Fourteen Generations

Most stories dey start with, once upon a time. Matthew story of Jesus start with list of names. E sound like di boring part. E no be so. Every name na story, and some of dem go surprise you well-well.

Matthew dey write for people wey sabi di Hebrew Scriptures well. For dem, family line no be small matter. Na im dey tell you who you be and which promises belong to you. God don promise Abraham say through im family all nations go dey blessed. God don promise David say one of im sons go reign forever. So Matthew very first sentence carry one bold claim. Dis na di book of di family line of Jesus Christ, di son of David, di son of Abraham. For one line, e talk say: see di one wey both promises dey wait for.

Di list start with di patriarchs. Abraham, di man wey leave im house because of God word. Isaac, di son of laughter. Jacob, di wayo man wey wrestle with God. Then Judah, and im twin sons. And see di first surprise. Matthew call one mama name: Tamar. For dat world, family tree dey normally list only di fathers. But Matthew put Tamar, one woman wey im story for Genesis dey tangle and dey pain. Few lines after, another woman: Rahab, from Jericho, one foreigner wey once live inside di city wall. Then Ruth, one widow from Moab, di land of Israel old enemies. Then Boaz and Obed, and Jesse from Bethlehem, and then di big name: David di king.

Di fourth woman, Matthew no even call her name. E call her, di woman wey bin be Uriah wife. Bathsheba. Her story dey remind every reader of David worst moment. Then di kings come: Solomon, wey build di temple; Rehoboam, wey lose half of di kingdom; good kings like Hezekiah and Josiah; bad-bad ones like Manasseh. Matthew no skip dem. Then di family line reach di darkest point of all: di time wey dem carry dem go Babylon. Di kings lose dia crown. Di temple burn. And still di list continue. Jechoniah. Shealtiel. Zerubbabel, wey lead people go back home. Then names wey we almost no know anything about. Ordinary people, wey dey keep di family dey go, generation after generation.

And for di end: Jacob born Joseph, di husband of Mary, and na from Mary dem born Jesus, wey dem dey call Christ. Make you notice how Matthew arrange di words with care. E no talk say, Joseph born Jesus. Joseph na Mary husband, and na from Mary Jesus born. Di verses wey follow go tell us why. Then Matthew step back and e count. Fourteen generations from Abraham reach David. Fourteen from David reach di exile. Fourteen from di exile reach di Christ. History get shape. Nothing just happen anyhow. Through faithful people and people wey fail, foreigners and kings, God don dey carry im promise go front all di time.

Why fourteen? Plenty scholars point to one old Jewish practice where Hebrew letters dey also stand for numbers. Na three letters dem take write David name for Hebrew: D, V, D. Daleth na four, waw na six, daleth na four again. Add dem together and you go get fourteen. If na dis one dey Matthew mind, im whole family tree carry di name of David, three times. Matthew no tell us straight, so we no go hold dis idea too tight, but e match im first sentence well: Jesus Christ, di son of David.

You go find dis family tree for Matthew chapter one, verse one reach seventeen. For di next episodes, we go meet some of dis people one by one. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. If God fit weave all dis lives, di faithful ones and di broken ones, inside di story of Jesus, wetin e fit dey do with your own?