Hope through the Patriarchs (Matthew 1:1-6a)
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
This is the part of our service where someone, usually me, gets up here and opens up this ancient book, called the Bible. We do this, because we believe the Bible to be how God has chosen to communicate who he is to us, as well as how we as mortal beings are to have relationship with him in all his holiness.
And this morning, we are beginning a new study, a study through the first book of the New Testament, the Gospel According to Matthew. In saying that this gospel is according to Matthew is not to insinuate that there are multiple gospels out there. Even though there are four gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, they do not exist to communicate different gospels. They exist to communicate the one and only gospel. The gospel of Jesus, that is the good news of Jesus. For the term gospel which comes from the Greek word εὐαγγέλιον which literally means good news or news that brings joy.
And while the four accounts seek to communicate the one true gospel, the good news of Jesus, they are all written to communicate this good news to different audiences.
We could say that the four writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in their accounts of this one gospel have contextualized the gospel for different cultural contexts. That is they wrote it in ways to try and make it as understandable and relatable to different audiences. It would be like me trying to preach this mornings message here vs preaching it in say Turkey or even in somewhere like New York, certain parts would be the same, other parts, particularly illustrations would need to vary because the context is different.
And so, with us coming to the gospel according to Matthew this morning, which can be found on page #959, Matthew seeks to communicate this gospel to a mostly Jewish context. And with that audience in mind, Matthew labors to communicate that this Jesus is the one who has come to fulfill the promises of old. And as he does this, like any great symphony, he has a melodic line running through his account to form a distinct sequence of notes. To borrow from Douglas Sean O’Donnell here is the melodic line running through Matthew: “Jesus has all authority so that all nations might obey all he has commanded.” [1]
This melodic line we will see early and often in our study through the gospel of Matthew. But it will culminate with the mission of the church being given in regards to this melodic line. A commission for the church to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that he, Jesus, has taught us. A commission given to us from the one who has all authority.
A mission that began when Matthew wrote this in the late 50’s or early 60’s. That is not the 1950’s or 1960’s by the way. That is the 0050 50’s. The gospel according to Matthew is nearly 2,000 years old. And yet, it is this melodic line that we still need to hear. For the same mission given to Matthew’s first audience is the same mission we have today, church. A mission to make disciples, disciples of all nations. And part of making disciples is winning souls to Christ, but it is also teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded.
Therefore it is this beat that we will be listening for as we study Matthew. Now, as a reminder, we will be working our way through Matthew in multiple parts. Part 1 will be from now until February or March covering Matthew 1-4. Part 2 will be the Sermon on the Mount, that will come this fall. But as we start, we are going to give careful attention to the book of genealogy of Jesus Christ in 3 parts, then look at his birth on Christmas Eve. This is the road map for what is ahead.
With the road map for what is to come, without further delay, let’s dive into God’s word from the gospel according to Matthew. This is the word of the LORD, from Matthew 1:1-6a.
Now, here is what I think is the main idea of Matthew 1:1-6a: Jesus Christ is the son of Abraham who brings blessing to all the nations. We are going to unfold this with three points: (1) the promised blessing, (2) the surprising lineage, (3) the unwavering hope.
Point #1: The Promised Blessing
Point #1: The Promised Blessing
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
In the opening verse of Matthew, we find it loaded with important information. Information that we must not be to quick to pass over.
For in this opening verse we find out exactly who this genealogy is for, not just in that it belongs to Jesus, but who exactly he is and exactly what he has come to do!
First and foremost that Jesus is given the name Christ. Now, if you are a newer Christian or exploring Christianity, Christ is not a last name for Jesus. It is a title. And a very important title at that.
Christ means anointed one. It is parallel to that of the term Messiah. Matthew starts his account of the gospel by telling us, this is the book of genealogy or the book of genesis, that is beginning of Jesus Christ, the Messiah.
This Jesus is not any ordinary man, he is the one that the whole of Israel’s history has been pointing us to. He is the long -awaited Messiah who has finally come! He is the one who has come, as we will see as we progress through Matthew 1, to save his people from their sins.
But even here as the genealogy begins of Jesus, the Messiah, he is given to further identifiers. He is given the name, the Son of David and the Son of Abraham.
Now, as we see at the end of our text for this morning, this is referring to David, the King of Israel. But we are not going to unfold that this week, that is for next week in picking it back up in Matthew 1:6b-11.
For now, we want to focus on the second name, the Son of Abraham.
I’m going to ask you to hold your place here in Matthew 1 and flip all the way back to the first book of the Bible, Genesis, and turn with me to chapter 12, verses 1-3.
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.”
Abram will later be called Abraham. And Abraham here was called by God to leave his homeland of Ur and go where God would guide him. And in so doing, God would bless Abraham and in him, all the families of the earth would also be blessed.
But that is not all, this blessing is further developed a few pages further into Genesis.
15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.”
Not through Ishmael, the son born to Abraham through Sarah’s servant Hagar, but through Sarah and her son, the blessing to all the families of the world would come.
Then, not only blessings, but Abraham would develop into a mighty nation and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.
