Matthew 1

INTRODUCTION

We are going to go over the entire first chapter of Matthew tonight

We are going to stand back and take a broad overview

Then we will zoom in and look at some details

GENEALOGY

Verses 1-17 (This is the earthly genealogy of Jesus)

Verses 18-25 (This is the divine genealogy of Jesus)

The first part traces the genealogical lines from Abraham to Joseph (A son of David)

The second part demonstrates how Jesus can be both The Son of David, and The Son of God

QUESTION: Why do you think it is important for Matthew to show both genealogical lines?

ANSWER:

1) Only a Son of David can be the Messiah. So anyone who claimed to be the Messiah, had to come from the line of King David.

2 Samuel 7:12–16 ““When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ””

Psalm 132:11 “The Lord has sworn to David A truth from which He will not turn back: “Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.”

2) Matthew was showing that Jesus was both fully human and fully God.

His mother was Mary

But his father could not be Joseph, or he would be just another man

His Father was God

QUESTION: What is Matthew tracing by beginning his genealogy with Abraham? Why doesn’t he begin with David if his focus is on the Son of David?

ANSWER:

He is tracing the promise made the Abraham

Genesis 12:1–3 “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.””

(v 21) the families of the earth would be blessed because those who called upon the name of the Lord would have their sins forgiven

QUESTION: What kind of blessings did you expect when you came to Jesus? is Christianity what you thought? better/worse?

If we will understand that our greatest need is to be forgiven, and desire that above EVERYTHING else in this life then we will be completely satisfied with Jesus!

SON OF DAVID

(v 1) Jesus the Messiah, the “Son of David”

King David wanted to build God a house to dwell in. A temple. God told David no, his son Solomon would build the temple.

But God in turn said to David that he would build him a house and then made the promise that he would have a kingdom that would never end.

QUESTION: So could any man from the line of David could be the Messiah?

Matthew 22:41–45 “Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them a question: “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, Until I put Your enemies beneath Your feet” ’? “If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?”

ANSWER: “There is only one answer to this question. As God, Messiah is David’s Lord; as man, He is David’s Son.

Psalm 110:1 “The Lord says to my Lord: “Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.””

WOMEN, SINNERS, AND GENTILES

Lets look down through that line and look at the odd things about it

women: (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth Bathsheba)

Genealogies typically did not include women (see Luke’s genealogy Luke 3:23-38)

sinners: Rahab was a prostitute, Bathsheba an adulterous)

gentiles: Ruth was a moabite

QUESTION: Why do you think Matthew included these things in his genealogy?

ANSWER:

God saves and uses sinners

No one is excluded from the gospel

The gospel is for the whole world

AN EXAMPLE OF RIGHTEOUS

(v 19) “And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.”

QUESTION: What kind of people does God normally use around the infancy narratives?

QUESTION: What would you say it means to be righteous from Joseph’s actions in verses 19-25? Does this characterize you?

shows mercy

obedient to God’s commands no matter how scandalous it may appear to others

NAMES OF JESUS

Jesus: Yahweh saves

Immanuel: God with us

QUESTION: How are these names interconnected? Why does it matter?

VIRGIN BIRTH

QUESTION: Is the virgin birth essential to Christianity? Why

Yes, because of His dual paternity

Fully man

Fully God

Also the possibility of inheriting Adam’s sinful nature

1 Corinthians 15:22 “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.”

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned—”