the earliest collections of the New Testament canon, this gospel is a natural bridge between the Old and New Testament.”3

So the gospel of Matthew has been important to the church from the earliest days of the church.

{Let me open it up to you. When you think of the book of Matthew, what do you think of? What comes to mind?}

Now by way of further overview, let me ask and answer three questions: 1) What’s the book’s theme? 2) What are the book’s distinctives? What makes Matthew unique? And finally, 3) What is the book’s most notable literary feature?4 And again these questions and answers are designed to whet your appetite for what is coming down the pike.

____________Let’s begin…

What’s the theme of the book of Matthew?

1 Wilkins, page 192 Ulrick Luz as quoted by Wilkins, page 193 Wilkins, page 294 This question is asked and answered in the ESV StudyBible, page 1817

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This theme comes directly from the ESV Study Bible. Let me highlight some of the ideas in it. Matthew clearly wants to show that Jesus of Nazareth, a real man in the first century, is indeed the long anticipated Jewish Messiah. Even the genealogy of Jesus that we’ll look at this morning is crafted to show this very thing. It begins with Abraham and it ends with the Christ, the Messiah. It is as one writer says, ‘a genealogy with a purpose.’5 Secondly, Matthew also identifies Jesus as the one who brought the kingdom of God to earth in its “now but not yet” form. The kingdom of God came with the new born king! And finally, Matthew identifies Jesus as the prophesied fulfillment of God’s promise of a Savior for everyone. So according to Matthew, and this is understatement, Jesus is no insignificant figure!

What makes Matthew distinctive?

At least 7 characteristics make it unique…

First--It’s robust Christology-- Now all the gospels of course contribute to what we know about Christ--they contribute to our Christology. But Matthew’s Christology seems to be the most robust. One author says this: “The church has consistently drawn on Matthew’s gospel to clarify the identity of Jesus Christ who is the Son of God, King of Israel, and Lord of the church.”6 Matthew paints Jesus as a teacher, as the Son of David (a descendant of David who would one day rule for ever and ever and ever… Matthew uses the term ‘son of David’ seventeen times, more than any other book of the New Testament7), as the Son of man (the human Jesus, the one who must suffer, but he is also the exalted figure of Dan. 7:13-14), as the Son of God (one who has a unique relationship with the Father), and as Lord.

5 Sinclair Ferguson6 Wilkins, page 257 Wilkins, page 26

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One author suggests that “Matthew portrays Jesus as “the man who fits no formula” but whose authority and power (Matt. 28:18), his declarations of forgiveness (Matt. 9:2), his reception of worship (Matt. 14:33), and demands for allegiance (Matt. 10:37-39) all depict him as one ‘in the place of God’ or in Matthew’s own language, Immanuel, God with us. Not surprisingly references to “God with us” bracket the entire gospel.8

Matthew 1:23 Behold the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name “Immanuel.”

Matthew 28:20 And behold I am with you always to the end of the age.

Secondly, Matthew is distinctive because of …It’s bi-polar character-- Matthew has been called “The Most Jewish Gospel.” It begins with a genealogy and only a Jewish book would begin that way. It features 50 direct quotations from the Old Testament and 75 additional allusions to the Old Testament.9 Jesus’ genealogy reaches back to Abraham and runs through David. Matthew’s gospel is as Jewish as it can get. But throughout the book there is this ‘expressed hostility toward the Jewish nation and its leaders’ (8:10-12; 21:43; 23:29-39; 27:24-25 for example)10 almost to the point that Matthew the author comes out looking anti-Jewish. So by using the term ‘bi-polar’ we’re saying it’s Jewish but it’s anti-Jewish.

Why the bi-polar character? Consider this scholar’s answer: “What we see in Matthew is rather the uncomfortable tension in the mind of one who, brought up to value and love all that Israel has stood for, has come to the painful conclusion that the majority of his people have failed to respond to God’s call to them, and that it is in a remnant, the minority group who have followed the Messiah, that Gods purpose is now centered.”11

Thirdly, the gospel of Matthew mentions the church and that’s a distinctive… Of the four gospels, only the gospel of Matthew mentions the church--once in chapter 16 (I tell you--this is Jesus speaking to Peter--you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.12) and twice in chapter 18 (if he--an unrepentant brother--fails to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.13)

Only Matthew gives rules for exclusion from the church (Mt 18:15-20) and only Matthew gives Jesus’ commission to scour the ends of the earth in order to bring new members into it (Mt. 28:19-20). I’ve always known that Matthew’s gospel was the only one that mentioned the church but I’ve never asked why. We’ll look at that.

