Jesus is not a fictional character invented to make up a narrative. He is a real person who enters human history

 

Jesus is not a fictional character invented to make up a narrative. He is a real person who enters human history and becomes a significant link in the great chain of generations from Abraham to “Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” By presenting the list of generations, Matthew wants to highlight struggles, achievements, defeats, mistakes and also the faith of a people, the people of Israel. For the Jews, it was important to prove that Jesus is a descendant of Abraham, our father in faith; and of David, the great leader of the people of God: “Could this not be the Son of David?” (Mt 12:23). For us, it is salutary to be certain that Jesus, “born of a woman” (cf. Gal 4:4), came to live among us and assumed the human condition.

First of all, the text wants to show that Jesus is not a fantasy, not a myth, but someone who has an identity, a family, and even more importantly, according to the context of Israel, he has a genealogy. Furthermore, he is presented as the apex of the history of salvation, divided here by Matthew into three parts, for a total of 14 generations: from Abraham to David (two decisive names to demonstrate the origin of Jesus)[1], from this to the exile in Babylon, and from this exile to Christ. In David there is a high point; in Babylon, failure; and in Jesus Christ, fulfillment, fullness. This division of 14 generations into three parts does not encompass the totality of the generations, since it is known that many names were omitted, and furthermore, another important fact, the three divisions are located in unequal periods[2]. The figure of David is central to this narrative, because in view of the promise of an indestructible kingdom. It is worth noting that the name DAVID, numerically, totals 14, which immediately reveals the evangelist’s intention to present Jesus as the expected King, the Messiah who restores a dynasty destroyed by Babylon, but which will be reestablished forever by Jesus, the Son of Mary. Benedict XVI observes that this genealogical structural form in Matthew “is a true Gospel of Christ the King: the whole story points to Him, whose throne will be established forever.”[3] By placing Jesus as the fullness and presenting Him as the Messiah, Matthew emphasizes the divine origin of the Savior, breaking with the common structure of genealogy, which always places the father as the one who generates. In the case of Jesus, he places Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom Jesus was born. This is a historical fact, since Jesus is part of the People of God, is a descendant of Abraham, and came as the expected Messiah, but with something absolutely new: there was no participation of any man in His birth. It comes from (ek = from, preposition indicating origin) Mary, by the action of the Holy Spirit. Through Mary, the Father, by the action of the Holy Spirit, creates the humanity of His Son: "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (John 1:14). He who is 100% God became 100% man.

Unlike Luke, who observes the genealogy in an ascending manner, reaching Adam and, from there, presenting a universal vision of salvation, having in Christ the beginning of a new humanity, Matthew turns to the history of Israel, drawing all attention to the Messiah, the One through whom, starting from Israel, humanity will be blessed. Two different perspectives, but one conclusion: Jesus is the expected Messiah, the New Adam, the Salvation for all peoples.

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