In the first chapter of Matthew, the genealogy of Christ is presented. Verse seventeen explains that from Abraham to David there are fourteen generations, from David until exile to Babylon are there fourteen generations and from Babylon to Christ there are fourteen generations. From reading Matthew 1:17 one can conclude from Abraham to Christ there are a total of 42 generations. 14+14+14 = 42 Right? However, from the exile to Babylon to Joseph there are 12 generations. Therefore Joseph is the 40th generation. Thus Jesus is the 41st generation.
What happened to the 42nd generation?
Last week I spent time in Georgia at training for the World Race. Our last day at camp the leaders assigned our small teams, who we will be serving along side over the course of the year. Our first assignment in our group was to come up with a team name. Our not so nerdy group decided on team pi- not the kind you eat- but the mathematical phenomenon known as π.
Pi is a famous mathematical constant. It is defined in Euclidean plane geometry as the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. When a circle’s diameter equals one it’s circumference equal pi. Numerically it is about equal to approximately equal to 3.14. It is an irrational number and it is a transcendental number.
Putting math Euclidean plane geometry aside, why did our team choose to name our selves team π?
3 X 14= 42. Thus bringing us back to the 42 generation.
Who are the 42nd generation?
I am
You are. We are the 42nd generation.
We are the Christ generation.
George H. Warnock describes it best in his article Evening And Morning – Another Generation Cometh “We speak of the progeny of Christ. He was cut off from the land of the living, leaving no one to declare “his generation.” But God nevertheless made room for a generation. As others have already pointed out, God even left a blank space for the generation of Christ in the genealogy of Matthew. There are exactly 41 generations from Abraham to Jesus, and not 42 as Matthew would seem to indicate. However, Matthew did not compute the generations unto Jesus, but “unto Christ” (Matt. 1:17). This makes all the difference. There are but 13 generations from the carrying away unto Babylon unto Jesus. But Matthew said “unto Christ,” because “Christ” includes the Body which would declare His generation. “For as the body is one… SO ALSO IS CHRIST” (1 Cor. 12:12). Not “so also is the body of Christ,” but “so also is Christ.” “Christ” includes the body, because “Christ” means “Anointed One” and we share the “same anointing” (1 Jn. 2:27), are partakers of the same Spirit, and therefore become “of his flesh, and of his bones” (Eph. 5:30).”