8 RT France as quoted in Blomberg, page 299 Mike Andrus, “Son of God, Son of Man (or Termites in the Family Tree?”10 French, page 1911 French, page 1912 Matthew 16:1813 Matthew 18:17

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Fourthly, one of Matthew’s distinctives is it’s teaching--One author has called Matthew “The Teacher’s Gospel.” Why? Because there are five portions of Jesus’ teaching sprinkled throughout the book. In fact with the five teaching segments in mind, one author suggested that Matthew’s gospel is ‘a deliberate Christian Pentateuch (Penta - 5) designed to replace Moses.’14 I think he goes a little too far there. But the 5 teaching sections are a distinctive that makes Matthew different. More on the teaching segments when we look at the book’s most notable literary feature in a minute.

Fifth, its emphasis on discipleship. Some have suggested that the book of Matthew is a manual on discipleship. Jew and Gentiles are made disciples of Jesus Messiah and learn to obey all that he commanded his original disciples.15 And of course the book ends with a challenge to go and make disciples.

Sixth, the gospel of Matthew is memorable. It seems that Matthew has structured his book to make it memorable. Groups of three are particularly frequent--even in the genealogy of Jesus this morning there are three groups of 14 generations.16 Chapters 8 and 9, for example, contain 9 acts of power by Jesus.17 In chapter 21 there are three symbolic actions. In chapter 23 there are seven woes on the scribes and Pharisees, etc.

Finally, Matthew is distinctive because of its emphasis on scriptural fulfillment: Matthew 1:22 And this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet… Matthew 2:15 This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, Matthew 2;17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah Matthew 2:23… so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled Matthew 4:14…so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled Matthew 8:17…this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah…

So we’ve talked about the theme, we’ve talked about what makes the gospel distinctive…Finally, the third question is What is the book’s most notable literary feature?18 I mentioned that the book has five sections of teaching. Listen to this note from the ESV study Bible:

The most notable literary feature of the book’s format is the alternating pattern around which the book is organized. The material in Matthew’s Gospel is based on a rhythmic, back-and-forth movement between blocks of narrative material (narrative is story) and blocks of discourse material (teaching). Story--teaching--story--teaching--story--teaching. There are five passages of teaching, which can be viewed as corresponding to the five digits on the human hand and can be easily remembered if one lists the questions that Jesus in effect answers in each unit: (1) How are citizens of the kingdom to live (chs. 5–7)? (2) How are traveling disciples to conduct

14 France, page 6015 Wilkins, page 2116 France, page 5617 Green, The Message of Matthew, page 3118 This question is asked and answered in the ESV StudyBible, page 1817

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themselves on their evangelistic journeys (ch. 10)? (3) What parables did Jesus tell (ch. 13)? (4) What warning did Jesus give about not hindering entrance into the kingdom and on forgiveness (chs. 18)? (5) How will human history end (chs. 24–25)? Matthew even used a set formula to signal these units, ending them with the statement “when Jesus had finished [these sayings]” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1).19

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Well with that introduction, let’s read the first seventeen verses…Matthew 1:1-17

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of

Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

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Now only Matthew opens his gospel with a genealogy; Mark, Luke and John go different directions. You and I probably see genealogies as a waste of space and perhaps a very tedious way to begin a book. 20 But to a Jew “this was the most natural, and the most interesting, and indeed the most essential way to begin the story of a man’s life.”21 Josephus the Jewish historian 19 Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1817). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.20 France, page 7121 Barclay, page 12

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wrote a book about his life. How does it begin? With his family tree. Why? Because Jews were into pedigree. For a Jew a genealogy was the equivalent of a roll of drums, a fanfare of trumpets and a town crier calling for attention. 22 A fellow by the name of N.T. Wright says this: “Any first-century Jew would find this family tree both impressive and compelling. Like a great procession coming down a city street, we watch the figures at the front, and the ones in the middle, but all eyes are waiting for the one who comes in the position of greatest honor, right at the end.”23

Well look at verse 1…. This is, verse 1, the book of the genealogy…the record of the beginnings…of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

{So just as the book of Genesis gave the story of one beginning, so the gospel of Matthew gives the story of a new beginning--the arrival of Jesus the Messiah and the kingdom of God.24}

The name Jesus (which was Greek) was his historical, everyday name. His Hebrew name was ‘Yeshua‘ (Joshua) meaning “Yahweh saves.”

