Matthew 1
The authentication of the King Chapters 1-4
By Genealogy chapter 1 v1-17
In these opening 4 chapters, Matthew proves beyond doubt that Jesus, the man who was born of a virgin, is the Christ, the anointed of God.
Genealogies were really important to the Jews, for pedigree was everything, and they kept accurate records; the temple contained an archive that was meticulously documented. These were legal proofs of inheritance;
they were used to settle disputes of land and property;
they authenticated a Levites claim to be kept on the tithing register;
they were consulted to verify levirate marriage in the event of death.
In this genealogy, Matthew makes the legal claim of Jesus as Messiah, that is, He must be directly descended from the royal line of David. In effect, Matthew is saying, “Go to the temple, check the records for yourselves, it is in the public domain”. It is interesting to note that no Rabbi has ever questioned Matthew’s account of this genealogy. The leaders of the day obviously didn’t bother, otherwise they might have acted differently.
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham”.
Jesus, Jehovah Saviour; Christ, the anointed of God in three offices of prophet priest and king; Matthew majors on the aspect of the King
Son of David, heir to the royal throne by covenant;
Son of Abraham, linked to the seed of Israel and the land of Israel by covenant.
Matthew summarises the genealogy in three sections,
a) Abraham to David-14 generations;
b) David to the exile in Babylon-14 generations;
c) The exile to Jesus-14 generations.
Why does Matthew put it this way? for there are some generations missing. Firstly it was probably for ease of memorisation; then he would have wanted to apply the Hebrew “Gematria”, which was a system of numbering, where each consonant had a numerical value; His primary focus on David meant that the number to the fore was 14 since DVD= 4+6+4=14.
This is the 14th list of generations in scripture, the others being eleven in Genesis, one in Numbers, one in Ruth, and now the final one here in Matthew 1.
Also, David is the 14th from Abraham, so for the sake of uniformity, he worked it out using 14, equivalent to David’s name. Also the generations often overlapped so this is quite normal, and no irregularities have been pointed out since it was written. Matthew’s point is that no one seemed to pay any attention to such an important event. Indeed, according to Matthew, the only people looking for the Messiah when He came were Gentiles from afar!
That this is the Royal line, makes the genealogy interesting. First we note that Jesus was born into the royal family, also that His earthly parents who were exceedingly poor and were reduced to working class, had through the years fallen on hard times. There are also many aspects of truth in the list of names;
• Included in this royal , most privileged, lineage, are the names of people of great faith in God. The most famous in this connection is Abraham, whose faith in God is so outstanding he has become the “father of all who believe”. Who can forget the incredible faith and devotion of the Gentile Ruth, who said, when given a choice “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God, where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried!”. Then there is the great King David, who survived 24 attempts on his life, yet maintained his spirit to achieve the notable accolade that he was “a man after God’s own heart”, and many more.
• They were all sinners, they were all failures, and some of these traits are highlighted; indeed it reads more like a rogues gallery than a royal godly line! Abraham lied about his wife, Jacob was a deceiver, Judah was treacherous, David committed adultery and sent a brave man to his death to cover it up, Solomon committed bigamy 700 times and had harems on the side; Rehoboam divided the nation by listening to the advice of young men, a situation of division that lasts until this day. Manasseh was the most idolatrous of all the kings of Judah, far worse than Ahab the evil king of Israel who worshipped Baal. Yet Manasseh repented and God forgave Him, which only shows there is no sinner so bad God cannot save them. Jechoniah though only 8 years old brought evil to the throne and developed into the most covetous and violent person in the history of Israel such that God cursed his seed, that no one born in his house would ever sit in the throne of Judah(Jeremiah 22). Indeed the whole point of the coming of Messiah was to save His people from their sins(chapter 1 v21). These are but a few examples, and if we were to trace the whole history we would understand the extent of the grace of God in Christ the Messiah. God is not limited by human imperfections!
