Matthew 1 PBC

The reading is from the People's Bible Commentary, specifically the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew's purpose is to demonstrate that Jesus is the Son of God and the promised Messiah. He begins with a genealogy, tracing Jesus' lineage back to Abraham and David. Matthew includes notable figures in the genealogy, such as Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, to emphasize that Jesus came for sinners. The genealogy also includes kings of Israel and Judah. The reading concludes with the mention of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. A reading from the People's Bible Commentary, starting with the Gospel of Matthew. The People's Bible Commentary, revised edition, first printed in 2005, copyright Concordia Publishing House. The People's Bible Commentary, beginning with Matthew chapter 1, verse 1. A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. So far the word. The first book of the Old Testament is God's record of the Genesis, the beginning of the heavens and the earth, and all God's creatures. Matthew, the first book of the New Testament, is God's record of the Genesis of Jesus Christ, the Son of David. The Son of God existed from eternity together with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He always was and always will be. He is eternal. Matthew tells us how he who was the Son of God from eternity became the Son of David in time. How he carried out his mission in this world and how he returned to his heavenly home. God's Old Testament people believed that in due time God would send his Son to redeem the whole world of sinners. When he fulfilled that promise, however, many refused to believe their own eyes and ears. Jesus clearly declared himself to be the promised Messiah. He spoke with obvious authority and performed the miraculous works that the prophets had foretold of the Messiah. Yet his own people, for the most part, rejected him. They demanded that he be executed as a blasphemer. They intimidated Pontius Pilate into condemning Jesus to death. And after Jesus' resurrection on the third day, they refused to believe he was really alive. So Matthew, writing to his fellow Jews, says, Let's go back to the beginning. I will clearly demonstrate that Jesus is the Son of God, the promised Messiah. He keeps that purpose in mind in all 28 chapters of his gospel. And he carries it out in a manner that was possible only by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The Son of David was a name commonly used for the promised Savior. The Messiah would be a physical descendant of King David. So Matthew begins his gospel by documenting the fact that Jesus of Nazareth, who was known to everyone in the land of the Jews, was descended from David. Joseph, Jesus' legal father, was a direct descendant of David. Luke chapter 3 traces Jesus' genealogy through Mary's life all the way back to Adam and Eve. They were the first to receive the promise of a Savior. And the whole Old Testament traces that promise from generation to generation. The New Testament reports the fulfillment of God's promise. Jesus, as well as David, is rightfully called the Son of Abraham. Abraham is called the father of believers. God called him to leave his homeland, Ur of the Chaldeans, and to travel to a destination that God would show him in due time. And God gave him a promise. He would make a great nation of Abraham's descendants, and one special descendant of his would be a blessing for people of all nations on earth. Even when Abraham and his wife Sarah were childless until their old age, Abraham believed God's promise, and Abraham's faith was credited as righteousness. The Bible says, you can see in Genesis 15, 6 and Romans 4, 3, Abraham was declared righteous. He was justified through faith in God's promises. That is the only way any sinful human being ever could be or ever has been justified before or after the time of Abraham. That is the primary message of the whole Bible. We are all guilty before God because of our sins. But we are forgiven. We are justified. We are declared not guilty through faith in the person Matthew calls Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Son of God. Now follows the genealogy of Jesus Christ, from Abraham to Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. Matthew divides this genealogy into three lists of fourteen. The first fourteen are verses 2 through 6. Matthew 1, verse 2. 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 Hema, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Ammonadab, Ammonadab the father of Nachon, Nachon 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. So are the words of God. The Jews were proud of their forefather Abraham and they were familiar with God's promises to him. They were looking for a Messiah to be born of Abraham's descendants. Unfortunately, their concept of the Messiah became badly distorted over the centuries, so that they were looking for a political Messiah, one who would literally rule on David's throne and re-establish a mighty nation in Israel. But that was not the kind of Messiah God had promised. The purpose of Matthew's Gospel was to remind the Jewish people of God's messianic promises, to demonstrate that their expectations frequently contradicted God's promises, and to convince them that Jesus was exactly the kind of Messiah God's prophets had foretold. Matthew's Gospel shows that Jesus succeeded in establishing