The Gospel of Matthew is positioned at the beginning of the New Testament canon. This notable placement is not simply an arbitrary historical decision but reflects its essential importance for Christians. Similar to how the book of Genesis presents our God and the Creator of all things, the first Gospel introduces us to Jesus Christ, “God with us,” our Savior and Sovereign over all. In fact, the initial two words of Matthew (biblos geneseĊs) can be interpreted as “the book of Genesis” and may serve to draw readers' attention to Jesus as a new beginning, highlighting the numerous connections that exist between these two biblical texts.
Unlike the epistles, which clearly state the author in line with the ancient customs of letter writing, none of the canonical Gospels explicitly name their author; instead, they only suggest who might have written them. Understanding the reasons behind this lack of authorship clarity is not difficult. The Gospels focus on significant events in Jesus’ life and His teachings rather than those of their individual authors. Moreover, this treasure, conveyed through “earthen vessels,” belongs to all Christians since it is God's revelation to them. Consequently, it does not belong to any single individual as intellectual property, but rather serves as a testimony entrusted to each believer to share with others. The Gospel of Matthew is named after the tax collector identified exclusively in this Gospel as being the same person chosen by Jesus to be one of the twelve apostles (Matt 9:9; 10:3; cf. Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15). Other Gospels refer to him as “Levi” (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27), which is why he is sometimes called “Levi Matthew.”
Structure of the Chapter
The initial portion of Matthew 1 presents Jesus as the central figure of the text. It accomplishes this through a Hebrew literary device known as a chiasm, where the latter part of the content reflects the former but in reverse sequence:
1:1 A Christ
B son of David
C son of Abraham
1:2–17 C ‘ Abraham fathered . . . (v. 2)
B ‘ King David fathered . . . (v. 6)
A ‘ Christ (vv. 16–17)
The rest of Matthew 1 elaborates on the birth of Jesus as the anticipated Messiah in accordance with biblical prophecy (vv. 18–25).
Interpretation of the Chapter
I. In verse 1, the structured outline of the chapter indicates that “Christ” should be seen as more than just an additional name to identify Jesus. With its occurrence again in verse 16, it signifies Jesus as “the Christ,” meaning “anointed one” or Messiah. During His baptism, Jesus was anointed by the Holy Spirit for His mission as the Messiah (Matt 3:16; Acts 10:38).
A. The Son of David. Jesus fulfills Old Testament prophecies that declare the promised “seed” would be a ruler from the lineage of David (e.g., Isa 9:6–7; 11:1–2; Jer 23:5–6)—with His initial coming marked by His suffering and death wearing a crown of thorns (Matt 27:27–29), and at His second coming as King of Kings adorned with a crown of glory (Heb 2:9; Rev 14:14; 19:11–13).
B. The Son of Abraham. By being a descendant of Abraham, Jesus was of Hebrew origin (cf. Gen 14:13) and able to fulfill the promise that through Abraham’s “seed,” all nations would receive blessings (Gen 22:18; Acts 3:24–26).
II. Verses 2–17
A. The significance of biblical genealogies. Readers today might find it easy to overlook the genealogical sections that dominate chapter one. However, many individuals studying the Bible have uncovered valuable insights hidden within these seemingly “desert-like” passages of Scripture. Since God’s promise that the “seed” or descendant of Eve would defeat the serpent’s head and redeem humanity from the Fall (Gen 3:15), God’s followers have been eagerly anticipating the fulfillment of this promise. For this reason, the genealogies found in Genesis 5 and 11 and in other parts of the Bible are crucial—they maintain the historical account through which the promise’s realization can be traced.
B. Disruptions in the genealogical pattern “A begot B.” These deviations draw our focus to significant aspects of Jesus’ lineage.
- In verse 2, “Judah and his brothers.” This expression refers to the nation of Israel that descended from Jacob’s twelve sons and, more specifically, to Judah, through whose descendants the “scepter” or kingdom of Israel would be established (Gen 49:10).
