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Matthew 1:1-17 (Jesus’ genealogy)

INTRODUCTION: Today is the first Sunday of Advent, and so we begin a season of preparation for Christmas as we spend some time reflecting on the birth of Christ. This year we are going to focus on the Christmas story as shared in the first two chapters of Matthew.

God in his wisdom gave us four gospels in the New Testament, and each gospel has its own particular focus. The gospel of Mark presents Jesus as a humble servant. Luke’s gospel presents Jesus as the son of man. The gospel of John presents Jesus as the Son of God. And Matthew in his gospel presents Jesus as Messiah and King.

Throughout his gospel Matthew digs into the Old Testament Scriptures to show how Jesus truly is the promised Messiah. And he uses the word “king” more than any other writer in the New Testament (22x). Matthew emphasizes Jesus as Messiah and King even in the very first verse of his gospel which identifies Jesus as the Christ, that is the Messiah, and Jesus as descended from David, which puts him in the royal line of kings—so, Jesus as Messiah and King. (Read Matthew 1:1-17 and pray.)

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You might be wondering, why did we just read that whole list of names? Actually, most people when they begin reading the New Testament wonder the same thing. Why does Matthew begin with all these names? Why doesn’t he just jump right into the Christmas story? Well, all these names are part of the Christmas story. This is where it all begins.

Verse one reads: “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham …” (Matt. 1:1). The gospel of Matthew was written in Greek, and in the original language these opening words are actually a pun. The word “genealogy” in the Greek is the word genesis. And so, it actually reads: “The book of Genesis—of Jesus Christ.”

That word genesis is a pun. It can refer either to a genealogy or simply a beginning. So, these opening words can mean a record of genealogy in introducing the genealogy to follow, but they also serve as an introduction to the whole gospel of Matthew and in God’s providence to the whole New Testament itself. Just as the Old Testament begins with the book of Genesis, so the New Testament begins with the book of Genesis, or genealogy, of Jesus Christ.

Here then begins the story of Jesus, and Matthew’s genealogy provides the perfect bridge from the Old Testament to the New.

There are four ways you can view this genealogy. You could see it as just a long list of names. That’s probably the way most of us read it (or if we’re honest, we may just skip over it and go straight to the Christmas narrative beginning in verse 18!). Or you could look a little bit closer and see that the names are divided into three sections—three sets of fourteen. Or if you look at the beginning of each of those sections, you will see that each one is headed up by a major person or division in Israel’s history—Abraham, David and the exile. And then if you look even more carefully, you will notice that there are four women named in the genealogy.

So, there are four ways you can look at the genealogy, and there are four things we can learn by looking at each one of them. We learn that: 1) Jesus’ birth is rooted in history. 2) Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s sovereignty. 3) Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s promises. And 4) Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s grace. Everyone has a past, and Jesus is no exception. So, let’s take a closer look at his genealogy together.

I. Jesus’ birth is rooted in history

First of all, Jesus’ birth is rooted in history. If there’s anything this long list of names teaches us, it’s that Jesus had a past. He didn’t come out of nowhere. He came from somewhere. He came from a long line of people. Jesus’ birth is rooted in history.

   A. The importance of genealogies (1 Chronicles 1-9)

Genealogies are extremely important in many cultures. Even in our culture more people are interested in researching their family history. We have DNA tests and online tools to help you trace your family line. Learning your family history gives you a new sense of identity. We often call it roots, and it is fascinating to find your place in history. Some people even put their family trees in their Bibles, which is interesting because God had Matthew put Jesus’ family tree in all of our Bibles!

Genealogies were especially important to the Jewish people. They were maintained by the Sanhedrin, and until those records were destroyed in 70 AD, every Jew could tell you their lineage and which tribe they came from.

It was not unusual to begin a book with a genealogy. For example, the Jewish historian Josephus began his autobiography with his genealogy. If you have ever read the book of 1 Chronicles in the Old Testament, the first nine chapters are all one long genealogy! Genealogies are important, because people are important, and each person is important to God.

   B. Establishes Jesus’ true humanity (Matthew 1:1-16)

By beginning his gospel with Jesus’ genealogy, Matthew establishes Jesus’ true humanity. As one scholar puts it, Jesus “is no demigod from pagan mythology but a real man with a family tree” (G.B. Caird, Luke, p. 77). He is a real human being with parents and grandparents, brothers and sisters and cousins. There are forty-six names from the past listed in Matthew’s genealogy.

It’s interesting, the genealogy runs all the way up to Joseph, and then right at the last minute, it switches tracks to Mary! Look at verse 16 with me: “… and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ” (Matt. 1:16). Over and over again in the genealogy, we read: “This person was the father of that person. That person was the father of this person.” But when we come to Joseph and Jesus, the father language is conspicuously missing. That’s because Jesus was born of Mary, but he was merely adopted by Joseph, the husband of Mary.