his kingdom by sacrificing himself on the cross for the sins of the world, rising from the dead on the third day, and returning to his heavenly home forty days later. There would be no other son of David coming to be the kind of political Messiah they were hoping for. Some of the names in Matthew's genealogy are familiar. Others are only names to us. Isaac was the son born to Abraham and Sarah in their old age, when he was a hundred years old and she was ninety. This was a miraculous birth of God's grace, a reminder that God always keeps his promises, even though he may make us wait a long time. Jacob and Esau were the twin sons of Isaac and Rebekah. Although Esau was born first, God chose Jacob to be the bearer of the promise. From his descendants, the Messiah would be born. Judah was one of the twelve sons of Jacob, who was also called Israel. The twelve tribes of Israel were named after these twelve sons of Jacob. Perez and Zerah were the twin sons of Judah and Tamar. Tamar was Judah's daughter-in-law, not his wife. And these twin sons were born to her when she played the part of a harlot. The whole story of the sword is recorded in Genesis chapter 38. Ezra, Ram, Amenadab, Nashon, Sozmon, Boaz, Obed, and Jesse are listed in other genealogies, such as we have in Brut, the fourth chapter. Nashon is called the leader of the people. Judah, in Numbers, the second chapter, and Numbers, the seventh chapter, list the offerings he brought for the dedication of the tabernacle. Solomon married Rahab of Jericho, the woman who hid the spies Joshua had sent into the city. Together with her family, she was spared when the walls came tumbling down and the city of Jericho was destroyed by the Israelites. Their son Boaz married Ruth, the Moabitess, who came back to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law Naomi. Their son was Obed, and his son was Jesse, the father of King David. Most Old Testament genealogies demonstrate that a line of descent has been kept free of Gentile contamination. This genealogy does just the opposite. Matthew lists some ancestors of Jesus that no one could be proud of. He reminds us that Jesus, the sinless Messiah, descended from sinners and came for sinners. See Matthew 9.13. Martin Luther observed, Christ is the kind of person who is not ashamed of sinners. In fact, he even puts them in his family tree. If the Lord does that here, so ought we to despise no one, but put ourselves right in the middle of the fight for sinners and help them. The four women Matthew mentions are all notable. Tamar played the harlot, as we have already noted. Rahab of Jericho was a prostitute, but she learned to know the God of Israel. And her faith and the fruits it produced are cited as an example for us all in Hebrews 11 and James 2. Ruth was a Moabitess, not an Israelite. She was descendant of Abraham's nephew Lot through an incestuous relationship with his older daughter, Genesis 19. Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite when David desired her and took her for himself, even making arrangements for Uriah to be killed in battle. Do you find it shocking and offensive that persons guilty of such grievous moral lapses are included among the ancestors of the Savior? Would you prefer not even knowing these things? Do you think it would have been better if the Holy Spirit had not inspired Matthew to record these names and this genealogy? If this kind of information makes us uncomfortable, it should, because it reminds us of our personal sins and unworthiness. At the same time, this list of sinners can be a comfort to us. It can reassure us that Jesus, who was not ashamed to reveal the sins of his human ancestors, who came to seek and to save the lost, who shed his blood for the sins of the whole world, includes you and me among those for whom he died. Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord. Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are as red as crimson, they shall be like blood. Isaiah 118. We continue now in Matthew, the first chapter, verses 7-11. 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 Ammon, Ammon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah, and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. So far the word of the Lord. This second list of fourteen includes some familiar names, for these men were all kings of Israel and or Judah. Solomon, son of David, and Bathsheba was known for his wisdom and his wealth. He built the magnificent temple at Jerusalem, for which David had made preparations. See 2 Samuel 7 and 1 Kings 5. But Solomon married many foreign wives. He had 700 wives of royal birth and 300 concubines, and his wives led him astray. They turned his heart after other gods. 1 Kings 11. This angered the Lord, who informed Solomon that because of his idolatry, his sons would not rule over all twelve tribes of Israel. 1 Kings 11. When Solomon's son Rehoboam became king, ten of the twelve tribes seceded from Israel under Jeroboam as their king, and Rehoboam ruled only Judah and Benjamin. During his reign, Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord. 1 Kings 14. In the fifth year of his reign, Shishak, king of Egypt, attacked Jerusalem and carried off the treasures of the temple and the royal palace. 1 Kings 14. Abijah succeeded Rehoboam as king of Judah. He committed all the sins his father had done before him. 1 Kings 15. Asa succeeded Ahijah and reigned 41 years. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 1 Kings 15. Jehoshaphat walked in the ways of his father, Asa, as he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 20. Later in his reign, however, he constructed a fleet of trading ships together with wicked king Ehezah of Israel. The Lord showed his displeasure over this joint venture by destroying the ships before they ever set sail. 2 Chronicles 20. Jehoram married a daughter of Ahab and followed the evil example of the kings of Israel. After reigning only eight years, he died of an incurable disease in the bowels. 2 Chronicles 21. Matthew's genealogy then omits the names of Ahazah and Joash and Amadah. Jehoram was actually the great-great-great-grandfather of Uzziah, who is mentioned next. There is no doubt that Matthew omitted these three names purposely. He was well acquainted with the Old Testament scriptures, and so were the Jews to whom he was writing. But he does not tell us why he does not list those three men. You may learn more about these three kings by reading 2 Chronicles 22-25. Uzziah was unusual in that he reigned 52 years and did what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 26. Jopham followed the good example of his father Uzziah, but his son Ahaz did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 28. Hezekiah was a good king whom the Lord richly blessed when he was stricken with a serious illness, and the Lord told him through the prophet Isaiah that he would not recover. He prayed fervently to the Lord, and the Lord extended his life another 15 years. 2 Kings 21-11. Manasseh was only 12 years old when he became king, and he ruled 55 years. He followed the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out before the Israelites. 2 Kings 21-2. The rest of 2 Kings chapter 21 gives us more details concerning the wickedness of Manasseh. Near the end of his life, however, an amazing thing happened. The Assyrians took Manasseh prisoner, put a hook in his nose, bound him with bronze shackles, 2 Chronicles 33-11. Finally then, Manasseh experienced a change of heart. He sought the Lord's forgiveness, and the Lord actually brought him back to his throne in Jerusalem. Manasseh then made a serious effort to cleanse his nation of idolatry. Ammon reigned only two years. 2 Kings 21-19. He followed the evil example of Manasseh early days, forsaking the Lord and worshipping false idols. An official assassinated him in the palace. Jehoiazad and Jehoquim are not included in Matthew's genealogy. 2 Kings 23-24. Josiah and Jecheon are listed next. During Jehochan's reign, Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem. He carried all the treasures of the temple and of the royal palace back to Babylon, leaving only the poorest of the Jews behind. 2 Kings 25. He made Jehochan's uncle Matanah, king of Judah, and changed his name to Zedekiah. In the ninth year of his reign, Zedekiah foolishly rebelled against Babylon. As a result, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and the temple and took everything of value to Babylon. They killed Zedekiah's sons while he watched, then put out his eyes and took him in bronze shackles to Babylon. 2 Kings 25. The year was 586 B.C. Continuing with the word of the Lord, Matthew chapter 1, verses 12-16. After the exile to Babylon, Jehochan was the father of Sheltut, the father of Zerubbabel, the father of Abud, Abud, the father of Elikim, Elikim, the father of Ezor, Ezor, the father of Zedok, Zedok, the father of Achim, Achim, the father of Eliud, Eliud, the father of Eleazar, Eleazar, the father of Matan, Matan, the father of Jacob, and Jacob, the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called the Christ. So far the word of the Lord. Jehochan is now listed again this time as the first man in the third list of fourteen. The Babylonian exile was the next significant period of Judah's history. The people of the northern kingdom of Israel had been carried into exile in Assyria. That was the end of their history. They ceased to exist as a separate people. But God saw to it that the Jews survived in Babylon, for He had promised that they would survive and return to their homeland after seventy years, and that in due time, the Messiah would be born in the line of David. God's providence is evident when, in the thirty-seventh year of the exile, Jehochan is released from prison and treated royally for the rest of his life. Second Kings, the twenty-fifth chapter. We have little information about most of the men included in Matthew's third list of fourteen. Jilkel is mentioned about half a dozen times in the Bible. But all we are told about him is that he is the father of Zerubbabel. Actually, Zerubbabel's grandfather. First Chronicles, the third chapter. Ezra 2.2 mentions Zerubbabel as one of the leaders of the people who returned from exile to Jerusalem and helped direct the rebuilding of the temple. But all we know concerning the next nine men is their names. They may have been undistinguished men in the eyes of the world, but they were highly honored by God as forefathers of Christ. That brings us to Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who was called Christ. So here we have the genealogy of Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, although the original Greek, of whom it clearly refers only to Mary. The virgin birth of Christ is indicated already here and specifically reported in the verses that will follow. Jesus was a common name among the Jews, but this Jesus is the only one called Christ, the Messiah. In the word of the Lord, Matthew 1. Verse 17. 