17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do,
18 seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
It was long promised to Abraham that he would be blessed and that through him the nations too would be blessed. But Abraham did not yet see this promise. But Abraham believed God. And as we saw back in our James series from James 2:23 “23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.”
And though Abraham died before this promise was fulfilled. He died having given birth to a son, Issac who had married Rebekah at this point, but had not yet had children. But they soon would and the genealogy of Abraham continued.
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,
Each new generation of Abraham waited with hope, hope that the blessing would come. Hope that the next son would be the one to bring this blessing.
This is why it is important for Matthew to tell us that Jesus Christ is the son of Abraham.
He is wanting to connect the dots for us, his readers. He wants to connect the dots for us. That promises were made to Abraham, but they are fulfilled in Jesus.
Abraham was promised that he would be blessed and be a blessing to all the families of the earth. Jesus accomplishes this in bringing these blessings. For at Christmas, in the coming of Jesus, there is joy to the world! For in Jesus no more will sins and sorrows grow, nor thorns infest the ground! For Jesus comes to make blessings flow as far as the curse is found!
For Jesus is the one who brings blessing to the poor in spirit by giving them the kingdom of heaven. Jesus brings blessing as he comforts those who mourn. Jesus brings blessing to the meek as they inherit the earth! Jesus brings blessing to those who hunger and thirst for righteousness by satisfying them. Jesus brings blessing to those who are broken and outside of God’s camp by bringing them in.
This leads us to our second point .
Point #2: The Surprising Lineage
Point #2: The Surprising Lineage
The genealogy starts with David, then Abraham, then it leads us to the twelve tribes of Israel. And it is here where some unexpected and surprising pieces of the puzzle are present in this genealogy.
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
Now, before we go here, I want to encourage us in something, the Bible fits tightly together. And to rightly know it, to rightly understand significant portions of the Bible, we need to know the whole of the Bible. We need to be a people who regularly are reading through the entirety of the Bible if we are to understand it. That is not to say you must read through the Bible once every year.
In fact, there is a great Bible out from Crossway, the Daily Reading Bible, it has a reading plan that takes you through reading the Bible in either one or two years. Further, it has some brief introductions and notes to help you engage the text you are reading that day.
And for those that are aware, yes, my wife works for Crossway which produces the ESV Bible. No, she doesn’t get commission for sales. So this is a shameless plug at a good resource. A resource that helps grasp the story of the Bible.
All that said, if we are to be good Bible readers, we must strive to know our Bibles both forwards and backwards. For the Bible connects together from the beginning to the end. Connections that can’t be left to cross references.
Knowing our Bible helps us to read the Bible and pick up on these surprises in the genealogy. Surprises that in part start with Judah. For Judah was not the first born of Jacob, but the fourth. Yet, it was Judah who received a great promise among his brothers.
8 “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.
9 Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son, you have gone up. He stooped down; he crouched as a lion and as a lioness; who dares rouse him?
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.
11 Binding his foal to the vine and his donkey’s colt to the choice vine, he has washed his garments in wine and his vesture in the blood of grapes.
12 His eyes are darker than wine, and his teeth whiter than milk.
Grand promises were made regarding Judah. Promises for him to be a great and mighty King! A King who will hold the ruling scepter forever. But more on that, (dramatic pause) next week. But through Judah comes the Messiah! But, there are more surprises here.
3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,
Perez and Zerah by Tamar here are what is striking. Again, this is why it is helpful to know our Bibles. For Judah and Tamar are also in our Bibles already. They are there back in Genesis 38. And in Genesis 38, we find scandal. The scandal of sin and broken promises. For Tamar was Judah’s daughter-in-law. Tamar had been married to Judah’s son, Er who was wicked and put to death. Then Tamar was given to Onan, Judah’s second son, for the purpose of perpetuating the name of the dead, of carrying on the family line. And Onan failed to do this and he too was put to death for his wickedness.
Following this, Judah promised that Tamar would be given to his youngest son when the time was right. But Judah failed to keep his promise. And then Tamar traps Judah with both in sin, but Tamar more righteous than Judah here. And it is this beginning that leads to Jesus, the Messiah long promised by God. Broken people are included in Jesus’ lineage.
The genealogy then continues from Perez to Hezron, to Ram.
4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,
But then more surprises enter into the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah.
5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,
Now, the reason I keep pointing out that these women in this genealogy are surprising is because women aren’t expected to be listed in a genealogy in this ancient culture. Their inclusion here in the book of genealogy of Jesus the Messiah is meant to catch our eyes as we read. And so, we here are to be caught by the fact that Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab along with Boaz fathering Obed by Ruth.
Having just wrapped up our Ruth series where we heard over and over again that Ruth was a Moabite, we know she was a foreigner. And like Ruth, so is Tamar.
Tamar is known to us from Joshua 2. She is the one who hid the spies as they entered the promised land. The one who was spared as Israel entered Jericho. Who was described as a prostitute.
3 women have been mentioned so far, 2 are involved in sexual sin, Ruth was a worthy woman, and then 2 are foreigners. They were non-Jews, they were Gentiles. That of Ruth and Rahab.
