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. (Matthew 1:1–17)

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This introductory genealogy is selectively organized artful, theological masterpiece—fourteen generations!—designed to produce wisdom and hope to the informed reader.

• Not just a family tree.
  • But an exclamation point on the Old Testament;
  • A message about God;
  • A proclamation that the time of fulfillment has arrived;
  • And a forecasting of Jesus’ mission.

• Theme of Matthew: The Promised King and His Good Kingdom

  • This genealogy shows us that Jesus is the promised king and gives us glimpses into his good kingdom.

Matthew used this genealogy to introduce a new epoch in human history (a new beginning for humanity).

• The book of the genealogy (1:1)
  • Matthew’s opening phrase—”biblos geneseōs”—echoes the exact wording from Genesis 2:4 (in the Septuagint), a title for the passage detailing the creation of man and woman.
    • This suggests that Jesus’ birth inaugurates a cosmic new beginning for humanity as significant as the original creation itself.
  • Matthew’s concluding phrase: I am with you to the end of the age (Matt. 28:20) suggests a new age was started by Jesus.
• What can we learn about the new beginning?

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Built on King Jesus (1:1)

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

Jesus Christ:

• Christ = Messiah = Anointed King

David: Intensely Israel focused

• When your days are fulfilled to walk with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. I will not take my steadfast love from him, as I took it from him who was before you, but I will confirm him in my house and in my kingdom forever, and his throne shall be established forever.’ ” (1 Chronicles 17:11–14)

Abraham: For all nations

• 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. 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. 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.” (Genesis 12:1–3)

• Matthew start with hints that the King is for all nations, but gets clearer until:

  • “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations…” (Mathew 28:18–19)

Your identity—offshoot of the King on a mission to bless all nations.

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Full of Mercy (1:2-6)

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,

There are four women noted in this portion—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba (wife of Uriah).

• Tamar: tricked her father-in-law to become pregnant.
• Rahab: a Canaanite prostitute who hid Israeli spies in Jericho.
• Ruth: a Moabite woman who married into Israel—and became the great-grandmother of David!
  • Note: Moabites were often excluded from Israel for ten generations (Deuteronomy 23:3).
• The wife of Uriah: another man’s wife—Bathsheba.

Matthew did not include matriarchs such as Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, or Leah but instead intentionally chose each of these four women. Why?

• To prepare for the fifth woman, Mary, and the unusual circumstances surrounding her pregnancy?
• To further his cause of showing faithfulness among the nations (Rahab, Ruth)?
• To emphasize God’s mercy to marginalized, irregular, victimized, or unconventional people.
  • All of them—for different reasons—were sexually-morally peculiar. But God had a plan to bring them into his family.

Jesus will extend mercy.

• Matthew…

  • Wrote for his Jewish people.

    • He heavily emphasized how Jesus fulfills the Hebrew Scriptures and Israel’s story.
    • He employed the Old Testament heavily and uses forms of the word “fulfill” more than the other gospel writers.
    • He alluded to Jewish culture and terminology, often without explanation.
    • He was highly critical of the Jewish leadership at that time.

  • Wrote for his church.

    • He is the only gospel writer to use the term “church” (ekklēsia—”upon this rock I will build my church.”).
    • He concludes the book with Jesus’ commission for the disciples to teach others all he’d commanded them—and he painstakingly arranged his book around five long teachings from Jesus so that we could study his words.
    • He dealt with practical issues the early church—and the modern church—would have needed direction about.

• Wrote for those in need of mercy (us).

  • He thought of Jesus as for all nations (1:1, 28:18-20).
  • He reached out to everyone:
    • Socially marginalized (lepers, tax collectors, “sinners”, hemorrhaging woman)
    • Ethnic and racial outsiders (Roman centurion, Canaanite woman)
    • Physically afflicted (sick, paralyzed, blind, mute)
    • Spiritually oppressed (demon-possessed, common people)
    • Economically vulnerable (little ones, hungry, thirsty, strangers, naked, imprisoned)
    • Systematically overlooked (Peter’s mother-in-law, hemorrhaging woman, team)

Your experiences—seen, known, and redeemed by the One who loves you.

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Includes Divine Judgment (1:7-11)

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.

High points (David, Abraham) but also low points.