So, why even have this long genealogy leading up to Joseph if Joseph was not Jesus’ birth father? Because “by Palestinian law, the head of a family was no less the father of his adopted children than of those children that he had procreated” (Pierre Bonnard, Matthieu, p. 17).

And so, Jesus’ relationship with Joseph places him in a real relationship with all the people who came before him. It was through his adoption by Joseph that Jesus received the right to rule in the royal line of kings. Jesus’ birth is rooted in history.

II. Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s sovereignty

Secondly, Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s sovereignty. Matthew demonstrates this by dividing Jesus’ genealogy into three sections of fourteen generations each.

   A. The use of selective genealogies (cf. Genesis 5 & 11; Matthew 1:1,8,11)

Before we look at the meaning of Matthew’s divisions, we must first look at the use of selective genealogies in the Bible. The Bible often uses selective genealogies to condense historical accounts and to highlight the most important names. For example, the genealogies in Genesis 5 and 11 are both broken into groups of ten names each.

The ancient world used the words “father” and “son” not only to mean one’s actual father, but it could also mean your grandfather or great-grandfather or even your ancestor. We see a good example of this in Matthew 1:1 where Jesus is called: “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” This is a mini-genealogy emphasizing the three names of Abraham, David and Jesus. We know Abraham was not David’s father, and David was not Jesus’ father. Matthew is simply highlighting the most important names in the sequence.

There’s nothing sneaky or dishonest about this. It’s just the way genealogies worked in the culture, and that’s just what the word father meant in the culture. Everyone knew what Matthew meant. Matthew was simply showing that Jesus was descended from David, and David was descended from Abraham.

There are other examples of selective names in Jesus’ genealogy as well. Verse 8 speaks of: “Jehoram the father of Uzziah.” When you go back to the Old Testament, you find that Jehoram was the great-great-grandfather of Uzziah. Matthew skips over three generations, leaving out Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah. He does it again in verse 11 where we read: “Josiah the father of Jeconiah.” Josiah was the grandfather of Jeconiah, and Matthew skips over King Jehoiakim in between.

This can be confusing to us because today we think of genealogies as inclusive. We want to make sure we list every single name. But for the Jews it was common to highlight the most important names and to list grandfathers or ancestors instead of just fathers. Perhaps the closest parallel we have in our own culture is when we call George Washington “the father of our country.” We don’t mean that George was a particularly prolific dad, but that he was the founder of our country, and so we use the word father in a different way.

   B. Three groups of fourteen generations (Matthew 1:17)

Why then does Matthew divide his genealogy into three groups of fourteen generations? Look at 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” (Matt. 1:17). Matthew is speaking theologically here. He is showing that God is sovereign over the stages of Israel’s history.

The time from Abraham to David was a time of rising power as God’s people multiplied, journeyed to the Promised Land, and the kingdom was established. The time from David to the exile was a time of declining power as the nation of Israel was divided, rebelled against God, and was eventually dispersed in the exile. The time from the exile to Christ was a time of rebuilding as a remnant returned to the land, the sacrifices at the temple were reinstated, and the people waited for the coming Messiah.

And so, Matthew is speaking theologically here. He has selectively highlighted various names in the genealogy to balance the sections out to fourteen generations each.

Why fourteen? The number fourteen was very significant in Judaism. Hebrew letters were assigned numerical values, and every Jew knew that fourteen was the numerical value of King David’s name (D = 4, V[W] = 6, D = 4).

Fourteen is also double the number seven, Seven is the number of completeness in Scripture. So, three groups of fourteen equals six groups of seven, which places Jesus’ birth at the beginning of the seventh seven—a most fitting and climactic place for the birth of the Messiah.

So, a little theological math here. For Matthew: “3 x 14 = God’s sovereignty.” Matthew is showing us that God was sovereign over all the persons and events leading up to Jesus’ birth, He is showing us that Jesus is the climax of Israel’s history. It’s all about Jesus. It all leads up to his birth. Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s sovereignty.

III. Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s promises

Thirdly, Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s promises. Matthew has not only divided his genealogy into three sections, but each section begins with a specific person or event in Israel’s history. And what is significant about each person or event is that God made specific promises to all three. And all three of those promises had to do with the birth of a son. Sounds a little like Christmas, doesn’t it?

   A. God’s promise to Abraham:
      – all nations will be blessed (Genesis 22:18; Galatians 3:16)

First of all, Abraham. Abraham begins the first section. God’s promise to Abraham is found in Genesis 22:18: “Through your offspring [seed] all nations on earth will be blessed.”

God promised Abraham that he would have a son and that through his son all nations would be blessed. Now in one sense that son was Isaac. Isaac was a miracle baby. His mother was barren, and both his parents were in their nineties when he was born.

And yet Paul in the New Testament tells us that this promise was really fulfilled in Christ. We read in Galatians 3:16: “The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say ‘and to seeds,’ meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed,’ meaning one person, who is Christ.”

The miraculous birth of Isaac in the Old Testament foreshadows the miraculous birth of Jesus in the New Testament. Matthew’s genealogy both begins and ends with the miraculous birth of a child in fulfillment of God’s promises. It begins with the birth of Isaac and ends with the birth of Jesus.