Christ… was his last name. Just kidding! No, Christ was a Greek title (Christos) derived from the Hebrew word that meant ‘anointed,’ or ‘masiah’. The designation “Messiah” came to summarize several strands of OT expectation, especially the promise of an “anointed one” who would righteously rule God’s people. 25

So Matthew immediately asserts that Jesus is the Messiah. But he goes on…

He’s the Son of David. The wording “Son of David” took a life of its own over time and came to express a promised figure who would one day sit on David’s throne and reign for ever and ever and ever. I think it’s worth our time to go back to 2 Samuel 7 to see that promise in its context…

22 N.T. Wright: Matthew for Everyone, Part123 N.T. Wright; Matthew for Everyone, Part 124 Wilkins, page 4425 Crossway Bibles. (2008). The ESV Study Bible (p. 1820). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

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This is God speaking to David and it’s really clear that up to the first part of verse 13, David’s son Solomon is in view. But then that word forever shows up at the end of verse 13 and it becomes really clear that God is looking beyond Solomon to another descendent of David whose throne shall be established forever.

Now the term Son of David also evoked images of a “Messiah who would come conquering --a mighty warrior like David who would destroy Israel’s enemies and reign in Jerusalem.”26

But there in verse 1, Jesus is not only the Son of David, he is also the Son of Abraham. He is as Jewish as he can be. And the promise from God to Abraham that in him all the families of the earth shall be blessed, is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus. Let’s look at God’s promise to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3…

You can see that at the very end of the slide--in Abraham, and ultimately we understand that it’s in his seed, his descendent, that all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

And Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise.

So the Lord Jesus fulfills two great promises from the Old Testament. First, as the son of Abraham, he is the one through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. And second, as the son of David, he is the one who would sit on the throne of David and reign forever and ever.27

Now verse 17 tells us that the genealogy has been carefully crafted with three different sections or movements of 14 generations each…from Abraham to David, 14 generations AND from David to the Exile, 14 generations AND from the exile to Jesus Messiah, 14 generations.

Let me put this on the screen.

26 Wilkins, page 4527 Sinclair Ferguson

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Now it’s real clear that Matthew has formulated this genealogy and purposely left out some names to create the beautiful symmetry…. 14 generations, 14 generations, and 14 generations. We won’t take the time to drive that home. We could say his genealogy is accurate but incomplete. Sometimes this kind of thing was done for memorization. Other times it was for literary or symbolic symmetry.28 And there is a rather obscure point that we should briefly make.

The number 14 may even be a subtle reference to David if the practice of gematria is considered. Gematria is the Jewish practice of assigning a numerical value to Hebrew consonants. David’s name in English has three consonants, D+V+D; David’s name in Hebrew also has three consonants. Referring to the last line on the screen, using gematria where the fourth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is valued at 4 and the sixth letter is valued at 6, the numerical value of the Hebrew consonants of David’s name is fourteen--4+6+4.

So the numeric value of David’s name is 14 if gematria is considered, secondly, each of the three sections of the genealogy contains 14 generations and thirdly, David’s name itself is the 14th entry.29

Now we don’t want to make a lot over the fact that Matthew may have been influenced by gematria. We don’t even know if Matthew was familiar with gematria. Maybe the take away is this--even if gematria wasn’t on Matthew’s radar screen, he went out of his way to purposely craft a genealogy that had David center stage.

Let’s look briefly at the first movement of the genealogy, verses 2-6a. We recognize many of the names, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Judah…. Why is Joseph not listed given his prominence in the book of Genesis? Well, Jesus didn’t descend from Joseph; he descended from Judah.

Let’s also highlight the way the genealogy is constructed. The basic pattern of the genealogy is established in the first listing, Abraham was the father of Isaac (lit. “Abraham fathered Isaac”).

