Why look at Messiah's Ancestry
In the modern world, looking into the geneological records of a person's background can be both challenging and rewarding. One can learn the basic names and dates of when a person was born, married, and died. One can also look into what type of education they received and the type of occupation they worked at. One can look at the world events of their time. Occasionally, there are intimate details such as can be found in a diary or journal where we read of successes, failures, and general thoughts about life.
When we look into the Scriptures for the ancestry of Yahshuah, our Messiah, we have all these things and more. His ancestry contains many individuals who foresadowed or pictured what He would be. His ancestry contains promises and prophecies to those whose descendants would include a chosen nation, The Savior, and ultimately all believers. Those who are types of Messiah have their great achievements and their failings recorded for us.
Anyone who has done research into their family tree will recognize the challenge that comes with going past just a couple of generations. Research in many areas is usually needed to follow a trail of clues, either verbal or on paper, that can lead all over the world. When the information trail ends, the search also ends. It can be frustrating because in many parts of the world such records simply do not exist.
However, in the case of Messiah, we have an incredibly long and detailed record of His ancestry through the Scriptures. It is very interesting that in all the world, only the nation of Israel kept geneological records of such detail and duration. No other tribe or nation kept such records and this is no trivial matter. If we did not have these detailed records, we would not be able to see the pattern of promise and prophecy fulfilled in our Messiah. Furthermore, it is strangely curious that these detailed records kept for so long were suddenly destroyed along with the Temple in 70 Ad. The Jewish people no longer have any valid or legal documentation to prove who is descended from whom. If Israel wanted a descendant of King David through Solomon's line no one would be able to prove they qualify for the job.
It is my personal opinion that these important records showing Yahshuah's ancestry were kept for the specific purpose of showing who He is and what He does. After His first coming, these records were no longer necessary. Therefore, the loss of all Jewish geneological records which happened at the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD could follow and not cause problems for knowing our Messiah.
Todd Elder is a believer in Messiah who wants to help people understand Scripture and know the message of Salvation. For more information from the Prophecy of the Messiah series, please visit my website http://www.exploringsalvation.info and look under 'Messiah'.
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