THE BROKEN FAMILY

Gospel of Matthew 1:1–17

ANCHOR MOVEMENT

Broken People. Faithful God. Perfect King.

BIG IDEA

The genealogy of Jesus reveals that every generation was broken by sin, yet God faithfully preserved His promises until the perfect King finally came in Jesus Christ.

INTRODUCTION

Everybody has family stories they would rather hide.

The stories nobody talks about at Thanksgiving. The names nobody brings up. The failures everybody knows happened but pretends did not.

And usually, when somebody important comes along, people try to protect the family image.

They clean up the story. Hide the scandals. Remove the embarrassing details.

Especially royalty.

Kings protect their bloodline. Kings protect their image. Kings protect their legacy.

But Matthew does the exact opposite.

Matthew opens the Gospel not with miracles… not with the Sermon on the Mount… not with the virgin birth…

…but with a family tree.

And honestly?

It is a mess.

The genealogy of Jesus contains:

liars,

prostitutes,

adulterers,

outsiders,

wicked kings,

sexual scandal,

rebellion,

idolatry,

and national collapse.

And the question becomes:

Why would Matthew intentionally include all of this?

Because the genealogy itself is preaching the Gospel.

Before Matthew ever shows us:

the power of Jesus,

the authority of Jesus,

the miracles of Jesus,

or the kingdom of Jesus…

He first shows us:

The grace of Jesus.

And tonight, Matthew 1 is going to show us something powerful:

Broken people could never produce the King humanity truly needed, so God Himself sent the perfect King.

Matthew 1:1–17 NIV

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Broken People. Faithful God. Perfect King.

1. BROKEN PEOPLE Matthew 1:1–6

Matthew opens in verse 1:

Matthew 1:1 NIV

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:

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

That phrase:

“book of the genealogy”

Comes from the Greek:

Βίβλος γενέσεως (biblos geneseōs)

It means: “record of origins” or “book of beginnings.”

Matthew is intentionally echoing Genesis language.

This is not random history. This is the beginning of a new redemptive work of God.

And immediately Matthew gives Jesus two massive titles:

“Son of David” “Son of Abraham”

“Son of David” points to kingship.

This is royal language.

God promised David in 2 Samuel 7 that one day a King would come from his line whose kingdom would last forever.

2 Samuel 7:16 NIV

Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.’ ”

Matthew is announcing:

“That King is finally here.”

Then:

“Son of Abraham.”

That points to the covenant promise.

Genesis 12: God promised Abraham that through his offspring all nations would be blessed.

Genesis 12:3 NIV

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”

Matthew is saying:

Jesus is the fulfillment of BOTH promises.

The promised King. The promised Savior.

But then the genealogy begins unfolding…

…and immediately the family tree starts exposing humanity’s brokenness.

Abraham: The Man of Faith Who Still Failed

Abraham is called the father of faith.

God called him out of Ur. God made covenant promises with him. God promised him descendants as numerous as the stars.

Yet Abraham still struggled to trust God.

Twice, he lied about Sarah because he feared for his own life.

Instead of trusting God to protect him, he manipulated the situation himself.

Promise… then failure.

And students, that pattern keeps repeating throughout the genealogy.

Because sin keeps ruining the story.

Judah: The Royal Tribe with a Sin Problem

Then comes Judah.

Judah matters because the kings would come through his line.

Genesis 49 says:

Genesis 49:10 NIV

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his.

“The scepter will not depart from Judah.”

This is the royal tribe.

This is the tribe that eventually leads to David… and ultimately Jesus.

But Judah’s story is ugly.

Genesis 38 tells us Judah slept with Tamar, thinking she was a prostitute.

Genesis 38:13–18 NIV

When Tamar was told, “Your father-in-law is on his way to Timnah to shear his sheep,” she took off her widow’s clothes, covered herself with a veil to disguise herself, and then sat down at the entrance to Enaim, which is on the road to Timnah. For she saw that, though Shelah had now grown up, she had not been given to him as his wife. When Judah saw her, he thought she was a prostitute, for she had covered her face. Not realizing that she was his daughter-in-law, he went over to her by the roadside and said, “Come now, let me sleep with you.” “And what will you give me to sleep with you?” she asked. “I’ll send you a young goat from my flock,” he said. “Will you give me something as a pledge until you send it?” she asked. He said, “What pledge should I give you?” “Your seal and its cord, and the staff in your hand,” she answered. So he gave them to her and slept with her, and she became pregnant by him.

And Tamar is intentionally included in verse 3.

Matthew 1:3 NIV

Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,

That is shocking, because Judah sleeps with Tamar, his daughter-in-law

Women were rarely named in genealogies.

Yet Matthew intentionally leaves Tamar there.

Why?

Because Matthew wants you to see the mess.

Tamar’s story involves:

sexual immorality,

deception,

hypocrisy,

and scandal.

And yet God still works through the brokenness.

Grace is already leaking out of the genealogy.

Rahab: The Outsider Nobody Expected

Then Matthew includes Rahab in verse 5a

Matthew 1:5 NIV

Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

And every Jewish reader would immediately know who she was.

Rahab the prostitute.

Rahab was not just sexually broken.

She was a Gentile outsider from Jericho.

An enemy nation.

Someone religious people would never expect God to use.

Yet Joshua 2 tells us Rahab believed in the God of Israel.

Joshua 2:11 NIV

When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

And God did not just save her.

He brought her into the Messianic line.

That is incredible grace.

Because Matthew is already showing us:

This King came for outsiders and sinners.

Ruth: The Faithful Outsider

Then Ruth appears, Matthew 1:5b

Matthew 1:5 NIV

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

Ruth is different than Tamar and Rahab.

She is faithful. Loyal. Godly.

But she is still a Moabite.