28 ESV Study Bible29 Blomberg, page 53

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This same pattern occurs 40 times as the genealogy moves along, using the active voice of the verb that the KJV expresses as begat. Are you following? So it’s Abraham fathered Isaac. Isaac fathered Jacob. Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers… and on and on that same pattern continues throughout the genealogy…. 40 times….keep that thought center stage in your mind… ‘Matthew uses the active voice “so and so fathered so and so”’

That pattern is going to change at the end of the genealogy but I don’t want to give it away prematurely. More on that later.

We should also highlight that there are three women mentioned in this section of the genealogy--and if we include verse 6b there are four women mentioned-- Tamar (verse 3), Rahab (vs. 5), Ruth (vs. 5) and the wife of Uriah, Bathsheba (vs. 6b). Women were not usually included in Old Testament genealogies; descent was traced through the men as the head of the family.

Who was Tamar? She was probably a Canaanite woman who had married Judah’s son. (And there is some question if she was really a Canaanite or not). When Judah failed to provide for her she dressed up as a prostitute and seduced her father-in-law Judah to have a child with her. And as a result of that illicit union Tamar bore Perez and Zerah, and Perez was in the lineage of Christ. You can read more about that story in Genesis 38.

Who was Rahab? She was a Gentile Canaanite prostitute innkeeper that lived in Jericho and who protected the two spies who came to scope out the city.

Who was Ruth? She was a Gentile Moabite. And the Moabites, because of the way they treated Israel when they came out of the Promised Land, were not to be admitted to the congregation to the tenth generation.

Who was Bathsheba? Well she was probably a Hittite30, a Canaanite, and she committed adultery with David.

Why would Matthew include these women? Why not Sarah or Rebekah or Rachel or Leah?

These women were sinners. They were Gentiles. They were outsiders. What’s the lesson? Why are they included in the lineage of Christ?

At the very beginning of this gospel--this record of the good news--‘the all-embracing love of God is emphasized. Nothing can stand in its path. There is nobody who does not need it.’31

30 Her husband was Uriah the Hittite. 31 Michael Green, The Message of Matthew, page 59 as quoted by Wilkins, page 67

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One preacher said it this way, “Jesus’s roots go deep into sinful humanity.”32 The wideness of God’s mercy and grace is profound and because of that there is a place for you and me to find our roots in Jesus’ genealogy.

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{Other reasons for including these women have been suggested:

1) to give women who were often marginalized dignity,

2) to communicate quoting Paul, that where sin abounds, grace super abounds--in other words there is no sin so great that one is left ‘unsavable’

3) to disarm any prejudice that the Jews might have against Mary whose son could have been declared illegitimate, and

4) to communicate that the gospel is for every ethnic group.33}

______________

“Jesus Messiah, who could not have male Gentiles in his ancestry, nonetheless had Gentile ancestors in these women, suggesting his suitability as the Messiah for Gentiles as well as Jews.”34

______________

In the second movement, the second section of Jesus’ genealogy, verses 6b-11, the names are familiar to those who know the books of Kings and Chronicles35… most of the names are Israel’s kings. But again one is struck by the kings that Matthew has chosen. The ESV study Bible has a chart that rates the kings of Israel as ‘Good, Bad, or Mixed.’36 According to that chart Matthew lists 7 bad kings, 4 good, and 2 mixed.

Manasseh is mentioned in verse 10. He’s one of the bad kings. Listen to 2 Kings 21:2-6:

2 And he (Manasseh) did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the despicable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel. 3 For he rebuilt the high places that Hezekiah his father had destroyed, and he erected altars for Baal and made an Asherah, as Ahab king of Israel had done, and worshiped all the host of heaven and served them. 4 And he built altars in the house of the LORD, of which the LORD had said, “In

32 Mike Andrus sermon, Gospel Coaltion web-site33 This list suggested by Wilkin, page 67-68 34 Ulrich Luz as quoted by Wilkins page 6835 Mike Andrus sermon36 ESV Study Bible page 628

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Jerusalem will I put my name.” 5 And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the LORD. 6 And he burned his son as an offering and used fortune-telling and omens and dealt with mediums and with necromancers. He did much evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.

Let’s imagine ourselves there in Manasseh’s time. Looking around us, seeing Manasseh’s terrible sin and idolatry, wouldn’t we have trouble believing that God’s purposes were advancing? But couldn’t we say the same thing about Tamar’s time? And about David and Bathsheba’s time? And on and on we could go. God’s purposes seem to hang on by a thread at many places in Jesus’s genealogy but God is faithful.