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 Christ. So far the word of the Lord. Thus, Matthew says, there were three groups of fourteen generations each. He knew and his readers knew that he had deliberately omitted some generations. And we know that father can mean grandfather or any male ancestor, just as we speak of the faith of our fathers. So when Matthew says thus, we have fourteen generations three times, it's like saying, as I have chosen to list these generations. As we have already noted, Jehoshim is listed as the last person in the second group of fourteen and as the first person in the third group of fourteen. He lived at the end of the second era, the genealogy, and at the beginning of the third and final era, the exile. Matthew also has listed David twice. This is reasonable enough when we consider King David's prominence. Jesus is called the son of David in scripture. Son of David was a clear reference to the Messiah. The scriptures never called the Messiah the son of Solomon or Jephthah or Zerubbabel or of anyone else who was his ancestor. Why did Matthew arrange the genealogy of Jesus in three groups of fourteen, beginning with Abraham? We can only speculate about this. Some have suggested three times fourteen equals forty-two. Forty-two is six-sevenths of forty-nine. With Jesus, the final one-seventh begins. For Old Testament Israel, after every forty-nine years, came a year of Jubilee. That year, slaves were freed and properties that had been sold were returned to their original owners so that no family would permanently lose its inheritance. The birth of Christ ushered in the real Jubilee for the world. For Jesus came to free all the slaves of sin, the whole human race, and permit them to return to their Heavenly Father's house. This is an interesting and appropriate thought. But Matthew does not directly state any such thing. He leads us to wonder and ponder and marvel at the orderly way in which God directs the affairs of his people and preserved the descendants of David until the Savior was born. It is interesting to compare Matthew's genealogy of Christ with that recorded in Luke's Gospel. We will make only a few brief observations. Evidently, Matthew reports Joseph's ancestry and Luke reports Mary's. Both were direct descendants of David. After David, Joseph's line included the kings of Judah. But Mary's line consisted of lesser-known commoners who were descended from David but were not in the line of royal succession. It is absolutely clear, however, that Jesus' mother Mary and his legal father Joseph were both descended from King David. In the fullest sense of the term, Jesus was indeed the son of David, the promised Messiah. Yet in the word of the Lord, Matthew, the first chapter, verses 18 through 25, entitled The Birth of Jesus. This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph. But before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband, was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace. He had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as home as your wife. Because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son. And they will call him Emmanuel, which means God with us. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave it the name Jesus. So by the word of the Lord. These verses are Matthew's brief account of the familiar story of Jesus' birth. Matthew quotes 17 verses to Jesus' human genealogy from Abraham to Joseph. Now he reports Jesus' divine genealogy in a single verse. Mary was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. This states a fact without even attempting to explain how it took place. He reports a birth that was unique in all of human history. This tells us that the eternal son of God who was with God in the beginning and through whom all things were made, John 1, 2, 3, assumed human flesh and blood in the womb of the virgin Mary. He is true God from eternity and he is also true man since he was conceived and born of a human mother almost 2,000 years ago. Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph at the time. That pledge was more than what we commonly call engagement. It is likely that they had spoken vows of marriage in the presence of witnesses and they were regarded as husband and wife. According to the custom of the time, the marriage celebration would follow some months later and only then would the bride and the groom begin their life together as one flesh. When Joseph became aware of Mary's pregnancy, he could only conclude that she had been unfaithful to him. If that was true, he would not take her home as his wife after all. We can only imagine the pain and disappointment that Joseph felt. That tells us only what Joseph did. He was a righteous man. He was righteous in God's sight through his humble faith in God's promise of the Savior to come and so he was concerned about living a righteous life. Hence, he did not seek revenge or desire to expose her to public disgrace. He rather decided to divorce her quietly. The Lord intervened. He sent an angel, unnamed but probably Gabriel, to Joseph in a dream. Joseph did not just dream about an angel bringing him a message. A real angel came to him and spoke to him. He told Joseph, What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. Mary would give birth to a son, and Joseph, as legal