Our Time And God’s Time Are Different

Deacon Dan DeLuca
Dec 17, 2022
9 min read

In the movie Rudy, there is a great scene where Rudy is in the Church praying that he will get accepted into Notre Dame. Father Cavanaugh stops to talk to him and tells Rudy, “Praying is something we do in our time, the answers come in God’s time.” It is not known whether or not Father Cavanaugh ever actually said these words but regardless, this scene and this bit of wisdom beautifully capture one of the most fundamental truths of all: our time and God’s time are different. This is what we see in the genealogy of Jesus, God’s time. Through the centuries, despite all of the fallen human beings that were part of the story, God had the plan to redeem us from the fall of Adam and he did. Centuries of prayers were answered. As this third week of Advent draws to a close let us rest in the awe of God’s plan for salvation.

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa, and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of She-alti-el, and She-alti-el the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 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. Matthew 1 : 1-17

Scriptural Analysis – Background On The Genealogy

Matthew makes, what to a modern reader, is a curious choice by beginning his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus. However, for a first-century Jew, this genealogy was of critical importance. A genealogy was not simply a listing of names. Each name retold a story and recalled key events in salvation history. It also conferred identity and privilege upon members of a family.

Matthew’s genealogy comprises the entire history of Israel. Starting with Abraham it recalls the twists and turns that their history took. In tracing Jesus’s genealogy through Abraham and David, Matthew places the story of Jesus in the context of God’s larger dealing with Israel. He also shows how Jesus is the climax of that story. Lastly, he is showing how Jesus is the legal heir to the throne of David that has been passed down through generations.

In the original Greek, Matthew begins his Gospel with the words biblos geneseōs. A literal translation of this phrase is “book of origin.” These words are only found in two other places in the Greek Septuagint: Genesis 2:4 and 5:1. In the former they are used to describe the beginning of the heavens and in the latter, they describe the genealogy of Adam.

Jesus is the Greek rendering of the name Joshua. This was an extremely popular Jewish name at the time of Christ. In this particular context, Matthew adds the word Christ to his name. Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word messiah which means anointed one. Upon reading this passage, immediately a first-century Jew would be drawn into the story recognizing their hope for the Messiah.

Scriptural Analysis – Explanation Of The Genealogy

Matthew immediately associates Jesus with two of the most important figures in Jewish history, David and Abraham. This is intended to show the importance of Jesus. He should be considered among the greatest of the Jewish leaders. It would be the equivalent of referencing George Washington and Abraham Lincoln when analyzing a modern president.

Matthew calls Jesus the Son of David. This title would immediately invoke the promise made to David that his kingdom would last forever, “I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.” (2 Sam 7:13) From the very beginning of the genealogy, Matthew is trying to establish the kingship of Jesus and show that he is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David.

Matthew also called Jesus the Son of Abraham. The title is intended to firmly supplant Jesus as a member of the chosen people. Through Abraham God promised these people that he would bless them and multiply them:

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2)
And I will make my covenant between me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly. (Genesis 17:9)

God promised to bless all nations through Abraham, “And by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves.” (Genesis 22:18). Thus this theme of worldwide blessing is invoked in Jesus.

Matthew goes out of his way to connect Jesus with David. Other than Jesus, David is the only name mentioned that also gets a title: the king. David’s name is mentioned four times in the genealogy. Matthew marks three periods of history, Abraham to David, David to the Babylonian exile, and the Babylonian exile to the birth of Jesus. Each of these periods is marked by 14 generations. This number 14 also points to David. In Hebrew, a numerical value can be assigned to each letter of a name. The Hebrew letters of David’s name add up to 14. Hence the three occurrences of 14 emphasize Jesus’s fufiflmment of the promise made to David. Jesus is the restoration of David’s kingdom but in a greater way.