• Downward plummet.
• Grading these kings (1.80 cumulative GPA)
  • Solomon (C-): his reign began with glory but was marred by intermarriages with pagans.
  • Rehoboam and Abijah (F): explicitly described as “wicked,” with Rehoboam foolishly splitting the kingdom and Abijah continuing in his father’s sins.
  • Asa (A-): established reforms, which Matthew theologically emphasized by altering his name to Asaph, a psalmist who directed people back to God.
  • Jehoshaphat (B+): Good king, but with some unwise alliances.
  • Joram (F): Another “wicked king.”
  • Uzziah (B+): 52 great years, but illegally entered temple at the end of his reign.
  • Jotham (B+): Did right, but failed to remove high places used for idol worship.
  • Ahaz (F): sacrificed his son and closed the temple.
  • Hezekiah (A-): Major reformer. Slight deduction for showing the Babylonians all his treasures.
  • Manasseh (D-): Wicked but repented at the end of his life.
  • Amon (F): Assassinated after two years of terror and injustice. Matthew changed his name to Amos, the prophet who decried social injustice.
  • Josiah (A-): Great reformer who rediscovered the book of the Law.
  • Jechoniah and his brothers (F): Three months reign—represents final collapse.
• Deportation to Babylon: emphasis on exile.

Foreshadows the true king.

• Not only do all the Old Testament heroes point to the true hero, Jesus Christ, but all the failed kings, priests, and prophets point to him as well.

Jesus will wisely judge.

• Love without justice is bland, uninteresting, and toothless.
• Justice without love is harsh, bitter, and rigid.
• Love and justice is potent, alive, and refreshing.
• And it’s found in Jesus.

Your confidence—one has come who will judge with righteousness forever.

• Deep longing of the human heart.

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Satisfies Human Hope (1:12-17)

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.

This period was a time of slow rebuilding and long endurance towards a hope.

• Humble beginnings
  • Ezra: Zerubbabel and others rebuilt a humble temple.
• Political subjugation
  • Persian governors, Greek rulers, and Roman occupation.
  • No monarchy was reestablished.
• Prophetic silence
  • After Malachi, four centuries of silence ensued.
• Waning hope
  • Was the Davidic covenant still valid? Would God fulfill his promise to Abraham?
  • Everything they tried—Ezra, Nehemiah, Maccabean revolt—fell short of messianic expectations.
• Hope mixed with darkness.

Jesus is light in darkness that can satisfy human hope.

• In bleak circumstances, the Christ arrived.

  • For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground… (Isaiah 53:2, ESV)

Your hope—through the darkness, the King arrives.

• Symphony: began with grand, majestic sounds (Creation), then moved to abrupt, jarring music (the Fall), before shifting to a building song (Redemption)—after a long, silent pause, a solitary flute began to play (Christ, the Redeemer), and that song is building until the glorious crescendo (Restoration/Consumation).

Conclusion

• This seemingly dry passage is not dry at all, but is a key, meticulously crafted introduction, hinting that the new beginning is…
  • Built on King Jesus
  • Full of Mercy
  • Includes Divine Judgment
  • Satisfies Human Hope

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Questions

Head (Knowledge – Understanding Scripture and Theology)

1. What does Matthew’s genealogy in Matthew 1:1–17 communicate about Jesus’ identity?
2. What do you hope to get out of our study through Matthew?

Heart (Feelings – Personal Response, Desires, Impressions)

1. How does the inclusion of outsiders and morally complicated figures in Jesus’ family line shape your view of God’s mercy and willingness to redeem broken stories?
2. What emotions or desires are stirred in you when considering that Jesus satisfies centuries of Israel’s deferred hopes and promises?

Hands (Actions – Application, Commitments, Decisions)

1. In what ways can you embody the mission of being “an offshoot of the King on a mission to bless all nations” in your daily life?
2. How can the example of God’s mercy in the genealogy inspire you to extend grace to people in your own family, community, or church?

Resources Used

Blomberg, Craig L. The New American Commentary: Matthew. Vol. 22, Nashville, Tenn., Broadman Press, 1992.

Bruner, Frederick Dale. Matthew: The Christbook, Matthew 1-12. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2004.

Carson, D. A., et al. Matthew. Grand Rapids, Mich., Zondervan, 2010.

France, Richard T. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Mich., Eerdmans, 2007.

Keener, Craig S. The Gospel of Matthew : A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids, Mich. ; Cambridge, William B. Eerdmans Pub, 2009.

Schreiner, Patrick. Matthew, Disciple and Scribe : The First Gospel and Its Portrait of Jesus. Grand Rapids, Michigan, Baker Academic, 2019.

Walvoord, John F, and Roy B Zuck. The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, Ill., Victor Books, 1985.

Wilkins, Michael J. The NIV Application Commentary: Matthew. Grand Rapids, Mich., Zondervan, 2004.