father, was to name the child Jesus. Jesus was a common name among the Jews. It was the same as the Old Testament Hebrew name Joshua. The name Jesus means God. Jehovah saves. When this name was given to an ordinary child, it could be a reminder of God's promise of a Savior. In Christ's case, it identified the one and only Savior of the world. Jesus' name tells who he is. God, in what he does, saves. The Jewish people, in general, at that time, were looking for a different kind of Savior. They wanted a Messiah who would save them from the oppression of the Romans and reestablish a kingdom like that of David and Solomon. But the angel promised the same kind of Savior as the Old Testament prophets had foretold. One who would save his people from their sins. His people. It was not synonymous with the earthly nation of Israel, but included people from every race and nation upon earth. Many of the Jews wanted only an earthly Messiah who would provide them with security and material gifts for this life. And some of the Jews even attempted to force Jesus to be that kind of king. See John 6. Also, there are theologians today who look to Christ only for liberation from poverty and oppression and not from the frightful eternal consequences of sin. There are churches that regard their mission as making this world a better place and pay little attention to the perfect abundant life that can be ours eternally for Jesus' sake. As Christians, we want to make Christ's kingdom and his righteousness our highest priority. Being confident that he will provide us with the material things we need. See Matthew 6. Matthew was writing primarily to the Jews who were familiar with the Old Testament scriptures and who were looking forward to the fulfillment of the promises of the Lord's prophets. So he pointed out that the birth of Jesus was taking place exactly as the Lord had promised through his prophet Isaiah. In Isaiah 7.14. The unusual circumstances of this prophecy are most interesting. King Ahaz of Judah was threatened by King Peacock of Israel and King Rezin of Syria. These kings wanted to destroy the dynasty of Ahaz which was the line from which the Savior was to be born. Ahaz personally deserved nothing better. But Ahaz's unworthiness could not prevent God from keeping his gracious promises. So Isaiah went to Ahaz and assured him that the Lord would preserve him from his powerful enemies. He even offered Ahaz the opportunity to ask for a special sign from the Lord to prove that this was a promise from God that would surely be fulfilled. In mock humility Ahaz refused to ask for a sign but the Lord said he would provide a sign anyway. Even if Ahaz would never see the sign himself and would not appreciate this promise of a special sign from God it would be a source of comfort and reassurance for many other people all through the ages. The sign was that the virgin would be with child and would give birth to a son. This would happen only once in all of human history so the special son of the virgin mother could be positively identified and recognized. This special child would be called Emmanuel which means God with us. This child would be God incarnate, the eternal God visible among us in human flesh and blood. What an astonishing revelation the angel's message was for Joseph. His doubts about Mary's faithfulness were completely removed. In their place Joseph received the amazing good news that he would have the privilege of caring for God's son, the promised Messiah, the Redeemer of the world. There are some who maintain that the Hebrew word in Isaiah's prophecy, Alma, means young woman and that Isaiah was not predicting a virgin birth at all. The ordinary birth of just another child could hardly be regarded as a special sign. Martin Luther once issued the challenge if a Jew or Christian can prove to me that in any passage of Holy Scripture Alma means a married woman I will give him 100 florins God alone knows where I might find them. No one ever collected this reward and we are confident that no one will ever qualify for it. The virgin birth of Christ is clearly taught in the Bible and it is an article of faith that is confessed by the whole Christian church on earth in the Apostles' Creed. I believe in Jesus Christ conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary. Martin Luther's explanation of the second article declares that Jesus Christ, true God, begotten of the Father from eternity and also true man, born of the Virgin Mary, is my Lord. Joseph believed the angel and obeyed his commands. He took Mary home as his wife without delay. But he had no sexual relations with her before Jesus was born. Jesus was Mary's firstborn. But this does not indicate whether or not additional children were born to Mary and Joseph. The pious opinion that Mary remained a virgin all her life cannot be proven from Holy Scripture. Nor can the opposite. Without reviewing all the arguments, pro and con, we'll simply state that we prefer to believe that Mary and Joseph had subsequential children. This does not diminish the honor that Mary deserves from us. It rather reminds us that marriage is a special blessing from God and Mary and Joseph honored marriage by enjoying all its blessings. That is chapter 1 from the Gospel of Matthew and the commentary from the People's Bible Commentary. Next session, the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2. The Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew