The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Introduction

Step back in time with me — back to an era where chariots ruled the roads and togas were the fashion statement of the day

Imagine the grandeur of ancient Rome — with its bustling streets and political drama

Now, right in the middle of this epic saga — imagine a twist – a carpenter's son — a disruptor of the ordinary — whose family tree has more plot twists than a binge-worthy drama series on Netflix

Picture this: a genealogy that reads like a suspense novel — where unexpected characters pop up in the most unexpected places

From the gladiatorial arenas to the Senate chambers — the story of Jesus' ancestry unfolds against a backdrop of political intrigue — scandalous affairs — and power struggles

It's like watching a historical soap opera where the main character’s lineage becomes the ultimate plot twist that changes the course of human history

So, my friends — what we are beginning today is a thrilling exposition through the genealogy of Jesus Christ

READ: Matthew 1:1

Matthew 1:1 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

The Historical Context of Matthew

This former tax-collector named Matthew Levi — or just Levi — was sought out by Christ

Matthew is the first of the first 4 gospels — and the author is Matthew — even though this book does not specifically state that Matthew is the author — the canonicity and authorship of this gospel have remained unchallenged

We gather this is the gospel according to Matthew through the tradition when this book was passed throughout the centuries — Matthew’s name is on the front cover

Matthew was written prior to the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem 70AD

We find Matthew’s discipleship begin when Christ sees him at a tax collector’s booth — which was the scum of the earth during that day

Tax collectors would be branded a traitor to Israel’s national interests

There was much abuse w/in the tax collecting business — as there is today — tax collectors were open to extortion & malpractice

The reputations of such men — were bad ones — they were a despised and hated class of men

The Pharisees would also group tax collectors together w/ sinners and harlots

Yet this would be the man — Matthew — this dirty rotten thief to be the one who would write this book portraying Christ as the gracious king who could save all of those who would come to Him!

Matthew 9:9 ESV

9 As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man called Matthew sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” And he rose and followed him.

Setting

Throughout this book — Matthew is writing to Jews specifically — contrasted w/ Luke’s gospel — we find there that Luke is portraying Christ as the Redeemer for all Humanity — whereas Matthew portrays Christ as the King and Messiah of Israel (Jews)

Matthew contains more teachings about Christ than any other Gospel — if you have a Bible that contains the words of Jesus in red — There is a whole lot of red in Matthew

Matthew puts forth more than 60 prophetic messages from the OT — which Christ fulfills

In the very first verse of this gospel — as we read — Matthew makes it known that Christ is the king of the Jews by calling Him the “son of David” — but also to make it know that He is the Savior of the Nations by calling Him Jesus Christ the “son of Abraham”

Yet — the purpose of Matthew is clear

Christ is the Jewish nation’s long-awaited Messiah — Matthew takes the OT and ties it to the life of Christ

Matthew is constantly putting forth that this Jesus Christ is the Jesus Christ that is found in the OT

The Gospel according to:

Mark = Christ the Servant

Luke = Christ the Son of Man

John = Christ the Son of God

But Matthew’s gospel = Jesus is Christ the King

Purpose of Book

The purpose of this book — is to prove that Christ has a right to reign

Matthew begins by laying out the facts of Christ’s royal lineage so there would be no question as to where Christ came from

He would be a king that reigned like no other — He would rule w/ grace — a gracious king

He would be a king that would preach gracious sermons (Sermon on the Mount) (ch. 5-7)

He would the cleanse the lepors — save the lost — heal the sick — call men to follow Him — release the young and the old from the bondage of demon oppression

He would explain what discipleship is all about = Him — He is the reward that we seek after

Jesus Christ would provide the greatest invitation ever to be given unto man — Matthew 11:28 “28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus Christ would explain who His true heavenly family is — those whom the Father has chosen — He would speak in parables on the kingdom of God

He would bless a few fish and a few loaves of bread — and feed thousands of people

He would state that God’s commandments surpass the traditions of men

Jesus Christ would prophecy His very death (on a cross) — and His resurrection 3x — and then go on to fulfill this prophecy by laying down His life for the sheep — rising on the 3rd day

Only a true King could do such a thing

Only the Christ King could provide the Greatest Commission ever given to men

Jesus Christ is king — and His business is to set up a kingdom and to exercise authority as king in that Kingdom

This is Matthew’s message and this is the portrait he paints of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus

Reading of the Text

Let us go back and read the beginning verses of the gospel according to Matthew...

