The Missing Person - Part 2
Reflective Reading: Jeremiah 22, 52
Welcome back to the case of the Missing Person! Have you solved the mystery yet?
If you recall from last week, we were searching for a mysterious missing person in the family line of Jesus. If you followed the clues from Jeremiah 22 and 52, you would have found that the missing person was King Jeconiah, also known as “Coniah” or “Jehoiachin”. Now, according to the history of Jeconiah’s life, this seems like an impossibility; he was cursed by God never to have children! How, then, does he show up in the family history of Jesus in Matthew chapter 1? The answer is not quite what you expect.
In Jeremiah 52 we learn that something miraculous happened near the end of Jeconiah’s life. In the last few verses, we learn that Jeconiah, after 37 years of imprisonment, is suddenly freed by the king of Babylon, Evil-Merodach (lovely name, isn’t it?). But the wonder doesn’t stop there. Jeconiah is not only freed, he is also seated above all the kings of the land and receives an allowance from Evil-Merodach, a change of royal clothing, and a permanent seat at the king’s table. Such bizarre treatment lends itself to the question—“What in the world is going on?!” Frustratingly enough, the Old Testament doesn’t say.
Thankfully, the New Testament unravels the mystery. In Matthew chapter 1, Jeconiah is mentioned twice: once before captivity and once after captivity. What does this have to do with anything? Read below for the exciting conclusion of the matter:
Before captivity Jeconiah is considered as a dead man in the eyes of God – cursed, never to have children. But after captivity, he is given a new life and has a son whom he names Shealtiel. The name Shealtiel is significant because it unlocks the mystery of Jeconiah’s miraculous deliverance from prison and the miraculous birth of a son, for Shealtiel means, “I ASKED GOD!”
No matter how bleak one's life has become, deliverance is just three words away.
Thank you for joining me for this Christmas mystery!
Sincerely,
Mark Hamby
M.S., M. Div., Th. M., D. Min.
Recommended Reading:
The Wonderful Door (Ages 9+)
The Hidden Hand book/audio drama (Ages 12+)
Prisoners of the Sea (Ages 12+)
