The Second Sunday of Advent, 8 December 2024, Austwick
Lots of names and dates in our reading from Luke’s gospel today. Let’s hear them again: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.”
Luke was keen on providing his readers with plenty of names and dates; just a little bit later in the same chapter of his gospel he writes this rather long list:
23 Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. He was the son (as was thought) of Joseph son of Heli, 24son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, 25son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, 26son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, 27son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, 28son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, 29son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, 30son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, 31son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, 32son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Sala, son of Nahshon, 33son of Amminadab, son of Admin, son of Arni, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, 34son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, 35son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, 36son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, 37son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalaleel, son of Cainan, 38son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God. [1]
Luke was keen on giving names and dates; because he wanted we, the reader, centuries later, to understand that Jesus lived in a certain place and time, and that he had a particular genealogy.
You might relate to this, if you’re interested in researching your family history. The desire to locate lost relatives, the drive to discover the truth about one’s forebears, is increasingly popular today – in fact some sources suggest that genealogy is one of the most popular topics on the Internet [2].
It is now much easier to research family history, to find long-lost or never-before-known-about relatives and to communicate with them, even across the world. Through my auntie doing some family history research, a while back I met, for the very first time, a second cousin, Brian, who as it turns out was living just 35 miles from our home in Devon, one of a number of cousins on that side of the family who have since found each other and arranged get-togethers in recent times. You may have had similar experiences yourself. Or you may have in your heart a desire to find someone in your life who you know is out there – somewhere – who you’d love to meet.
Sometimes the most interesting parts of a family’s history are where a surprise is unearthed. The BBC series ‘Who Do you Think You Are?’ features various celebrities finding out about their ancestors – and the twists and turns of their family fortunes over the years, the illegitimate births, the tragic early deaths, the ups and downs of property and fortune. These are the things which define us, which in deep ways help shape the people we are. No wonder so many are so keen to uncover them, hopeful of finding some wonderful stories whilst also being prepared to deal with any painful realities which might be revealed.
Genealogies were important in biblical times too. They were treated as stories, parables, to show someone in a certain light. They were written to substantiate claims which people made to help strengthen their status in society. And so, for instance, Caesar Augustus, emperor of Rome at the time Jesus was born, claimed a millennium-old descent from the goddess Venus, and found that he was the adopted son of Julius Caesar, who was regarded as divine, and this permitted Augustus to claim the title ‘Son of God’, and to demand that the people worship him. [4]
Which reveals one striking detail in Luke’s genealogy of Jesus. Luke’s long list of names starts with his earthly father Joseph, and then goes back through history until it climaxes in the line: “son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.”
This is a remarkable statement. In a world where people dare call no-one but the emperor the Son of God, Luke puts across the divine heresy that Jesus is God’s Son. This is a direct challenge to the authority of the powers-that-be, of his day – and of course it connects to Luke’s story of Jesus’ birth which begins with humble old Zechariah and Elizabeth, which centres on not kings and rulers but shepherds and their flock; it’s a story in which modest Mary, and later faithful old Simeon and Anna, each realise the significance of what God is doing through this holy birth: in this story of all stories which Luke, and only Luke, tells, God’s kingdom comes to life among those on the fringes of empire, people outside any circles of influence. God’s kingdom is born, remarkably, not in palaces but in humble homes like ours.
This is a ‘family history’ which turns the world upside down. From it we learn that Jesus is fully bound up with us in human history; that when we accept him, when we embrace him, our names are added to his family line. And that, just as we take the characteristics of our parents, our forbears, our ancestors, into our own ways of life, so too God’s Spirit enables us to walk in His way, and become increasingly like him, every day.
This Advent, may we search again, more keenly, more deeply than ever for the Jesus who is coming to us, and in our seeking, may we know the joy of living as children of God in our part of the world today, and the hope of a bright tomorrow.
Notes
This talk draws from the more detailed Holly Willoughby’s Nightmare (is God’s nightmare too), given at Waterloo United Free Church, 5 January 2014.
[1] Luke 3.23-38.
[2] Wikipedia: Genealogy.
[3] Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan, The First Christmas: What the Gospels Really Teach Us About Jesus’s Birth, p.95-98.
[4] Wikipedia: Son of God, Imperial titles.