• There are four women included in the lineage, a thing most unusual in Hebrew genealogies, so God’s salvation in Christ includes women. There are Gentiles in the list, namely Rahab, Ruth, and the husband of Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite, so Gentiles have a place in the royal line leading to Christ. The grace of God is seen in the four women and each of them represents a different aspect of His grace.
In Tamar the illustration is of the grace of God based on righteousness, not of Tamar but of God(Genesis 38).
In Rahab we see a harlot woman living in a city under the curse of God, delivered by her faith in God on the basis of redemption(Joshua 2-especially verses 11&18).
In Ruth we see a Moabitess(all Moabites were barred from the congregation of the Lord for ten generations) brought near to God on the basis of Divine reconciliation(Ruth 1). In Bathsheba(though she is referred to as the wife of Uriah the Hittite), we see the grace of God in forgiveness and association with royalty in king David and her son Solomon. All this beautifully summarises the grace of God in Christ: it is based on righteousness, and on redemption; it brings reconciliation, it leads to royalty in association with the King
• In the royal lineage we see the sovereignty of God in the names listed.
Isaac was chosen instead of Ishmael;
Jacob instead of Esau;
Judah was one of twelve, and not firstborn, yet he was chosen as the royal progeny;
Phares was chosen instead of Zara of the twins born to Tamar;
David was the eighth and youngest of the sons of Jesse yet he was anointed as king;
Solomon was the tenth son of David conceived out of wedlock, yet chosen as king;
Rehoboam, who divided the nation by listening to the advice of the young men was the son of an Ammonitess, one of Solomon’s concubines(1st Kings 14 v31), yet he was in the lineage;
Abijah, the son of Rehoboam was evil as king, yet for David’s sake he was forgiven(1st Kings 15).
Josiah was one of four sons, and he was not the firstborn; Salathiel was second born of 8 yet promoted to be king.
Genealogies were really important to the Jews, for pedigree was everything, and they kept accurate records; the temple contained an archive that was meticulously documented. These were legal proofs of inheritance;
they were used to settle disputes of land and property;
they authenticated a Levites claim to be kept on the tithing register;
they were consulted to verify levirate marriage in the event of death.
In this genealogy, Matthew makes the legal claim of Jesus as Messiah, that is, He must be directly descended from the royal line of David. In effect, Matthew is saying, “Go to the temple, check the records for yourselves, it is in the public domain”. It is interesting to note that no Rabbi has ever questioned Matthew’s account of this genealogy. The leaders of the day obviously didn’t bother, otherwise they might have acted differently.
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham”.
Jesus, Jehovah Saviour; Christ, the anointed of God in three offices of prophet priest and king; Matthew majors on the aspect of the King
Son of David, heir to the royal throne by covenant;
Son of Abraham, linked to the seed of Israel and the land of Israel by covenant.
Matthew summarises the genealogy in three sections,
a) Abraham to David-14 generations;
b) David to the exile in Babylon-14 generations;
c) The exile to Jesus-14 generations.
Why does Matthew put it this way? for there are some generations missing. Firstly it was probably for ease of memorisation; then he would have wanted to apply the Hebrew “Gematria”, which was a system of numbering, where each consonant had a numerical value; His primary focus on David meant that the number to the fore was 14 since DVD= 4+6+4=14.
This is the 14th list of generations in scripture, the others being eleven in Genesis, one in Numbers, one in Ruth, and now the final one here in Matthew 1.
Also, David is the 14th from Abraham, so for the sake of uniformity, he worked it out using 14, equivalent to David’s name. Also the generations often overlapped so this is quite normal, and no irregularities have been pointed out since it was written. Matthew’s point is that no one seemed to pay any attention to such an important event. Indeed, according to Matthew, the only people looking for the Messiah when He came were Gentiles from afar!
That this is the Royal line, makes the genealogy interesting. First we note that Jesus was born into the royal family, also that His earthly parents who were exceedingly poor and were reduced to working class, had through the years fallen on hard times. There are also many aspects of truth in the list of names;
• Included in this royal , most privileged, lineage, are the names of people of great faith in God. The most famous in this connection is Abraham, whose faith in God is so outstanding he has become the “father of all who believe”. Who can forget the incredible faith and devotion of the Gentile Ruth, who said, when given a choice “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God, where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried!”. Then there is the great King David, who survived 24 attempts on his life, yet maintained his spirit to achieve the notable accolade that he was “a man after God’s own heart”, and many more.
