Rev Doc Geek

Sermon for the third Sunday of Advent

15^th of December 2013

Matthew 1:1-17

Were you surprised by today’s Gospel reading? I have to confess that this morning I cheated. The lectionary reading for this Sunday comes from the 11^th chapter of Matthew, and tells us about John the Baptist, imprisoned by Herod, sending disciples to ask Jesus who he is. Jesus answers: “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offence at me.” It’s a great reading for any time of year, especially Advent, but I’ve decided not to preach on it. Instead, I want to talk about a reading that isn’t in the lectionary and is very seldom talked about – the opening verses of the Gospel according to Matthew.

The Gospel according to Matthew starts with Jesus’ genealogy. No other gospel starts like this; Luke also has a genealogy, but Luke puts it chapter three of his gospel: after all the birth stories have been told; after John has baptised Jesus; and when we are told that Jesus is about thirty years old. Only Matthew begins with a list of Jesus’ ancestors, which tells us that Matthew thinks this list is important. The list is not historical; it’s theological. Matthew is telling us that Jesus was the son of Abraham and the son of David. But Matthew also tells us that Jesus is descended from Abraham and David in unusual ways. In this long list of names, usually considered boring, are some fascinating stories that tell us a lot about who Matthew thinks Jesus is. Continue reading →