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This Sunday’s lectionary reading for Advent 4 in Year A is Matt 1.18–25. It is a short reading, but laden with significance as Matthew gives his distinctive account of Jesus’ origins.
James and Ian discuss the reading, its place at the beginning of the first gospel, and issues around reading it and preaching from it.
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Ian Paul: theologian, author, speaker, academic consultant. Adjunct Professor, Fuller Theological Seminary; Associate Minister, St Nic's, Nottingham; Managing Editor, Grove Books; member of General Synod. Mac user; chocoholic. Tweets at @psephizo
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On the verb at the start of v18, biblehub.com gives various Greek versions. Most have γένεσις, including NA/UBS, and, interestingly, the Greek Orthodox text. But the Byzantine Majority Text and the Textus Receptus have γέννησις. Hence the KJV has ‘birth’, and that casts a long shadow over most English translations.
Thanks, Chaps, for your most interesting reflection on the place of Honest Joe in the story of the Incarnation of Jesus; whose descent from David was actually through his adoptive father, Joseph. As an adoptive father, myself – of both the wife and the children of another father (deceased) – I am aware of the responsibility and of the degree of love involved.
Ron, glad you enjoyed it. We do see adoption rather differently in the modern world…