• They were all sinners, they were all failures, and some of these traits are highlighted; indeed it reads more like a rogues gallery than a royal godly line! Abraham lied about his wife, Jacob was a deceiver, Judah was treacherous, David committed adultery and sent a brave man to his death to cover it up, Solomon committed bigamy 700 times and had harems on the side; Rehoboam divided the nation by listening to the advice of young men, a situation of division that lasts until this day. Manasseh was the most idolatrous of all the kings of Judah, far worse than Ahab the evil king of Israel who worshipped Baal. Yet Manasseh repented and God forgave Him, which only shows there is no sinner so bad God cannot save them. Jechoniah though only 8 years old brought evil to the throne and developed into the most covetous and violent person in the history of Israel such that God cursed his seed, that no one born in his house would ever sit in the throne of Judah(Jeremiah 22). Indeed the whole point of the coming of Messiah was to save His people from their sins(chapter 1 v21). These are but a few examples, and if we were to trace the whole history we would understand the extent of the grace of God in Christ the Messiah. God is not limited by human imperfections!
• There are four women included in the lineage, a thing most unusual in Hebrew genealogies, so God’s salvation in Christ includes women. There are Gentiles in the list, namely Rahab, Ruth, and the husband of Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite, so Gentiles have a place in the royal line leading to Christ. The grace of God is seen in the four women and each of them represents a different aspect of His grace.
In Tamar the illustration is of the grace of God based on righteousness, not of Tamar but of God(Genesis 38).
In Rahab we see a harlot woman living in a city under the curse of God, delivered by her faith in God on the basis of redemption(Joshua 2-especially verses 11&18).
In Ruth we see a Moabitess(all Moabites were barred from the congregation of the Lord for ten generations) brought near to God on the basis of Divine reconciliation(Ruth 1). In Bathsheba(though she is referred to as the wife of Uriah the Hittite), we see the grace of God in forgiveness and association with royalty in king David and her son Solomon. All this beautifully summarises the grace of God in Christ: it is based on righteousness, and on redemption; it brings reconciliation, it leads to royalty in association with the King
• In the royal lineage we see the sovereignty of God in the names listed.
Isaac was chosen instead of Ishmael;
Jacob instead of Esau;
Judah was one of twelve, and not firstborn, yet he was chosen as the royal progeny;
Phares was chosen instead of Zara of the twins born to Tamar;
David was the eighth and youngest of the sons of Jesse yet he was anointed as king;
Solomon was the tenth son of David conceived out of wedlock, yet chosen as king;
Rehoboam, who divided the nation by listening to the advice of the young men was the son of an Ammonitess, one of Solomon’s concubines(1st Kings 14 v31), yet he was in the lineage;
Abijah, the son of Rehoboam was evil as king, yet for David’s sake he was forgiven(1st Kings 15).
Josiah was one of four sons, and he was not the firstborn; Salathiel was second born of 8 yet promoted to be king.
The God who knows all chooses sovereignly and wisely, and we can only wonder and worship. These are a few outstanding examples of the sovereign hand of God in the royal line.
• There are the names of three kings missing(four if we count Athaliah the daughter of the Baal-worshippers Ahab and Jezebel). All three were associated with Athaliah who, when her son Amaziah died, attempted to destroy all the royal seed, and secure the dynasty to her family. God takes a dim view of those who attack the seed that will lead to Christ, the same as He opposes those who invade His land, also as He is angry with those who spoil the types that describe Christ. Those who attempt to frustrate the purposes of God in Christ have no place in the royal line. There are other aspects of Divine government in the list that can be followed through with painstaking diligence, e.g. David was denied the right to build the temple; king Uzziah became a leper to the end of his days because of pride; association with this privileged dynasty brings responsibility.
