David is the key to the patterning of the genealogy in
Matthew and thus to the genealogy itself. David’s name is fourteenth of the
list, exploiting traditional reckoning of fourteen generations from Abraham to David,
and the numerical value of (one version of) David’s name is “14” which prompts
the omission of three kings from the monarchical period to arrive at another set
of fourteen names.
Begetting (“fathering”) is important to Matthew (note the
absence of the verb in Luke’s genealogy) and the inclusion of women is
striking. Three of the women are foreigners and the fourth is referred to not
by her name but as “the wife of Uriah,” another non-Israelite.
All three women mentioned between Abraham and David showed initiative
in preserving their family line, assuming that “Rahab” invites us to think of
Joshua 2, but in the case of “the wife of Uriah” the initiative was David’s and
from then on no more women are mentioned until “Mary, of whom Jesus was born.” In
two of the three references to Mary by name, she is called the husband of Joseph,
in the other reference is made to her engagement with Joseph.
Matthew substitutes the impersonal plural “they shall name
him Emmanuel” instead of the singular form attested both in the Hebrew and in
Greek renderings (καλέσεις in Vaticanus and Alexandrinus, καλέσει in
Sinaiticus). This may be significant because in Isaiah 7:14 the mother names
the child, in Matthew it is emphatically Joseph who names the child (1:21, 25).
Men are important in the genealogy because “the king's
heritage passes only from son to son” (Sirach 45:25). Women are included to remind
us of the universal significance of the son of David in line with the promises
to Abraham.
All women in the genealogy of Jesus hint at extraordinary,
and potentially scandalous, circumstances in the line was continued, thus preparing
for the extraordinary, and potentially scandalous, union of Mary and Joseph. But do the women in the genealogy prepare us specifically
for Mary, pregnant out of wedlock, or also for Joseph who in Matthew’s Gospel
is the one who has to take some initiative?
Tamar had to overcome a broken promise. Mary had not in fact
broken her promise but it sure looked to Joseph as if she had.
Rahab had to take initiative to save her family in Jericho before
establishing an Israelite household with Salmon. Joseph will have to take measures to
save his family from Herod before making a new home in Nazareth.
Ruth had to find a redeemer to perpetuate the line of her
dead husband. Joseph will find in his son a redeemer who revives the house of
David.
The wife of Uriah lost her first husband and her first son
(with David) but was instrumental in helping her second son (with David) to the
throne. Joseph nearly lost his wife-to-be and prospect of children with her and
in some ways had to give her up to God but in naming Mary’s child he incorporates
the son into the royal line and thus becomes instrumental in the child’s
accession to the Davidic throne.
Joseph is like the women in his genealogy – only that he
needs dreams to get going in the right direction.
