One of the things that I find fascinating about my family tree is not just the names, the stories behind the names. These are also roots. They tell me something about myself. What about Jesus roots? What do Matthew (Matt 1:1-12) and Luke's genealogies (Luke 3:) tell us about Jesus other than some names from the distant past?1. Jesus is the Son of God. Luke tells us that Jesus ultimately is from God. The stories of the Gospels fill in the story. Jesus and God are one (John 10:30). Jesus is God in the flesh (John 1:14). Through Jesus, God lived and walked along side of us. Jesus demonstrated the glory of God so that we could draw closer to him (John 14:9) and be transformed into his image (Rom 8:29). He procured justification through his death (Rom 5:9), hope through his resurrection (Rom 5:10), and sanctification through the Holy Spirit (2 Thess 2:13).
2. The Lord is faithful. Jesus is a descendant of David and Abraham. The genealogy is a reminder of the promise God made that a king from the line of David would save them and rule righteously in a new kingdom (Jer 30:9-10; 33:15). It is also a reminder of the promise that God made to Abraham that all the families of the earth would be blessed by a descendant of Abraham (Gen 12:1-3). That was two thousand years before Christ was born, yet in spite of time, the detestable wickedness of Israel and the human race, God has kept his word.
3. The Lord accepts those who draw near to him. We have names included in Matthew's genealogy you would not expect to be there. Normally, women were not named in genealogies. There are several listed in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus. But that is not the most unusual thing. Consider the stories that go with those women. There was Tamar, who seduced her father in law (Gen 38). There was Rahab, the gentile Harlot (Josh 2). There was Ruth, the gentile Moabite who seemingly did something inappropriate on the threshing floor wit Boaz (Ruth 3). There was Bathsheba who had an adulterous escapade with David (2 Sam 11). Why are all these women mentioned? Wouldn't this have been an embarrassment? No. Jesus identified with our weak human nature. He is not ashamed of us (Heb 2:11). When we draw near to him (Heb 4:15-16), he embraces us as our advocate (1 John 2:1) and High Priest (Heb 2:17).
So, it doesn't matter what is in your past. It doesn't matter what you have done. Jesus, the Son of God, loves you with a fierce love that brought him to the cross (John 3:16). As a result, you have new roots, solid roots, and wonderful life producing roots. You have been adopted into the family of God (Eph 1:5). As a Christian, you have been grafted into his family tree which will produce fruit and be gathered to God in Heaven at the harvest.
Jesus is coming back and will take the children of God home. Those grafted into Christ will be gathered into Heaven. Those that haven't will be burned. Which will you be? Are you ready for the harvest?