January 24, 2026 - “The Book of the Genealogy”
If you’ve been around St. Dunstan’s for a while, you’ve probably heard me talk about Matthew’s genealogy. In short, Matthew points out three key figures or moments in Israel’s history, with Jesus as the culmination of that story.
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 (Matt 1:17, ESV).
Abraham, David, Exile, Jesus—this shapes Israel’s story as Matthew sees it. But what if I told you there’s an even deeper, older story hidden in plain sight in the first two words of Matthew’s Gospel?
The book of the genealogy (Βίβλος γενέσεως, biblios geneseōs) of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matt 1:1).
This is the book of the origin (βίβλος γενέσεως, biblios geneseōs) of heaven and earth, when it originated, on the day that God made the heaven and the earth (Gen 2:4, NETS).1
Notice the identical Greek phrase—Matthew is intentionally echoing the Septuagint’s language for creation itself. Even the term biblios geneseōs alone may be a reference to the name of the book of Genesis.
Matthew mainly writes to a Jewish audience, highlighting Jesus as the climax of the stories of Abraham, David, and the Exile. However, he also hints at the deeper story of creation and Adam, recognizing that what Jesus did was for more than just one nation and family. What Jesus accomplished was for the whole world.
If Genesis is the book of the origin of creation and the people of God, it’s not a stretch to say that Matthew views his Gospel as the account of the beginning of the new creation and the formation of the new people of God around Jesus Christ.
So, yes, to understand who Jesus is, what he did, and what he said, we must see him as the culmination of Israel’s story. But he is also the climax of a different, older story—the story of creation—and what he accomplishes will benefit the cosmos and all the people within it. Jesus isn’t just Israel’s Messiah; he’s also the one through whom God is making all things new.
NETS stands for New English Translation of the Septuagint, the standard academic translation of the Greek Old Testament.
As a woman, I am always fascinated by the inclusion in Jesus’ genealogy of Tamar (Judah’s daughter-in-law, whom Judah impregnated thinking she was a temple prostitute), Rehab (a Gentile who hid the spies), and Ruth (a Gentile Moabitess, who marries Boaz, a picture of Jesus as our kinsman-redeemer!). Also, “the wife of Uriah the Hittite (Bathsheba) — who is often referred to in this manner rather than by name! Women were of no particular consequence or value in these ancient cultures so their inclusion is significant in the Biblical text.
I love the connection here to creation and the eschaton. Thank you!