Infancy Narratives and the Genealogy of Jesus

Of the four canonical gospels, only Matthew and Luke have an account of the infancy of Jesus. In our study, we used the gospel of Matthew because of its intention to portray Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophesies that was made in the Old Testament with regard the coming of a Savior.

The genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17)

• The Abrahamic and Davidic ancestry of Jesus established His credentials to be the royal Messiah of Israel
• The inclusion of women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah) in the genealogy is unusual but not unprecedented and they serve two possible purposes: 1) all the women are Gentiles/non-Jews and Matthew is trying to portray, like Luke, the universality of Jesus’ mission; 2) that the presence of immoral women (except Ruth, and even of immoral men) does not undermine Jesus’ messianic credentials.
• Nothing can prevent God from drawing good from evil.
  

Joseph and Mary (Matthew 1:18-25)

• Joseph is Jesus’ foster and legal father since Jesus was born not of the flesh or out of the marital act but through the action of the Holy Spirit in Mary. The same relationship is true with regard God who is our Father in a non-physical but spiritual way.
• Mary is Jesus’ mother in the fullest sense of the word as she truly carried Jesus in her womb by the power of the Holy Spirit without losing her virginity. The exact moment of God’s taking on human flesh or incarnation in Mary’s womb was when Mary said “yes” to the Archangel Gabriel’s Annunciation that she was chosen to be the Mother of God.
• Because Mary was found pregnant during her betrothal period to Joseph, Mary, according to Jewish law, can be stoned to death for adultery. Joseph, however, being a “righteous man” decided to dismiss Mary “quietly” either because he wants to spare Mary’s life and reputation or, after believing that it was God’s son that Mary was carrying, because he felt unworthy to be the foster-father of the Son of God.
• In relation to the Old Testament, it is also good to note that because Joseph is descended from King David, Joseph is able to transfer to Jesus all the royal or Davidic rights of inheritance. Furthermore, Matthew’s portrayal of Joseph is parallel to the Joseph of the Old Testament: 1) both had the same name, 2) both have fathers named Jacob, 3) God spoke to both in dreams, 4) both were righteous and chaste, and 5) both saved their families by going to Egypt.
• God, through countless examples but especially through Joseph and Mary, shows how much good can be achieved if only we are willing to cooperate.
  

Jesus and His Birth (Luke 2:1-7)

• The Greek name Iēsous is equivalent to the Hebrew name Joshua (Yehoshua’) which means, “Yahweh saves.”
• He is born in Bethlehem (“House of Bread”), where David was also anointed (Christos) as king.
• According to the gospel of Luke, Jesus was wrapped in swaddling clothes, and was laid in a manger or the animals’ feeding trough. Allegorically, says St. Cyril of Alexandria, Jesus in the manger foretells Jesus’ institution of the Holy Eucharist where He becomes life-giving food for all of us.
• The census that made the Holy Family go to Joseph’s city of origin was also symbolic in the sense that Jesus, who is God-incarnate, was numbered or tagged with the rest of humanity during that time and for all ages. He was God who embraced our humanity full and entire to radically show us the depth of His love for us.
  

Wise Men From the East (Matthew 2:1-12)

• At best, they were Persian astrologers who believed that the skies constantly signify great earthly events such as the birth of a king
• The star which the Wise Men follows, recalls an Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah which goes “I see him, though not now; I behold him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a staff shall rise from Israel, That shall smite the brows of Moab, and the skulls of all the Shuthites, till Edom is dispossessed, and no fugitive is left in Seir. Israel shall do valiantly” (Numbers 24: 17-18). This information greatly disturbs King Herod since he is, after all, an Edomite.
• The Wise Men from the East, also known as the “Magi” or the “Three Kings”, symbolize the manifestation or “Epiphany” of Jesus not only to the Jews but also to the Gentiles or non-Jews. God came not only to be one with the Jews, but with all of humanity.
• Tradition has always named the Wise Men as Melchior, Caspar, and Baltassar. Their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh have also been given allegorical meaning: gold for Christ’s royalty or kingship, frankincense for Christ’s priesthood and divinity, and myrrh for Christ’s subsequent passion and death.

Indeed, God responds to the Israelites' prayers with regard the sending of a savior by not giving them another King David who will save them from human enemies, but someone greater than David who will save them from sin and death.

In Jesus, we see, God “pitching His tent” in our midst. God did not simply answer His people through meaningful words and thoughts but more radically “in the flesh”. Jesus is both truly God and truly man. He is God incarnate. He is God-with-us (Immanuel).