Saturday after the Festival of the Epiphany of our Lord
Posted on January 11, 2020 by under
Scripture: St. Luke 3:23-38 (NKJV)
3:23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, 27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Devotion
Luke’s “as was supposed” means: “Since people supposed Jesus was Joseph’s son physically, I’ll show you that God’s Son’s legal descent declares Him to be Abraham’s, Judah’s, and David’s Son—as is required for the Messiah—just as Matthew showed you the same about His physical descent through Mary” (Matt. 1:1-17).
The Holy Spirit establishes the ancestry of Jesus in both ways because (besides demonstrating the Bible’s historical trustworthiness) Judaism has debated for 1,900 years if being Jewish is determined by whether one has a Jewish mother, or a Jewish father. Generally, status as Jew or non-Jew was reckoned to your mother’s status, and of what tribe you are a member was determined from your father’s line. (Jesus would be considered Jewish through Mary, but “the Lion of the tribe of Judah” through Joseph.) The Holy Spirit disallows any real debate on whether Jesus qualifies as the Messiah of the Jews.
Even more, Luke traces to “Adam, the son of God.” Adam was not eternally begotten of the Father, nor born of a woman by the Holy Spirit. Like Jesus, though, he had no father physically. And like us who are “sons of God” (Gal. 3:26-29), he was heir of God’s creation (Gen. 1:26-28; Matt. 5:5; Rom. 8:16-17), being a son legally by creation/adoption. This reading fittingly concludes Epiphany week, because in establishing Jesus as “the Second Adam” (Rom. 5:12-19), we see Him as “the firstborn from the dead” (Rev. 1:5) who redeems not only those of Jewish descent, but all of us who have been born in the fallen image of dying Adam (Gen. 4:1; Rom. 5).
We pray: We thank You, O Holy Spirit, for enlightening us in the Word and keeping us with our savior Jesus Christ in the one true faith. Amen.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
