Start at the very beginning

From Annette Huizenga   
   As I read the first few chapters of Genesis and Matthew, I was reminded again that the first line of any book gives significant information about what's in store for you as the reader.
   "It was a dark and stormy night . . . ." 
   "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . . ."
This is true even for jokes:
   "knock, knock. . . . "
   "A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar . . . ."
    That's why the first verses of the books of Genesis and Matthew need to be remembered as we read for the next several weeks. Genesis, of course, starts the entire biblical journey with God's activity of creating the world, moving on to more specific parts of creation, and landing on the ancestors of the people Israel.
    Centuries later, the author of Matthew refers back to this first book of the Old Testament, although you can't see that in most English translations. Matthew 1:1 in Greek literally reads: "Book of genesis of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham." Quite different from the NIV, which has "An account of the genealogy of Jesus Christ . . . ." or the New English Bible's "A table of the descent of Jesus Christ." These translations were chosen because of the genealogy that follows in verses 2-17.
   But Matthew 1:1 is much more than a section heading for the genealogy. It tells us what to expect in this gospel: a story like the long involved saga in the book of Genesis, where God repeatedly acts on behalf of humankind. "Father Abraham" is a key figure here because the covenant God makes with him is not just with Israelites, but extends to "all the nations." Matthew is sometimes thought of as the "Jewish gospel" (more on that in later posts), but the author is looking beyond that toward  how salvation also comes through God's Emmanuel to the nations/Gentiles (it's the same word in Greek). Notice: the magi are Gentiles, and they are the first to recognize and worship Jesus.
   We know that the first generation or two of believers conflicted over how to handle the fact that God unexpectedly redeemed people from the "nations/Gentiles." This makes me think about the broader issue of how Judaism and Christianity have dealt with exclusion vs. inclusion. As I read, I'm going to keep an eye open for this struggle in all of the biblical books.

   By the way, I've never blogged before, so I'm going to be wrestling with how to make these comments sound "interesting" rather than "educational." Your feedback would be most welcome.