Lineage is of great importance to many people. They love to research their ancestry and often hold their cultural and family heritage in high esteem. In many cultures, ancestors are revered and looked to as a source of wisdom and guidance. Even for animals, a prestigious lineage is often highly prized.
Considering the value placed by many on ancestry, it’s understandable that the Gospel of Matthew begins with a full accounting of the lineage of Joseph, the husband of Mary and legal father of Jesus. Matthew follows the ancestry from Abraham, the father of the Hebrew race, to Joseph, a direct descendant of David, to whom the Hebrew people looked for the line of kingly descent that would produce the promised Messiah.
For those who believed Joseph to be the father of Jesus, this lineage might have created a high expectation for Jesus’ life. But as we continue with Matthew’s account, we come to a verse that could be considered one of the most startling and significant verses of the Bible: “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:18).