• We have seen in the list facets of the grace of God; of the sovereignty of God; of the government of God. Finally we trace elements of the faithfulness of God in the face of unfaithfulness of the people. Isaac tried to manipulate the blessing on Esau, but God overlooked it and overrode it; God forgave the heinous sins of David and remained by His covenant; true to His word, He brought the people back from Babylon. His faithfulness is independent of ours, when He covenants He will perform.
• We have seen in the list facets of the grace of God; of the sovereignty of God; of the government of God. Finally we trace elements of the faithfulness of God in the face of unfaithfulness of the people. Isaac tried to manipulate the blessing on Esau, but God overlooked it and overrode it; God forgave the heinous sins of David and remained by His covenant; true to His word, He brought the people back from Babylon. His faithfulness is independent of ours, when He covenants He will perform.
We trace the magnificence of God in weaving into His plans, many of the beautiful characteristics of Himself, as He subdues human excesses, and out of this unlikely genealogy, a Son who would reflect Himself in every aspect, “God with us!” Note the change in emphasis when we come to His descent from Joseph in verse 16; every other generation is marked by the word “begat”, not so Joseph to Christ,
“Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ”.
Joseph was the legal guardian, not the biological father. Therefore the royal line was genetically through Mary His natural mother. Thus He qualifies to sit on the throne of Judah bypassing the curse on Jechoniah. The genealogy of the royal line leads to Christ, and all the history from Abraham down pointed to Him, He was “the coming one”, and now He is come. All attempts to frustrate the purposes of God all came to nothing. He is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed of God.
“Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ”.
Joseph was the legal guardian, not the biological father. Therefore the royal line was genetically through Mary His natural mother. Thus He qualifies to sit on the throne of Judah bypassing the curse on Jechoniah. The genealogy of the royal line leads to Christ, and all the history from Abraham down pointed to Him, He was “the coming one”, and now He is come. All attempts to frustrate the purposes of God all came to nothing. He is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed of God.
By Angelic Announcement Chapter 1 v18-21
This is the most amazing event in all of time, it has divided history BC to AD! Every time we write the date, we are acknowledging the epoch-making birth of Christ the Messiah. Isaiah sums it up in chapter 9 v6 “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given”. The birth of a child is a wonderful event for all concerned, yet in reality it is commonplace in the bigger picture. Currently there are 360,000 born every day, 15,000 every hour, 250 every minute, 4 every second! Isaiah points out this birth would be unique, because it was “a son given”, that is the entry into humanity of one who pre-existed all time. Luke 1 v78 “..the dayspring from on high hath visited us”. This is no ordinary birth, this is a Divine miracle.
“..for when as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit”.
In the account of Matthew, Joseph is prominent as the focus is on the legal claim, whereas in Luke it is Mary to the fore as he is presenting His humanity. He was espoused to Mary, that is in our terms “engaged to be married”, but with a difference, for Jewish culture viewed an espoused couple as “technically married”, a union that only divorce could sever. The reasons for divorce involving a betrothed couple had to be stringent and usually involved unfaithfulness of the female partner-- Deuteronomy 24 has the details. Mary was with child, but not to Joseph. The dilemma was great as she could have been excommunicated from the synagogue, or even stoned, and Joseph would have to act swiftly. Joseph faced extreme embarrassment and emotion for his espoused wife is with child. Attention is drawn to his character,
“..he was a just man, yet not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away privately”.
Joseph wanted to do the right thing, but did not wish a public scandal, he was torn between his heart and his head. The angel appears in a dream and calms his fears;
“Joseph thou son of David fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save his people from their sins”.
This must have been a lot to take in, but these people were reared in the scriptures and they would know such things even if they were astonished it was happening to them! God chose a humble, God-fearing couple to bring His Son into the world. Joseph, son of David, would rear the Christ child, whom his wife bore in majestic dignity, and through much misunderstanding on the part of the wider public. That son would be proclaimed “Son of David”, seven times in the Gospel(1v1,9 v27, 12 v23, 15 v22, 20 v30, 21 v9, 21 v15, 22 v41). His name Jesus, Jehovah Saviour, for His mission is to save the people, that is the people of Israel, though He would also save the wider world. The angel gives heaven’s acclaim of His coming.