Matthew 1:1–17 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

There are 42 generations that span from Abraham to the Christ — they are broken into three separate sections as v. 17 tells us

Vs. 1 — the word genealogy — tells us this is the beginning — lets us know this is the origin of where Christ came from — this the genesis

Explanation of Jesus Christ

This is the beginning of Jesus Christ...

Jesus = this personal name is translated Joshua (Jeshua) in Hebrew

Jesus means to that He will save His people from their sins — this is the title of “Yahweh saves”

The name of Joshua reminds us of Joshua — the one who succeed Moses and lead Israel into the Promise Land

In that day the Lord saved His people physically and materially by giving them their land and ending their years of wilderness wanderings

However — Jesus does not save us this way — He did not save Israel from military enemies — Yet — He did save some from physical illnesses and danger

Yet — physical deliverance is not the essence of His work

His main work was that of the soul

Matthew 11:28–29 ESV

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Psalm 130:7–8 LSB

7 O Israel, wait for Yahweh; For with Yahweh there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption. 8 And it is He who will redeem Israel From all his iniquities.

Through the incarnation of this Jesus — He came to address the problem that lies at the root of all physical pain and sorrows = sin

He came to be the salvation for His people — He came to save them from their sins — this is the theme of the ministry of Jesus

We see this right up front in this genealogy just w/ the very name of Jesus

Christ = the anointed one — or known as Messiah

To be anointed is to be set apart and empowered by God for a task He appoints

Priests and kings were always anointed — occasionally prophets were anointed

In Jesus’ day — the name Christ — came to signify a specific king — one anointed w/ God’s strength to deliver the people

The people thought of Christ as a king because they were hoping for a military victory — also a release from the oppressive Roman empire

However — the gospel according to Matthew gradually reveals that Christ was anointed for a far greater victory

A victory that He would accomplish by taking on all three official leadership offices in Israel

King = anointed to defeat our greatest foes — sin and death

Priest = anointed to offer a sacrifice to remove the guilt of sin

Prophet = anointed to tell the truth about humanity and Himself

The greatest truth of all — Christ defeated sin for us because we cannot defeat sin — He offered Himself to remove our guilt because we cannot atone or compensate for our sin

My friends this is Christ

This is JESUS CHRIST

The One who Saves — Yet the One Who Rules

He is both our Savior and Lord — He is Jesus Christ

Some like to remake Jesus Christ in their image — why would someone do this?

Possibly they feel Christ will make their life easy

They may think they can know Jesus as Savior but not as Lord

However — we must let Him define Himself: Matthew 1:1 “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

He is both Savior and Lord!

Transition

Now that we have an understanding of Jesus Christ — concerning what His mission on earth is all about (to save the lost and rule) — we must see where He came from — His lineage

Let's dive into three key aspects: (1) The Bloodline of Two Men, tracing the royal lineage from David to Abraham

(2) The Ascending and Descending Generations that weave through the highs and lows of Israel's history, and

(3) The Outcasts — highlighting the extraordinary grace revealed through unexpected individuals in Jesus' genealogy

This exploration will align with our ultimate goal of understanding and embracing the Savior — Jesus Christ — who emerged from an ordinary yet unusual family

I. The Bloodline of Two Men

Matthew 1:1 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

We have David and Abraham — David comes first signifying the royalty of Christ — whereas Abraham comes next signifying Christ is for all the children of Abraham

By stating Christ is the son of David — He is the Hope for Israel — being the son of Abraham — He is the Savior for the Nations

From both of these bloodlines and the significances of both — Christ is Savior all of those who come to Him — whether they be Jew or Gentile

Just as Paul describes the gospel…

Romans 1:16 ESV

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

If we miss seeing the bloodline of these two men w/in the genealogy of Christ — we will miss everything

The most important things about these two men are the two promises that God gave to both of them!

Let’s look at David first as is the order of verse 1

The Son of David

Matthew 1:1 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Contrasted from Luke’s Gospel where he gives the genealogy from Mary’s side of the family — Matthew provides Jesus’ step-father Joseph’s family side

On the side of Joseph — Jesus descended — through human accounting — from the royal line of David

As we see — Jesus was the heir of all of Israel’s godly kings

Being the son of David — would give proof to the Israelites that this was indeed the king who would restore Israel to her former glory and liberate them from Roman oppression and degradation

Israel wasn’t just hoping into thin air that this was would happen — they had a promise from God!

As we read earlier in our Scripture reading:

2 Samuel 7:12–13 ESV

12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Jesus is the long awaited heir of David — so through Jesus — Israel had this promised hope of restoration

Israel has this hope that Jesus is going to be mighty to defeat the powers of Satan and perhaps the power of Rome

Throughout the gospel of Matthew — he call Christ the son of David 9 times

The title of the son of David also puts forth that Jesus offers His strength to those who are weak and wounded

This title — is one of healing strength

One commentator said…

Matthew, Volumes 1 & 2 The Son of David, the Hope of Israel

In God’s economy, the strength of Jesus appeals especially to the weak—to the no-accounts.