- The human ancestry of Jesus. Matthew also seems to highlight, through several mentions of women (who are typically omitted in genealogies), that Jesus’ human lineage was not in any way superior or purer than those He came to save.
a) In verse 3, “by Tamar.” After Judah declined to give his surviving son to Tamar for levirate marriage (a practice later established in Deut 25:5–10), she deceived her father-in-law into having sexual relations with her (Gen 38). The twins born to her ensured the continuation of Judah’s royal line.
b) In verse 5
(1) “. . . by Rahab.” Though not an Israelite and actually a prostitute, Rahab played a crucial role in saving the spies sent by Joshua to Jericho, demonstrating her faith in the God of Israel and acting upon it (Josh 2).
(2) “. . . by Ruth.” Similar to Rahab, Ruth was a foreigner who showed her faith in the God of Israel (Ruth 1:16; 2:12). Her actions, like Tamar’s, helped preserve the royal lineage, as she became the grandmother of David (Ruth 4:21–22).
c) In verse 6, “by her who had been the wife of Uriah.” It seems that Bathsheba is not named (unlike the previous three women) due to her affair with David. The law stipulated that both guilty partners should face death (Lev 20:10; Deut 22:22). However, considering David’s repentance, God forgave this sin, and through Bathsheba, Solomon was born.
3. In verse 11, “Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.” This verse signifies the conclusion of Davidic reign due to Israel’s continual disobedience to God and rebellion against His commands (see 2 Chr 36:1–21; Jer 22:30). The royal lineage would then continue through a separate line—that of Shealtiel down to Jesus.
C. In verses 16–17, Jesus’ birth was remarkable as He was not biologically Joseph’s son but solely of Mary (cf. Luke 1:35; 3:23). Instead of being labeled as “born of fornication” as insinuated by the Jews in John 8:41, Jesus was miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit. The fourteen generations from Abraham to David (which are recorded identically in Luke 3:31–34) serve as the framework for summarizing (without being exhaustive) the royal lineage from David to the Babylonian exile and from the exile to Christ’s birth.
III. Verses 18–21. While the birth story in Luke appears to showcase Mary’s viewpoint, Matthew’s account emphasizes Joseph's role. In Jewish culture, betrothal was considered just as binding as marriage, creating a significant dilemma for Joseph due to Mary’s pregnancy, which is resolved only through a divine message received in a dream. He is told to marry Mary, accept the child as his legitimate offspring, and name Him Jesus, which signifies “Yahweh is salvation,” because “He will rescue His people from their sins.”
IV. Verses 22–25. Joseph follows the angel’s directive. Matthew links Jesus’ birth to the fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14, marking the first of twelve references to the Old Testament that illustrate their realization in Jesus (the others include Matt 2:6, 15, 18, 23; 4:15, 16; 8:17; 12:18–21; 13:14, 15; 13:35; 21:5; 27:9, 10). The enigmatic Immanuel character in Isaiah (Isa 7:14; 8:8) is here made tangible in Jesus. Both Matthew and Luke stress that Jesus was born of a virgin (Matt 1:23h; Luke 1:34). Therefore, the birth of Jesus truly fulfills the expectation of “God with us” as He possesses both a human nature (through Mary) and a divine nature (through His conception by the Holy Spirit).
Application of the Chapter
Numerous lessons can be gleaned from this chapter. Some of the key takeaways include: 1) God governs history and will accomplish His intentions at the appropriate time, as seen with the birth of Jesus “in the fullness of time” (Gal 4:4; cf. Rom 5:6). 2) Every segment of the Bible is valuable for our exploration—even sections that may seem, at first glance, to have minimal relevance for us today. 3) Jesus empathizes with us and can assist us—because He is God, possessing complete knowledge and power, and because He shares our human heritage, having faced temptation from infancy through to His crucifixion and triumphed over sin and death. This unique divine-human lineage makes Him the one who can deliver us from our sins. 4) Lastly, even explicit commands from God that might appear, from a human point of view, to be challenging or even awkward to carry out—such as Joseph marrying Mary despite her being pregnant by another—can be obeyed with the confidence that God will manage the outcomes.
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Source: Lessons from Matthew 1
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