What's in Your Past

by Fay Barlow
(United States)

Fay Barlow

I am reading in Matthew again. I love the gospels. I love following the life of Jesus. I began with the genealogy from Matthew 1:1-17. I’ve heard sermons preached on the family tree of Jesus and they always seem to point out the good, the bad and the ugly characteristics of the ancestry of Christ.

I guess we need that reminder. To know that we are not perfect and to have an example of our imperfections as we look at the flawed nature of history in light of the purity of Jesus’ nature. It causes us to want to sweep our hand across our brow and give a sigh of relief as we compare our ill character to those of the past. And to say with fervor; “At least I haven’t done that!”

I so understand the grace of God when reading these verses. I also understand the many commandments that were broken and the generational pain that was caused by one person’s actions.

But getting back to this genealogy. I hate to point out the sins of others but I do so only to make a point. I wrote down every person that is named in the genealogy of Jesus and looked up their life, of those I could find.

I found that among the forefathers (and mothers) of Jesus, there were those who had lied, were rebellious and even a trickster. There were tyrants, foreigners, prostitutes and victims. Kings were named among the family. Kings who did evil in the sight of God. Kings whose hearts were broken by the sin around them. Kings full of wisdom yet brought low by the lust of life.

There were those that played the blame game, those that were just outright selfish and those that seemed to live a quiet life, as nothing was written about them.

The good, the bad, the ugly. The generational curse of sin and consequences. But embedded in the genealogy of Christ, and written between the lines, is redemption.

I know my family history. My older son took a class last semester and had to discover who we were, as a people. I am proud to say that my ancestors founded Pensacola, Fla. I knew that was why I loved the beach so much.

I also know that my family was involved in wars. And I’m sure that hidden between the lines of the facts, as I know them, there were actions and that I may not be proud of. But that really doesn’t matter. Because who they were does not determine who I am!

The same thing rang true in the genealogy of Christ. The past that came before Him did not determine who He would be.

Such information can bring about another sigh of relief. I can look at the past forty years of my life, and beyond, to the years of my grandparent’s life and still say with confidence that I have a choice as to whether I continue like those before, or whether I find the courage and grace to change.

Verse 17: So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

Genealogy and captivity. They can go hand in hand. We can view our heritage and remain in a captive state of those before us, following in their footsteps. Our past can haunt us and bind us, telling us that we have no choice and that freedom from our history can never be an option.

Or we can believe what the Word of God says. Christ came to set us free! We were all born in captivity of some sort. Whether it be the captivity of generations past or the complacency of believing we have no choice but to be as those before us.

Some people may have looked at the history in Jesus’ family and found excuse to strip His Deity from Him. To point a wagging finger at the faults that carpeted His past. Or to help themselves feel better about their own hidden secrets. I am sure that Jesus was judged on many occasions by who His father (earthly) and mother were. Again, captivity can be a slippery slope of names and reminders.

When Jesus came, freedom came. Freedom from any current captivity and stretching all the way back to freedom from generational captivity. I am not bound by the decisions that were made from my ancestors two hundred years ago and neither am I bound by my own decisions made two days ago.
Because through the redemption of Christ, freedom has become a choice for me this day.