Well the final section of Jesus’ genealogy is found in verses 12-16, from the exile to Jesus Messiah.

Vs. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel….as I continue let me emphasize the active voice of the verb “to father”….Jeconiah fathered Shealtiel, and Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel and Zerubbabel fathered Abiud….

Now the next nine names, names from Abiud to Jacob (Joseph’s father) come from the obscurity of the 400 years of silence. They show up no other place in the Bible. Matthew may have had access to genealogical records stored in the temple that were destroyed with the sacking of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70. But the nine names from Abiud to Jacob are not found anywhere else in the Bible…

…picking up in the middle of verse 13…and Abiud fathered Eliakim and Eliakim fathered Azor…and Azor fathered Zadok and Zadok fathered Achim and Achim fathered Eliud, and Eliud fathered Eleazar and Eleazar fathered Matthan and Matthan fathered Jacob….and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom…

Now that word ‘whom’, there in verse 16, is what we call a relative pronoun….fasten your seat belt; it’s time for an important grammar moment….no, please, anything but grammar!... In English relative pronouns don’t have a number or gender….in other words you can’t look at the word whom in English and know if the writer is talking about a single man (and by single we just mean one), a single woman, a group of women, or a group of men…there’s no number or gender for relative pronouns in English… but in Greek there is a different form of the relative pronoun for each of those…there is a different form for each of those situations….a single man, a single woman, a group of men, or a group of women….

So here’s the important $10,000 question. What form of the word whom is found here in Matt. 1:16? The whom is a feminine singular which can only be used of a single (meaning one)

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woman.37 The feminine gender of the relative pronoun points specifically to Mary as the one from whom Jesus Christ was born.

But there’s more in verse 16…Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary of whom (and we just said the whom points to Mary only) of whom Jesus was born…. “was born” is in the passive voice. It’s the same verb in all the verses above but instead of being active voice, it’s passive.

Let me say it again. There are 40 occurrences of this same verb in the active voice in the verses leading up to verse 16…Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob and so on… “emphasizing the human action in giving birth to a child. But in verse 16 the verb is in the passive voice where the subject Mary receives the action, or is acted upon.”38 In other words, Matthew is specifying that it was not the sole action of Mary who gave birth--she was acted upon by someone else and we are set up for the angelic announcement in verse 20…for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. We are prepared for the virgin birth.

Let me summarize once again what we’ve said with these grammar details. “By the use of the feminine from of the relative pronoun “of whom” and the passive form of the verb “was born,” Matthew intentionally stresses that Mary is the mother of Jesus but that she was “acted upon” to give birth to the child.”39 And later Matthew will clarify that the conception of Jesus was brought about by the Holy Spirit.

So at the beginning of the passage we learned that Jesus is the son of Abraham. He is the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham that in Abraham’s offspring the peoples of the world will be blessed. We also learned that he is the son of David, heir to God’s promise to David to have a righteous ruler on David’s throne forever.

And here at the end of the passage, we get the first hint that Jesus is way more than a normal human being. His conception as a child was different.

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As I reflected on this passage, a couple of truths seemed to stand out…

1. God’s purposes are indefatigable, untiring, unfaltering, unwavering.

Nothing can hinder his purposes. Our sin can’t hinder his purposes. Think Tamar and Judah. Think David and Bathsheba. Think of the evil kings in the lineage of Christ. Our sin can’t hinder his purposes. Our difficulties can’t hinder his purposes. And even our obscurity can’t hinder

37 Mike Andrus Sermon38 Wilkins, page 6339 Wilkins, page 64

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his purposes.40 Think about the unknown obscure names toward the end of Jesus’ genealogy. Who were these people? Listen again to verses 13 and 14.

13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, ….

Who were these people? Who were Joseph and Mary? Where was this backwater place called Bethlehem? And who was the innkeeper who couldn’t muster up a room for Joseph and Mary?

Nothing can hinder his purposes... no sin, no difficulties, no obscurity…

AND…

2. The river of God’s mercy is really wide. The good news is for all--Jew and Gentile, men and women, godly and wicked. All of us--no matter who we are, no matter what we have done--can find our roots in the salvation history traced in Jesus’ genealogy.

40 Sinclair Ferguson made this point.

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