Matthew Chapter 1
Why is this list of ancestry included in the gospel of Matthew? One reason for this genealogy of the Lord Jesus was to demonstrate that the Lord Jesus was the son of David. This list aids in providing evidence that the Lord Jesus fulfilled the prophecies that the Messiah is the Son of David.
People knew that when the Messiah came he would be the Son of David. The Lord Jesus asked a question of the religious leaders to point this fact out to them. In Mark 12:35-37 the "Son of David" is a title of the Messiah and the fulfillment of the promise which God gave to David. God promised David that he would have a son who would sit on his throne forever.
2 Samuel 7:14-16, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: But my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever."
Psalm chapter 2 further established this promise and prophecy of God's Son who made the rulers of the nations a footstool for his feet. We still wait for the Lord Jesus to return in this manner and set up his kingdom on earth. This will be fulfilled during the millennial reign of Christ after his second return.
His first appearance on earth was when he came as the lowly servant who died on the cross. His next return will be as a conquering king who puts down all of his enemies and establishes his kingdom on the earth.
Isaiah 9:6-7, "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this."
He will rule all the nations of the earth from his capital in Jerusalem. This is a clue as to why Israel and Jerusalem is constantly argued and fought over in the Middle East.
Another point of interest in this genealogy is the mention of notorious women who did not come from a Jewish background but were instead Gentiles grafted into the ancestry of the Lord Jesus.
Among these are Ruth the Moabitess, Tamar, and Rahab. I believe that these are mentioned, not only because they are literal ancestors of Jesus, but also because we see the Lord identifying himself fully with sinful humanity, even in his ancestry.
The Lord Jesus did not have an earthly father. He was born of the virgin Mary. Joseph, his adopted, legal father, did not have sexual relations with his wife Mary until after the Lord Jesus was born. This is clearly outlined in scripture so there is no point in debating whether or not Mary really was a virgin.
Joseph was a godly man and when he found out Mary was pregnant he was ready to divorce her quietly.
This might sound harsh from the perspective of today's corrupt cultural worldview but in those days he was actually doing her a favor by keeping this quiet.
It was a crushing blow to him to find out his bride was pregnant before they were married. However, the Lord explained this to Joseph by sending an angel who communicated with him in a dream.
The angel tells him that the baby conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit and is not a baby conceived in adultery or fornication. This baby was given to Mary by God in a miraculous way.
This miracle birth is foreshadowed in scripture in the account of Sarah and Abraham. She conceived Isaac when she was way too old to have children. Abraham and Sarah were past the age where they could physically have children but God gave them Isaac. God fulfilled his promise to Abraham and Sarah.
In a similar way God gave Mary the baby Jesus with no intervention from a human male. It is interesting that the prophecy about the virgin birth mentions the Messiah would come from the "seed of the woman". Women do not have seed, obviously, but the Messiah was born from a virgin woman. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Notice the angel messenger told Joseph the name to give the baby and also told him the baby would fulfill prophecy in scripture.
The prophecy quoted in verse 23 mentions "Emmanuel", which means "God with us". In this way, we understand the Lord Jesus was not just a baby in a manger but he was and is God.
God is three in one. God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is very important to understand this because this is the true God. Any religion which denies the Three In One are promoting a false god.
God is one. There is only one God. This one God is also three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God is three in one.
I understand, also, the roles of prophet, priest, king, and also Israel, church, and the nations reflect the three in one nature of God.
Joseph obeyed the instructions the angel gave him in the dream. He took Mary to be his wife in obedience to the Lord, and when the child was born he gave him the name Jesus.