The Son of Abraham

Matthew 1:1 ESV

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

The second of two promises can be traced back to Genesis

Genesis 12:1–3 ESV

1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Through Abraham and his offspring — God will raise up a people (Israel) who will be a blessing to the entire world (the Gentiles)

This promise is the beginning of the Abrahamic covenant

As we mentioned earlier — Matthew is the Gospel for the Jews — Abraham is the Father of the Jews

Every Israelite calls himself a son of Abraham — yet Matthew expects us to know that Abraham was a pagan

Abraham was a Gentile — before God called him

He was the father of the covenant people — but he was born outside of the covenant and stayed there until God brought him in

Matthew’s concern for the lineage of Jesus — was to satisfy the Jews’ concern about Christ’s legality

Judaism began with Abraham — therefore it was necessary to prove Christ’s credentials to the Jews by tracing His line from David but straight to Abraham himself — that way there would be no question whether Jesus Christ was a Jew or not

Transition

Matthew makes this point directly and indirectly throughout — that Christ is indeed the King of the Jews

By being the Son of David and the Son of Abraham — Christ is the peace between Jews and Gentiles

When Christ is crucified and then dies — something significant happens which is also seen as symbolic…

One of the events that occured was — The curtain in the temple is torn in two — this is proving God’s power and His approval of the cross

It also symbolizes the wall of hostility between the Jews and Gentiles is not torn in two forever

Ephesians 2:14 ESV

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

Christ is the King of the Jews and the Savior of the Nations — we praise Him for His power and kingship!

And we praise Him for the unity that He brings w/ His salvation — how good and pleasant it is that we dwell together in unity

Yet — leading up to Christ there was much disunity — there were many valleys and many mountaintops that were visited by Christ’s family

Let’s visit them now…

II. The Ascending & Descending Generations

Matthew 1:17 ESV

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Just as it is w/ most families — there are ups and downs — there are times through lineages where things are great — and things — well — are not so great

Jesus came as Jew from a lineage of kings and at the perfect time in history — it was all apart of the design that God sent Christ from the family that He did

One has said that the family tree of Christ looks less like a tree but more like the letter “N”

You have the ascending patriarchs beginning w/ Abraham (v. 2-6) — then you have the descending period of monarchs (v. 7-11) — then the 600 years of unknown which eventually led to Christ (v. 12-16)

So Matthew's summary shows three eras, of Israel's history — the grace of God was abundant in each one

The first era, "from Abraham to David," was that of the patriarchs, and of Moses, Joshua, and the judges

It included wandering — enslavement — deliverance — covenant-making — law-giving — conquests — and victories

The second era, "from David to the deportation to Babylon," represents the monarchy

David — Jehoshaphat — Hezekiah — and Josiah were the only good and godly kings — the rest led Israel away from God and into trouble

That was a period of almost uninterrupted decline — degeneracy, apostasy — and tragedy

There was defeat — conquest — exile — and the destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple

The third era, "the deportation to Babylon to the Christ,"

Was that of captivity — exile — frustration — and of marking time

It is a period of time of the unknown — we are unaware of what occurred during this time

These three eras layout the genealogy of Jesus — it’s a history mingling w/ glory and tragedy — heroism and disgrace — renown and obscurity

When Jesus Christ entered Israel's history as her Messiah — she rejected and crucified Him

But God still elected Israel as the nation that the Messiah would rule — though a rebellious and undeserving nation — it continues to put forth the amazing testimony of His infinite grace

In all of these eras — this is Jesus Christ’s family

Daniel Doriani states — “[Jesus] comes from the human line, pimples and all.”

As we can gather from the lineage of Christ — His own people — His forefathers — His own family — needed saving

He being Yahweh who saves — He was going to do that very thing — He was going to restore them

The consequences of sin — led to the borders of Israel failing to hold — the Assyrians dethroned the king of Israel — Babylon then conquered Judah

That is when the deportation began — the family of Jesus lost their ranks as kings

They lost their wealth — land — reputation

They initially were an ascending patriarchy — however this once great family — became a shattered clan due to sin — and you thought your family had problems?!

