Smoodock's Blog

Previously, we’ve discovered in our study of Jesus’ genealogy, which Matthew offers us in the first chapter of his Gospel narrative, that, although we are presented with some problems, if viewed in terms of our understanding of math, Matthew really does know how to count. Nevertheless, we’ve now come to the third list, and we are faced with a, seemingly, insurmountable error, his third list of names goes only to the 41^st generation, vis-à-vis the generation of Jesus. How can Matthew answer this simple math problem, when he’s already told us that each list has 14 names, but the third list has only 13?

Jesus referred to his generation, the 41^st generation in Matthew’s 3^rd list of names, as an evil and adulterous generation (Matthew 12:39). He told them to fill up the cup of their fathers (Matthew 23:32), for, although he would send them wise men and prophets to bring them to repentance, they would persecute and slay each one. Therefore, upon Jesus’ generation, generation #41, would come the judgment of the blood of all the righteous that was shed in human history, because Jesus’ generation rejected their salvation (Matthew 23:33-36). In other words, just as the prophetess Huldah predicted the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem after the death of the last righteous king, Josiah (2Kings 22:14-20), Jesus predicted that after his death Jerusalem and the Temple would be destroyed before the end of that generation, vis-à-vis the 41^st generation (Matthew 23:36-38).

Nevertheless, how can we take the third list in Matthew’s genealogy and reckon it with the other two, since the third list has only 13 names? Notice that in each of the former lists there is the mention of brothers. First, there is the mention of Judah’s brothers (Matthew 1:2). Then, there is the mention of Jeconiah and his brothers (Matthew 1:11) in the second list of names. Therefore, we would expect the mention of brothers in the third list, but there isn’t. Herein is a clue to what Matthew intends for us to understand. Jesus’ ministry ends with the prediction of the total destruction of the 41^st generation’s hopes for salvation. In 70 AD Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed, thus ending the Old Covenant. The Jews no longer have a covenant. They think they do, but they don’t. So, where do we go from here?

Jesus mentioned that in the Kingdom of God the Twelve would rule over the twelve tribes of Israel (Matthew 19:28). In other words, they would become part of the royal line. How so? The Twelve became Jesus brothers after Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew 28:10). Therefore, position #42 in the third list must be occupied later, after the resurrection of Jesus as Christ. So, “Christ and his brothers” must be inserted in position #42 of the genealogical list of Matthew chapter one. If we take the Hebrew for Christ, which is Mashiach, its numerical value is mem (13) + shin (21) + chait (8) = 42. Its sum also corresponds to its position, #42 in the list. Moreover, if we multiply David (14), the first king in the list, with Mashiach (42), the final king in the list, we get the sum of 588. If the third list of 14 names responds in the same manner as the first two lists, we can now expect the total number of 14 names to add up to 588, and they do. However, not only is this so, but, if one would multiply the first name in the list, Abraham (41), by the last name in the list, Mashiach (42), we get the sum of 1722. Finally, we also get the sum of 1722, if we add up the numerical value of all 42 names in the list.

Thus, we can see that Matthew not only knows how to count to 42,[1] but a deeper meaning lies behind the list of 42 names in the genealogy. Matthew intends for his readers to understand that the coming of Christ is not merely an extension of the former things, but the destruction of them, and the beginning of a new generation of worshipers of the Lord God of Israel that includes both Jews and gentiles.

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