ADAM’S FAMILY TREE

A Talk at the Monday Club by Joss Apperley

Bible references are to the Anglicised New International Version (NIV-UK) unless noted otherwise

‘[Mary] will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’

Matthew 1: 21–23

ADAM’S FAMILY TREE will be a truly colossal document. Travelling through the corridors of time in every direction, and presenting a pen-portrait of each descendant, it will bring to light long-hidden truths and expose the deceptions of false histories. Human relationships will be established beyond question, proved by genetic links where there was doubt in former life, and firm bonds of kinship will be forged for all eternity.

But I see you all looking at me with some surprise and amusement! Could we manufacture a sheet of parchment long enough for such an ambitious project? Where might it be displayed? In how many languages? And who would undertake such a task?

Well, you must agree that even in our present limited span of life we have seen fantasies turn into realities, so let’s indulge in a little trip into a future, one that most folk would regard as fantasy-land, remembering Paul’s assurance that ‘eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him’ (1 Corinthians 2: 9, King James Version).

Who Am I?

Creating a family tree has become a serious interest for many who had little or no idea of their family history, but who are now deeply involved in tracing their origins. Fractured families, shifting populations, ethnic strife and emigration have shattered the more settled lifestyle of past centuries, striking at the roots of personal worth and identity. Discovering one’s roots may well restore a sense of belonging, though the findings may be unexpected or even unwelcome! While at one time the research would be laborious and professional services unaffordable, a determined inquirer can now find useful advice via the Internet at modest expense.

Names are of prime importance in most cultures the basic feature of personal identity and uniqueness. Researching family surnames is of course the first resort in tracing one’s origins, and as generation after generation is discovered, the branches of the family tree multiply and become increasingly difficult to trace. Surnames will probably persist through many generations, possibly indicating the occupation of the original, ancient forebear who became known as, say, Archer or Collier, Taylor, or Thatcher. Some names may relate to geographical features or places, such as Bridges, Underwood and Scott. Because women were regarded as less important until recent times, the customary adoption of a husband’s surname upon marriage imposes much difficulty in tracing matriarchal records.

We Are Unique

No one has a double. Even identical twins are not alike in every particular. But there is a strong likeness between blood relatives, which may skip a generation or two, and then reappear. For example, I resemble my great-grandfather Apperley, rather than my father. But how are we identified in our local community and by the world in general? I might say, ‘I am an Apperley.’ But is that a sufficient identification? There are perhaps thousands of us, so which one am I? Joss Apperley of course! So wherever we belong, for practical purposes we need an extra ‘label’.

In this vastly increased human family, the naming of children is a serious business in every culture. Where there is a keen sense of ancestry, children’s names are often chosen from the family trees of their parents, and the giving and receiving of a name is an event of major importance, often marked with religious ritual. Orthodox Christian baptism is traditionally regarded as a sacrament of initiation into the church, the bestowal of a soul and an identity, and thereby a legitimate place in society.

In past times religious fervour led parents to name a daughter Faith, Hope, or Charity. More modern trends use place names such as Brooklyn and Memphis, while zealous African Christians might be even more inventive and call their sons Praise-God or Good-Luck. We all recognise ourselves by our name, and answer to that name. Liking one’s given name is a bonus, a boost to personal confidence and self-esteem, while serious dislike of one’s ‘handle’ may be an impediment in this regard. Some people change their name for this reason.

Adam Started It All

Adam set the ball rolling under God’s direction, of course. Genesis 2: 19, 20 records the event:

Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the beasts of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds of the air and all the beasts of the field.

What guided Adam in choosing suitable names we are not told, but the account implies that he had inbuilt the power of speech and the command of language. The record indicates rather charmingly that the Lord spoke with Adam ‘in the cool of the day’ (Genesis 3: 8), but those conversations are lost for the time being.

And the next staggering event yes, you’ve guessed it was the creation of a wife for the man, and the command detailed in Genesis 1: 28: ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.’

The filling of the earth is now well advanced, and while the current population is estimated at more than seven thousand million, the total number of Adam’s posterity is impossible to guess. Did he have any idea of the future when he named his wife Eve, ‘because she would become the mother of all the living’ (Genesis 3: 20)?

Any volunteers yet for working on Adam’s family tree?

Names Have Meanings

From earliest times names were significant. Isaac, for example, means ‘laughter’, his mother Sarah having laughed at the idea of giving birth at the advanced age of over ninety. Moses means ‘drawn out’, alluding to his being taken out of the water at three months of age. Luke’s Gospel tells of the birth of John the Baptist, whose name was chosen by the Lord, and signifies that ‘God is gracious.’ You may already know what your own name means, but if not, the information can be found on the Internet. (See, for example <http://www.bounty.com/baby-names/name-origin>) (Link Broken)

‘Jesus’is the familiar name of the Christ, Israel’s Messiah. It is the Greek form of the Hebrew, ‘Joshua’, which means, ‘the Lord saves’ as Matthew’s Gospel indicates: ‘because he will save his people from their sins.’ Gabriel, the archangel, conveyed the Heavenly Father’s instruction to Mary and also to Joseph, the putative father of Jesus a highly responsible role. The importance of Christ’s genealogy is shown in the detail in which Matthew traces Joseph’s line back to Abraham, and Luke traces Mary’s back to Adam, the son of God. This final detail leads us to the other designation of Jesus: Immanuel God with us affirming again the Divine fatherhood of Mary’s child.

Joseph and Mary had a shared ancestry up to and including the time of David, a double endorsement of Jesus’ destiny as the one spoken of prophetically in Isaiah 9: 7:

Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and for ever.

Back To That Family Tree

Luke made a useful start in tracing one branch from its newest twigs down to its roots, using the memories and records preserved in the annals of the children of Israel. He knew that Adam was the son of God, and human history could go no further back than the creation of Adam and Eve. He knew, as we do, that our first parents had failed a vital test and incurred a death sentence upon themselves and all their posterity.

But our own search for ancestors will be a much simpler process! How’s that? Because they’ll be back on earth most of them the death sentence having been fully atoned for by Jesus, the ‘second Adam’, as the Apostle Paul teaches: ‘As in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive’ (1 Corinthians 15: 22, KJV).

Now do I detect incredulity on your faces? Adam and Eve were not promised a heavenly destiny. Everlasting life on earth was their expectation so long as they fulfilled the Creator’s condition (Genesis 2: 16, 17). Yet the rescue of the stricken world would involve by the amazing love of God an invitation to all those willing to sacrifice their own earthly interests in exchange for the heavenly reward. Such ‘overcomers’ would collectively become a second Eve, one might say. And as God talked with the first human pair, so heaven and earth will be in eternal communication as the plans and purposes of creation are continued.

Family trees? No need for rolls of parchment, no searching in the records of the deceased, no more pondering ‘Who am I?’ We shall know, even as we are known, everything restored to our remembrance. Sound like a fantasy-land? I’ll see you there, some glad, sweet day!

And the ransomed of the LORD shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. – Isaiah 35: 10, KJV

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