Have you done any genealogy work on your family tree? Genealogy can be a fascinating way to you look into your family history. In most family trees there are people who were famous to some extent, some for good reasons and others for not so good reasons. The same was true in biblical times as well as our own time. To the Jewish people under the law of Moses, family trees or genealogies were very important in maintaining property and the like. In fact, when you read through your Bible you will find a great many passages and verses dealing with genealogy beginning with Genesis chapter four. Genesis chapter five is the first chapter that deals with genealogy alone, from Adam to Noah. It is interesting to note that just twelve generations took place from Adam to Noah and most of these people we know very little about. Seth was the son that replaced Abel whom Cain slew. Enoch, the father of Methuselah, did not die, "but walked with God and he was not; for God took him," and Methuselah lived longer than any other man, having lived 969 years. Nothing is recorded about the others outside of their names, who was their father and who was their son.
Indeed when we look at the genealogy list in the Bible we find that the majority of the names are just a name that we know little or nothing about. The same is true when we look back into most of our families' histories. After a few generations we find very little to learn about our ancestors. This is also true when we look at the family tree of Jesus as recorded in the books of Matthew and Luke. Matthew's genealogy of Jesus goes back to Abraham, whom the Jews looked on as the father of their nation. Luke's genealogy of Jesus goes back to Abraham and continues all the way back to Adam the first man. The reason for the differences is the people to whom the writers were writing. To the Jewish people, Abraham was far enough to go back, but to the Greeks, seeing the genealogy all the way back to Adam meant a great deal. Not only was Jesus the Messiah to the Jews, but He was also the Christ to the rest of the world!
What I hope you find as the most interesting point to this article is the fact that when you become a Christian, you are added to the family tree of your brother, Jesus Christ. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:16-17). Talk about being related to somebody that is famous! Try to top being on the same family tree as Jesus Christ! Plus, on the day of judgment, if you are found faithful to God, you will enter heaven with the rest of the faithful. You can check your family tree right now by checking out God's Holy Word to see if you have done what God requires to place you on His family tree!