In the genealogy of Jesus Christ, we have both the broken and the foreigner. We have those who were on the outside of the camp of Israel brought in and included in the line of God’s long promised Messiah.
And we must remember too that Abraham was not an Israelite by birth. Abraham by birth was from Ur, he was a Chaldean until the point that God called him. In his Matthew commentary, Daniel Doriani puts it like this, “He (Abraham) was the father of the covenant people, but he was born outside the covenant and stayed there until God brought him in.” [2]
Friends this is the good news of Jesus! Jesus came to bless all the families of the world by bringing in those who were outside the covenant. For the reality is, we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We all were cast out of the garden of Eden in Adam when he sinned. And yet, God is bringing a people back to himself in his beloved Son, Jesus!
Think how God this genealogy of Jesus has already began to stack up. This genealogy has those who were not of God’s people and grafted in to become his people, starting with Abraham. Then there is that of Rahab and then Ruth.
At the right time, God brought them into his fold by them believing that YHWH was alone God. Their faith grafted them into the family of God.
Then there is those who are broken, sinful pasts. Rahab the prostitute, Judah and Tamar and their union full of sin in a multitude of ways. Yet they were brought in by faith. They repented of their sins, turning from them and believing God and that his ways were better. And here they sit in the family of God!
Christian, is this not too what has happened for us? Were we too not outside the family and camp of God? Were we not those previously broken? Were we not being a people of mostly non-Jewish decent who have now been bought by the blood of Jesus and grafted into the family of God, becoming fellow heirs with Christ, sharing in his inheritance as we are adopted as sons of God!
Brothers and sisters in Christ, what we see here of the remarkable grace of God in bringing in Abraham, Judah, Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth in is what has been done for us, let us rejoice in this truth this Christmas!
And friend, you who are still on the outside of God’s family. You who have yet to believe. Friend, I want you to see, no matter how sinful your past. No matter how wicked your deeds, you are not too far gone to be brought into the family of God. For if God took that of a foreign prostitute and brought her in, a failure of a father-in-law who failed to honor his commitment to care and provide for his daughter-in-law, and included him, a daughter-in-law who trapped her father-in-law in a shameful manner too is included. Friend, do you see that their is room for you to enter in?
That is if you will turn from your sin and turn to Jesus! Stop following the folly of sin and turn and follow the righteous one who brings the blessing of salvation and hope! Come to Jesus today and be saved!
He came to save his people from their sins. And his people include not just Jews who have it all together. His people are those who are broken and of the nations. Jesus has come to bring blessing to the nations through himself. Jesus is the hope of the world who has come in the first advent and who is coming again in the second to gather his people to himself.
Point #3: The Unwavering Hope
Point #3: The Unwavering Hope
Hope comes at Christmas in the arriving of a Savior. The Patriarchs awaited the coming of the promised one. They looked forward to his coming with hope. For like Abraham, the line of the patriarchs from Abraham to David believed God. They hoped in what they could not see. They longed for the day that these promises would be fulfilled.
The promises that we see fulfilled at Christmas. Therefore we too can have hope! Unwavering hope, because Jesus has come to fulfill the promises of old! He has come to bring blessing to the nations! Jesus has come to invite in the least likely into the fold of God to be the people of God. The only requirement is to believe that this Jesus is our only hope of salvation. That this Jesus, both fully God and fully man is the one who takes away the sin of the world. If we will rest in these truths, we have hope. Hope that will not fade and will continue to be fulfilled, because our God is faithful. He has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.
Jesus is the hope of the world. The patriarchs looked forward to his coming with hope. He is the hope of us who now believe, and he is the only hope for the world around us.
And because Jesus is the only hope in life and in death, then this Jesus we must go and proclaim. This Jesus is the only hope for our friends and family. Jesus is the only hope for our neighbors. Jesus is the only hope for the nations.
Like the inclusion of Rahab and Ruth, and even Abraham, God seeks to draw the nations to himself. We have the hope that there will be those from every tongue and tribe and nation drawn into the family of God. We have already started to see this, both in these in the genealogy of Jesus, but also in how the kingdom of God continues to advance.
But its not done yet. There are still many nations and tongues and peoples who have yet to hear about this Jesus, Jesus Christ, the son of Abraham, the one who has come to bless all the families of the world. Let us pray that Jesus would be made known to the ends of the earth. Let us pray that the good news of Jesus would reach the furthest corners of the earth, to places such as Brazil, Senegal, Zambia, the Horn of Africa, Pakistan, Oman, Jordan, Iran, India, Japan, China, Indonesia, Thailand, and beyond.
And then let us at Land O’ Lakes Bible Church think seriously how we can further seek to be a light to the nations by declaring this gospel and bring hope to the world by going and sending others to these places!
Let’s pray....
[1] O’Donnell, Douglas Sean. Matthew: All Authority in Heaven and on Earth. Preaching the Word Series. (Crossway. Wheaton, IL, 2013.) 19.
[2] Doriani, Daniel. Matthew. (P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg, NJ, 2008.) https://ref.ly/logosres/rec61mt?ref=Bible.Mt1.1-17&off=18351