“..for when as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit”.
In the account of Matthew, Joseph is prominent as the focus is on the legal claim, whereas in Luke it is Mary to the fore as he is presenting His humanity. He was espoused to Mary, that is in our terms “engaged to be married”, but with a difference, for Jewish culture viewed an espoused couple as “technically married”, a union that only divorce could sever. The reasons for divorce involving a betrothed couple had to be stringent and usually involved unfaithfulness of the female partner-- Deuteronomy 24 has the details. Mary was with child, but not to Joseph. The dilemma was great as she could have been excommunicated from the synagogue, or even stoned, and Joseph would have to act swiftly. Joseph faced extreme embarrassment and emotion for his espoused wife is with child. Attention is drawn to his character,
“..he was a just man, yet not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away privately”.
Joseph wanted to do the right thing, but did not wish a public scandal, he was torn between his heart and his head. The angel appears in a dream and calms his fears;
“Joseph thou son of David fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save his people from their sins”.
This must have been a lot to take in, but these people were reared in the scriptures and they would know such things even if they were astonished it was happening to them! God chose a humble, God-fearing couple to bring His Son into the world. Joseph, son of David, would rear the Christ child, whom his wife bore in majestic dignity, and through much misunderstanding on the part of the wider public. That son would be proclaimed “Son of David”, seven times in the Gospel(1v1,9 v27, 12 v23, 15 v22, 20 v30, 21 v9, 21 v15, 22 v41). His name Jesus, Jehovah Saviour, for His mission is to save the people, that is the people of Israel, though He would also save the wider world. The angel gives heaven’s acclaim of His coming.
By Holy Scriptures Chapter 1 v22-chapter2 v23
“Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying “Behold the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is “God with us”.
This is the first of five references to holy scripture, four directly and one indirectly. Anyone who claims to be Messiah-King must fulfil the predictions of holy writ.
He is born of a virgin, He is unique amongst billions of births in the world. There are only four ways to enter the world; by creation(as in Adam); by formation(as in Eve); by generation(as in the rest of us); and by incarnation, as in Christ. No male had any part in his conception, He was the product of the union of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary. His names are significant, Jesus the Saviour from sins, as God cannot dwell with us until our sins are removed; and Emmanuel, God with us. Because our sins will be removed, God can be with us. His entry into the world was to bring God and man together. The name Emmanuel is made up of two parts;
El, the singular and most powerful name for God, it means “strong”, “first”, as in the first great cause of all, and the strength involving all His attributes.
Emmanu means to dwell with human beings, it is the opposite of God’s eminence(greater than us), it is His immanence(near to us).
The name Emmanuel means therefore the concentrated might of God, all His power, all His resources, made available to us in the birth of this child.
This wonderful truth is found in the context of Isaiah 7 from where the quotation comes; God gave this prediction as a sign, through the prophet Isaiah to king Ahaz of Judah when he was under threat of extinction by his hostile neighbours. The conspiracy was “Let us go up against Judah and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us and set a king in the midst of it....”(Isaiah 7 v6). This would have meant the royal line to Messiah would become extinct. The message to Ahaz was “Thus saith the Lord God, it shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass...."(v7); the sign given was of the virgin birth(v14) some 700 years into the future, that would guarantee the continuance of Judah and the royal throne, and therefore the safety of Judah in the present. This prophecy, now fulfilled, sets a seal on all the purposes of God in Christ, which is the very message Matthew wishes to convey. It is interesting to read in chapter 28 v20 “I am with you always, even to the end of the age”. This was no normal birth, there is only one Messiah, only one born of a virgin, He alone is the Messiah, Matthew’s has proved in the first prophecy He is the Messiah! Such a birth, such an event is announced by the angel giving Heaven’s credentials to the new born
He was born, the virgin brought forth her firstborn son, Joseph called His name Jesus, Jehovah Saviour, Saviour of all His people from their sins.
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