Matthew uses an X became of the father of Y, Y became the father of Z, pattern in his genealogy. The Greek word translated as “was the father of”, egennēsen is perhaps better translated using the older English word begat. The pattern used by Matthew resembles the pattern of the genealogy laid out in Ruth, “Perez was the father of Hezron, Hezron of Ram, Ram of Ammin′adab, Ammin′adab of Nahshon, Nahshon of Salmon, Salmon of Bo′az, Bo′az of Obed, Obed of Jesse, and Jesse of David.” (Ruth 4:18-22)

The only time Matthew deviates from this pattern is when he introduces the mother of one of the descendants into the genealogy. Such inclusion was very unorthodox in the first century. Women would not typically be included in a genealogy yet Matthew decides to include four women. These four women are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba.

Why did Matthew choose to include these four names? There are several theories but the most plausible is that all four of these women were converts. They were not born Jewish but joined the family of Israel. Matthew chooses these women to show how gentile blood flowed into the royal bloodline of David. It shows God’s concern for the Gentiles and helps to lay the foundation of Jesus’s universal mission to all.

The mention of David and Solomon marks the high point in the Genealogy. These two great kings recall the glory days of Israel. While both men were flawed, they oversaw the height of Israel as a nation. All twelve tribes were united as one kingdom under David. Solomon oversaw great prosperity and peace as well as international influence.

From there the genealogy turns sour. It mentions some of the worst kings in Israel’s history. Rehoboam, Abidjan, Joram, Ahaz, Manasseh, and Amos were all lacking and even evil in many ways. This line continues until the low point is hit, the Babylonian exile. The mention of the Babylonia exile would recall not only a date etched in the memory of the people, 586 BC, but also what the exile entailed. The invasion of Jerusalem, the destruction of the Temple, and the people being taken away into exile would be at the forefront of their minds. The Davidic kingdom was halted. No other descendant of David would rule over the people until Jesus.

The genealogy again sounds a note of hope for the people. Even in exile, the Davidic line was preserved. Jechoniah and Shealitel were two heirs who lived in Babylon and Zerubbabel was one of the first Jews to return to Jerusalem from exile. Zerubbabel is also considered to be the builder of the second temple and a messianic figure, “On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel my servant, the son of She-alti-el, says the Lord, and make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you, says the Lord of hosts.” (Haggai 2:23) The genealogy then lists eleven generations after that are not recorded in the Old Testament. These names and the preservation of the lineage show that God did not abandon his promise.

Finally, we get to the climax of the genealogy, the announcement of Jesus. Note that not just the name is presented but his title of Christ as well. Note also that Matthew breaks from his pattern, “Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born.” This is critical as Matthew does not want to establish biological fatherhood for Joseph. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Later on, Matthew will address how the royal bloodline is passed onto Jesus even though he is not the biological son of Joseph.

Daily Application

God’s plan for salvation is beyond words. From the moment that Adam sinned, he put his plan into effect. It took centuries to unfold. It involved sinful people. Yet through all of those centuries and sins, the plan remained, remained. It continued to unfold according to God’s time. In the fullness of time, at just the right moment, Jesus came into the world to carry out God’s plan. Promises that had been made over the centuries were kept, prophecies fulfilled.

We live in a culture that expected, one could even say demands, immediate results. The internet is full of rapid weight loss programs, schemes to earn a million dollars instantly, and any number of other instance success programs. Seeped in that mindset, far too often we approach prayer the same way. We demand that God answers our prayer the exact moment we present it to him.

However, God’s time is not our time. He knows when the best time to answer our prayer is: when that answer will benefit us the most in terms of helping us reach our ultimate goal of spending eternity with him. He absolutely answers all prayers, but always does so in a way and at a time that will benefit us the most.

Our goal, our task if you will, is to remain faithful to him. We continue to bring him our prayers knowing that he is a good father. This is not an easy task. It is not easy when you are struggling with this earthly life to remain faithful. While there were certainly those Jews who managed to remain faithful throughout the centuries of waiting and longing for the messiah, there were also those Jews who had lost hope and decided that God was done with this people. He wasn’t done with them, and he is not done with us.

On the close of the third week of Advent, recall how God unfolded his plan for the salvation of mankind through all those many centuries: through all those many people. Then take a moment to recall how God’s plan for you has unfolded throughout your life. Turn to him and give him thanks for divine providence which has guided you to this point in time. Ask for the grace to discern his will in all that you do, so that your name may be included in the genealogy of God’s family in heaven.

Additional Resources

#TheGospelOfMatthew