Real Hope: The Jesus Genealogy - What's the Point?Sample

3 Times 14 Equal 42

I used to teach mathematics in the US in the 1970s and I still love puzzles and number quizzes. When Matthew writes his genealogy, he breaks the history of Israel into three significant eras. From Abraham to David, then from David to the exile to Babylon and from that time to the time of Messiah. Each is listed as being 14 generations.

The time of those eras are not even. It is approximately 1,000 years from Abraham to David, then 400 from David to the exile from Judah, and finally 600 from that exile to the Messiah. But approximations work for me and for the biblical writers.

But what else do we learn from the 3 x 14? It’s a useful tool to define an era and was a very common method in Jewish history. People are more memorable than dates anyway.

And 6 units of 7s, which also equals 42, are harder to keep track of. Three units of 14? Much easier. And those three represent the highs and lows of Jewish life, from Abraham and David, serious high points, to the Exile to Babylon in 586 BCE… one of the lowest moments in Jewish history. But be assured, no matter the times in which you live, the good or the bad, the ups or the downs, for you or your family or your country… God is in control and, at the end of the day, the Messiah will rule. Suffering will end. Victory will be permanent.

Written by BOB MENDELSOHN