1. Today's reading is the genealogy of Jesus as found in the Gospel of Luke. Feel free to skim through the names, although it might be interesting to see if you recognize any of the names.
2. If we were to compare the genealogy of Jesus as found in Luke with the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew, we would find that they are different.
a. the genealogy is designed for theological purposes.
b. Matthew begins with Abraham and works his way back to Joseph; Luke begins with Joseph and work his way back to Adam, son of God.
c. Matthew is writing to primarily Jewish-Christians, so it makes sense that he would trace the genealogy to Abraham, who would be considered the patriarch of Israel and the Jewish tradition. His audience would appreciate the link to Abraham.
d. Luke is writing primarily to Gentile-Christians, so it makes sense that he would trace the genealogy to Adam, who was the first human. His audience would appreciate the link to the more generic Adam than to Abraham, who was linked to Judaism.
3. The genealogy also connects Jesus to what has come before him. Jesus did not just arrive on the scene with no family history.
4. Does it matter to you that Jesus has a family history?
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