追溯耶穌的家譜Tracing the Genealogy of Jesus
[每日靈修] 12/19/2018, 駱鴻銘編譯
乍一看，馬太福音的起頭是新約聖經的一個不怎麼起眼的文學起點。這是一份某某某「生」了某某某的清單，將耶穌的血統追溯到亞伯拉罕。
這個起頭在文學衝擊上的缺欠，被它在神學上的意義所彌補了。除此之外，新約的族譜將福音直接放在歷史的平台上。耶穌是在「時候滿足」時降生的——祂的職事必須透過舊約歷史的背景來定義和解釋。
新約聖經為耶穌提供了兩個家譜，一個是馬太福音，另一個是路加福音。這些族譜在一些重要的點上有所不同。馬太是為猶太聽眾所寫，而路加是為外邦聽眾所寫。馬太是要證明，耶穌是大衛合法的子孫，因此是猶大支派的後裔，神應許彌賽亞君王要從猶大而出。馬太討論了耶穌的合法世系，並將這些名單限制為三組十四代，允許自己做出一些省略。
路加則更詳細地追溯自然血統。他把這份清單帶回到亞當那裏，因為這是他福音書的一個中心主題，闡明了福音是給萬民的。耶穌確實是亞伯拉罕的後裔、大衛的子孫，但祂也是新亞當，祂不僅要拯救以色列，更要拯救來自萬國萬民的男男女女。
活在神的面光中（在神面前禱告）：
對你來說，耶穌是誰？
進一步研讀：
太一16 雅各生約瑟，就是馬利亞的丈夫。那稱為基督的耶穌是從馬利亞生的。
加四4 及至時候滿足，神就差遣他的兒子，為女子所生，且生在律法以下，
弗一10 要照所安排的，在日期滿足的時候，使天上、地上、一切所有的都在基督裡面同歸於一。
Tracing
the Genealogy of Jesus
At
first glance, the beginning of Matthew is a less-than-exciting literary
starting point of the New Testament. It is a list of “begats” tracing Jesus’
lineage back to Abraham.
What
this beginning lacks in literary punch it makes up for in theological
significance. Among other things, the genealogical tables of the New Testament
place the gospel squarely on the plane of history. Jesus was born “in the
fullness of time”—His ministry is defined and interpreted against the
background of Old Testament history.
The
New Testament provides two genealogical tables for Jesus, one by Matthew and
one by Luke. These tables differ at significant points. Matthew was writing for
a Jewish audience and Luke for a Gentile audience. Matthew was concerned to
show that Jesus legally descended from David and was therefore a descendant of
Judah to whom the messianic kingship was promised. Matthew treats the legal
descent of Jesus and limits the lists to three groupings of fourteen
generations, allowing himself to make omissions.
Luke
follows the natural descent with greater detail. He takes the list back to
Adam, as it was a central theme in his Gospel to set forth the universality of
the gospel. Jesus is indeed the Son of Abraham and the Son of David, but He is
also the new Adam who comes to redeem not only Israel but men and women from
every tribe and nation.
Coram
Deo
Who
is Jesus to you?
Passages
for Further Study
Matthew
1:16
Galatians
4:4
Ephesians
1:10