Matthew 1:1-17

What's Happening?

Matthew's Gospel begins with a genealogy that goes all the way back to Abraham - the father of the Hebrew nation. The names that follow include heroes in the Jewish faith - from founding fathers of Israel to legendary kings. Any Jew reading this list of names would have been impressed. And that’s mainly the point. These names serve as opening acts for God’s prophesied headliner: Jesus Christ.

Matthew divides his list into three sections, which he sums up at the end. Three lists of fourteen. (If you count King David twice it adds up.) As best we can tell, Matthew is using numbers to once again emphasize how important and spectacular Jesus is. Seven was considered a holy and perfect number in Jewish faith. Three fourteens is made up of six sets of seven, making Jesus the one to bring ultimate perfection – seven sevens. 

Family trees mattered in ancient culture. People cared about who someone’s great grandparents and great great great great grandparents were. And many writers like Matthew introduced their main character by way of a genealogy.  But family trees can do more than impress. They can also clue readers in to what kind of person is being introduced by what names they include. 

For example, Matthew includes four mothers in a long list of fathers and sons. They are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah (whose name is Bathsheba). To put it delicately, these aren’t the kind of women most Jewish men would want to bring home to their mothers. Tamar masqueraded as a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth is a widow and a foreigner. And Bathsheba is associated with a scandal involving adultery and murder committed by Israel’s legendary King David.

Conventional wisdom says, “Leave them out.” But what God is about to do in Jesus will defy conventional wisdom. So Matthew includes them. Just as important, these four women are not Jewish (strictly speaking). Rahab, Ruth, and Tamar were Gentiles, and Bathsheba was married to Uriah and thus part of a Gentile household. So why does that matter? Because of a promise made long ago.

Where is the Gospel?

God promised Abraham that his people would be used to bless every nation on earth. According to Matthew, Jesus will be the one to fulfill that promise and bring a blessing to all nations. That's why Jesus is called the Son of Abraham. Jesus is God keeping his promise.

Not only is Jesus the Son of Abraham, but Jesus is also called the Son of David. David was Israel's greatest king, and his legacy in Israel to this day can't be underestimated. Generations before Jesus’ birth, a Jewish prophet named Isaiah predicted that someday a new ruler would come and reign on David's throne, bringing divine authority to earth like never before. In calling Jesus the Son of David, Matthew is saying that the promised ruler has come. Jesus is God reigning on earth.

The third title given to Jesus in this genealogy is the Jewish title Messiah (some translations use Christ, which is the Greek version). For Jews, Messiah and Son of David are closely linked. The Messiah was believed to be an anointed leader who would liberate the Jews. People in Israel had their own ideas about what the Messiah would do, and throughout his life Jesus upended their expectations. In fact, Jesus will not overthrow the Romans occupying Israel, as so many wanted him to. Instead, he will die on a Roman cross and bear the weight of humanity’s evil, breaking its power and opening the way to freedom. As Messiah, Jesus is God setting his people free.

Combined, these three titles reveal Jesus as an anointed king who will bless all nations. Jesus will keep God’s promise to bring hope to the world. Jesus is the king whose rule will never end. By the end of Matthew’s Gospel this new King will say, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me…” And his followers will believe him because they saw him die on a cross and rise from a grave. His resurrection will be his greatest act of liberation. He is the chosen one bringing eternal freedom to those in bondage to sin and death.

See for Yourself

May the Holy Spirit open your eyes to see the God who keeps his promises and works through history for His purposes. And Jesus as the King who sets us free.