And the Moabites came from the incestuous relationship between Lot and his daughters in Genesis 19.

Genesis 19:37 NIV

The older daughter had a son, and she named him Moab; he is the father of the Moabites of today.

Ruth comes from a cursed and broken background.

Yet grace brings her into the covenant family.

Again and again Matthew is showing us:

God’s grace keeps moving through brokenness.

David: The Great King Who Could Not Save Himself

Then verse 6:

Matthew 1:6 NIV

and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,

“David the king.”

David is the centerpiece of the genealogy.

Matthew is emphasizing kingship.

David was:

shepherd king,

giant slayer,

worshiper,

man after God’s own heart.

Yet David’s story collapses under sin.

Adultery with Bathsheba. Murder of Uriah. Family chaos. Rebellion inside his own household.

And Matthew intentionally reminds us of it.

He does not say:

“Bathsheba.”

He says:

“the wife of Uriah.”

Why?

Because Matthew intentionally keeps David’s failure visible.

And students, this is the pattern of the entire genealogy:

Every generation points toward something great, but sin keeps ruining the story.

Every leader fails. Every king falls short. Every generation collapses under sin.

And honestly?

That still sounds like our world.

We grow up watching:

influencers fail,

athletes fail,

celebrities fail,

relationships fail,

pastors fail,

parents fail,

even themselves fail.

Because humanity cannot produce the Savior it needs.

The family is broken.

But the story is not over.

Broken People. Faithful God. Perfect King.

2. FAITHFUL GOD Matthew 1:7–15

Starting in verse 7, the genealogy begins moving through the kings of Judah.

Matthew 1:7 NIV

Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa,

And what starts as a royal line slowly becomes a tragedy.

Solomon: Wisdom Without Obedience

Solomon begins with incredible promise.

Wisdom. Wealth. Peace. Glory.

The kingdom of Israel reaches its height under Solomon.

But Solomon’s heart slowly drifts from God.

First Kings says:

His foreign wives turned his heart toward idols.

1 Kings 11:4 NIV

As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the Lord his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

The wisest man in the world became spiritually compromised.

And after Solomon, the kingdom fractures.

The kings that follow are mostly disasters.

Wicked Kings and National Collapse

You occasionally get godly kings like:

Hezekiah,

Jehoshaphat,

Josiah.

But most of the kings lead the nation deeper into rebellion.

Then comes Manasseh in verse 10.

Matthew 1:10 NIV

Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah,

One of the most wicked kings in Judah’s history.

Second Kings says:

Manasseh filled Jerusalem with innocent blood and led Judah into deep idolatry.

2 Kings 21:16 NIV

Moreover, Manasseh also shed so much innocent blood that he filled Jerusalem from end to end—besides the sin that he had caused Judah to commit, so that they did evil in the eyes of the Lord.

Eventually, the kingdom collapses entirely.

Babylon invades. Jerusalem falls. The temple is destroyed. The people are exiled.

And by verse 11, the royal line looks dead.

Matthew 1:11 NIV

and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

The kingdom appears finished.

The promises seem impossible.

And yet… …the genealogy keeps moving.

That matters.

Because Matthew is showing us:

God’s promises survive human failure.

Even rebellion could not stop God’s plan. Even exile could not stop God’s plan. Even generations of sin could not stop God’s plan.

Humanity keeps failing… but God keeps preserving.

And some students need to hear that tonight.

Because maybe you feel like:

your family is too broken,

your story is too messy,

your sin is too deep,

your past is too ugly,

or your failures have ruined your future.

Matthew 1 says:

God’s grace is bigger than your brokenness.

This genealogy is not just preserving names.

It is preserving a promise.

Broken People. Faithful God. Perfect King.

3. PERFECT KING Matthew 1:16–17

Matthew 1:16–17 NIV

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

Then everything changes in verse 16

For sixteen verses Matthew says:

“fathered… fathered… fathered…”

Then suddenly:

“Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.”

Matthew 1:16 NIV

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

The genealogy changes because Jesus is different.

This King is unlike every king before Him.

Abraham had faith… but Jesus is perfectly faithful.

Judah pointed toward kingship… but Jesus is the true Lion of Judah. Book of Revelation 5:5

David was a shepherd king… but Jesus is the eternal King and Root of David. Book of Revelation 5:5

Solomon had wisdom… but Jesus is greater than Solomon.

Israel failed repeatedly… but Jesus is the faithful Son.

Every generation in the genealogy reflected something about God’s purposes, but every generation collapsed under sin.

Until Jesus.

And that is why Matthew starts his Gospel this way.

Because before Jesus ever preaches, the genealogy already tells us what kind of King He is.

A gracious King.

A King who is not ashamed to identify with sinners.

Matthew could have hidden the scandals.

But he leaves them visible because Jesus did not come pretending humanity was clean.

He came to save broken people.

That is why throughout Matthew’s Gospel:

tax collectors follow Him,

sinners eat with Him,

outsiders run to Him,

broken people worship Him,

and failures are transformed by Him.

Because this King came for sinners.

And students:

Jesus is not another failed leader.

He is not another broken king.

He is the perfect King humanity desperately needed.

And unlike every other name in the genealogy…

Jesus does not fail.

CONCLUSION

Most people skip genealogies because they think they are just lists of names.

But Matthew 1 is not random history.

It is the story of:

broken people,

a faithful God,

and a perfect King.

Generation after generation failed.

Yet God kept preserving His promise until Jesus finally came.

And maybe tonight you feel:

broken,

ashamed,

disappointed,

trapped in sin,

afraid your story is too messy for God.

Matthew 1 says:

Jesus stepped INTO a broken story to redeem broken people.

That is the Gospel.

The family was broken.

But the King was not.

Every generation failed until the perfect King came.

Broken People. Faithful God. Perfect King.