Again, these are the people — Christ’s people — who He came to save

Transition

Our families have ascending and descended — we have low-lifes in our families — we have low-life-laden families

Yet — just as the genealogy of Christ shows us — Christ was not coming to praise them or us today — He came to save them

And save them is exactly what He is capable of doing

In this genealogy there is one other element that we must address — an unusual one especially during the time in which this was written

There are four former outcasts — which once again prove the exceptional grace of God

III. The Outcasts

Matthew 1:3 ESV

3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,

Matthew 1:5–6 ESV

5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

The most fascinating facts about the genealogy of Christ is that it consists of women — five in particular

Now to you and I today this doesn’t seem like such a big deal - in fact if we weren’t paying attention we might have easily skipped passed these names

However — these names play a tremendously important role in the genealogy of Christ due to the fact that women were not considered significant during Bible times — yet this important role these women play was all a part of God’s plan for the redemption of man kind

Another fact for us to acknowledge was that four out three out of the four these women were not even Jewish — Tamar was a Jew by marriage — yet other than that Jesus’ genealogy is full of a bunch of Gentile women

We have five women — four of whom we will look into…

Tamar (v .3)

Rahab (v. 5)

Ruth (v. 5)

Bathsheba (v. 6)

Tamar

The first outcast was Tamar — the Canaanite daughter-in-law of Judah — the only true Jew in the bunch

She gained notoriety in Genesis 38 by resorting to deception — prostitution — and incest when she couldn't get a child any other way

She would go on to disguise herself as a prostitute and then trick Judah into having sexual relations with her

From that immoral union were born twin sons — Perez and Zerah — and thus Tamar and her son Perez joined Judah in the Messianic line

Despite prostitution and incest — God's grace fell on all three of those undeserving persons — including a desperate and deceptive Gentile harlot

Rahab

The second outcast was also a woman and a Gentile — but she made prostitution her livelihood

Rahab was no model of virtue — but she put her faith in the God of Israel and demonstrated it by protecting the two men Joshua sent to spy out her city

God spared her life and the lives of her family when Jericho was besieged and destroyed — and — brought her into the Messianic line

She became the wife of Salmon and the mother of the godly Boaz — David's great-grandfather

Ruth

Ruth became the wife of Boaz — the third outcast

She was a Moabitess through incest — in the account in Genesis 19 of Lot and His two daughters — they made him drink so much that he would in turn sleep with them — he was black out drunk

Lot’s daughters did this two nights in a row — the first born gave birth to a son and called him Moab — this is where we get the Moabites from — they were a godless nation

Ruth would have been considered a cursed woman because of her heritage and the Jews would be the ones doing the cursing

Though she was a Moabitess and former pagan — having no right to marry an Israelite — God's grace brought Ruth into the family of Israel — and through Boaz — into the royal line

She became the great grandmother of Israel's great King David

Bathsheba

Speaking of David — Bathsheba entered the Messianic line through adultery with David

The son of their sinful union died in infancy — but the next son born to them was Solomon — successor to David's throne and continuer of the Messianic line

Once again — by God's grace Bathsheba became the wife of David — the mother of Solomon — and an ancestor of the Messiah

Bathsheba married Uriah a Hittite — so by marriage she legally became a Hittite

Transition

Even the righteous ones in the lineage who some wouldn’t consider as outcasts like — Abraham (who lied) or Judah (whose idea it was to sell his brother Joseph into slavery and who was, after his own admission, worse than Tamar)

Or David (with his adultery and murder, two permanent marks on his background check)

Or Solomon (with his polygamy and idolatry) or even good Hezekiah (with his pride in being good)

And you thought your family tree is a mess — It’s as if Matthew puts a criminal lineup before us

But why?

What’s the moral of this method? — Why inform us that “Jesus did not belong to the nice clean world of middle-class respectability, but rather he ‘belonged to a family of murderers, cheats, cowards, adulterers and liars’ ”?

As Herbert McCabe said — the point is “almost too obvious to belabor.”

Matthew wants to show us what Paul will teach us in 1 Timothy 1:15 “The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.”

Jesus came not for the righteous but the unrighteous

Matthew 9:13 ESV

13 Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Like Matthew the tax collector and Rahab the prostitute — He came for sinners like you and like me

Conclusion

We will end on this note — as mentioned previously — the word “genealogy” means = beginnings

W/ Christ we are give a brand new beginning — this new beginning is far greater than the first beginning

The first beginning consisted of God speaking everything into existence w/ the exception of man in which He crafted man in His own image

This new beginning w/ Christ is one where the Son of David and the Son of Abraham comes wrapped in flesh — the incarnate God to pour grace upon grace in the lives of sinners who come to Him in repentance and faith alone

Grace is not the poison on the tip of the arrow — it is the potion that will stick in your heart and transform you

This is Jesus Christ