Matthew 1:1-17

Matthew 1:1-17

Matthew wrote to Jews in order to prove to them that Jesus is the Messiah and King over His kingdom. The Jewish scriptures (Old Testament) had foretold of a coming Messiah who would establish a new kingdom. Every faithful Jew looked for that day. But was Jesus of Nazareth the one? It is to this end that Matthew presents his book.

Today’s text is probably one of the least read texts in all of the New Testament. Why would we want to read this lengthy genealogy? To a Jew, this was an extremely important text. It proved that Jesus was in the proper lineage to qualify as the Messiah. He came from Abraham and thus qualified to be the “seed” through whom all nations would be blessed (Gen. 12:3), and He came through David qualifying Him to be the King over God’s spiritual kingdom (2 Sam. 7:8-17).

This genealogy has other exciting facts. If you read it, you will find four women listed: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. This is very unusual. Jews did not put women in their genealogy! It has been said that a favorite prayer of some Jews was, “I thank God I am not a Gentile, a Samaritan, or a woman. But Jesus put women in His genealogy. All would be acceptable to Him equally.

Notice also that the women in this genealogy are not exactly prime examples of great women. Tamar pretended to be a harlot and became pregnant by her father-in-law (Gen. 38). Rahab’s occupation was a harlot (Joshua 2). Ruth descended from the incestuous relationship of Lot and his daughters (Gen. 19). Bathsheba committed adultery with king David (2 Sam. 11). Why would Jesus put such people in His genealogy? It sets the tone for the nature of Jesus’ ministry. He will accept all who will come to Him, repent of their past, and seek His forgiveness by obeying His will.

Finally, notice that there are 39 “begots” in this genealogy. But there is conspicuously absent a “begot” between Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Jesus. Thus, Matthew presents his first premise: Jesus did not come by natural birth and therefore was not an ordinary man. He fulfilled the first prophecy of the Bible (Gen. 3:15) that the Messiah would come from the “seed of woman,” not the seed of man and woman. He was God in the flesh.

–Berry Kercheville