   B. God’s promise to David:
      – a king will rule forever (2 Samuel 7:12-16)

The second section begins with David, and sure enough, God made a promise to David about a son. God’s promise to David is found in 2 Samuel 7: “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom … Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever” (2 Sam. 7:12-16). In one sense this promised son was Solomon, but Solomon turned away from God. Solomon did not sit on the throne forever. And so, this was another promise that awaited its future fulfillment in Christ.

Remember how Matthew began his whole gospel in verse one: “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David.” Matthew not only uses the word “king” more than any other writer in the New Testament. He also uses the phrase “son of David” more than any other writer in the New Testament. The “son of David” is simply another phrase for this king who will come from the line of David to rule forever. Everyone knew when you said “son of David,” you meant the Messiah.

Now, let’s go back and take a look at verse one in light of these two promises made to Abraham and David: “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Who is Jesus? He is the promised son of Abraham—he is the one through whom all nations will be blessed. And he is the promised son of David—he is the king who will rule forever.

   C. God’s promise to the exiles:
      – a child will be born (Isaiah 7:14, 9:6-9)

But that’s just two! There is also a third section in the genealogy. This third section focuses on the exile. And just as God made promises to Abraham and David about a son, he also made promises to the exiles about a son. We read in Isaiah 9: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders … Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom … forever” (Isa. 9:6-7).

The book of Isaiah was written both to warn God’s people about the coming exile but also to give them comfort during the exile. The exile was the lowest moment in Israel’s history. They suffered the loss of Jerusalem, the loss of the temple, the loss of their homeland and their freedom. It seemed like all God’s promises had been lost. But Isaiah prophesied about this child to be born who would restore the promises, whose government and peace would never end, who would reign on David’s throne forever.

Earlier he gave another prophecy about a virgin giving birth to a child: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). Matthew will speak more specifically about the virgin birth in the next part of the chapter, but as we saw earlier, he has already hinted at it in verse 16 where Joseph was named, not as the father of Jesus, but as the husband of Mary. It was from Mary that Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

What is Matthew telling us here? 1) Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham that all nations will be blessed through him. 2) He is the fulfillment of God’s promise to David that a king will rule forever on his throne. And 3) he is the fulfillment of God’s promise to the exiles that a child will be born who will reign over all. Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s promises.

IV. Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s grace

And then finally, Jesus’ birth is rooted in God’s grace. We learn this from the women Matthew includes in the genealogy. It was highly unusual for any woman to be included in a Jewish genealogy. And yet Matthew includes four!

Now if you asked any Jewish person which four women would most likely be included in an Old Testament genealogy, the answer would easily be Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah. Why? Because they were the wives of the patriarchs. They were the wives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But instead of Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel and Leah, we get Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. And all four of these women come from some very questionable backgrounds.

Everyone has a few nuts in their family tree. Well, Jesus had some skeletons in his family closet. Let’s take a brief look at each of these women and their backgrounds.

   A. Tamar: incest (Genesis 38:1-30)

First, Tamar. Tamar had incest in her background. Her father-in-law was Judah. When Judah lost his wife, Tamar slept with Judah and gave birth to twins. Those twins were Perez and Zerah, and through Perez the messianic line continued. So, Jesus had incest in his family line.

   B. Rahab: prostitution (Joshua 2:1-24, 6:22-25)

Next there was Rahab. Rahab was a prostitute who lived in the city of Jericho. She became the mother of Boaz, the great-grandfather of King David. So, Jesus had a prostitute in his family line.

   C. Ruth: from Moab (Deuteronomy 23:3-6; Ruth 1:1-7)

And then there was Ruth. Ruth was from Moab. The book of Deuteronomy said explicitly: “No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation” (Deut. 23:3). And yet God had mercy on Ruth. She not only came to Israel, but she married Boaz, and she became the great-grandmother of King David. And so, Jesus had foreign blood in his family line.

   D. Bathsheba: adultery and murder (1 Samuel 11:1-27)

And then finally, we come to Bathsheba. Although, notice Matthew doesn’t call her by name but instead calls her “Uriah’s wife” (Matt. 1:6). This reminds us not only of David’s adultery with Bathsheba but his murder of Uriah to cover up the sin. And so, Jesus also had adultery and murder in his family line.

What are to make of these four women in Jesus’ genealogy? They show us that Jesus’ birth was rooted in God’s grace. Jesus’ family line was populated not with righteous men and women but with sinners like you and me. Not only that, but all four women were non-Jews: Tamar was a Canaanite; Rahab was from Jericho; Ruth was from Moab; Bathsheba was married to a Hittite. This teaches us that Jesus came for all people from all nations—just as God promised Abraham so many years before.

Frederick Bruner writes: “Matthew will later teach us that Jesus ‘came not for the righteous but for sinners’ (Matt 9:13); but already in his genealogy Matthew is teaching us that Jesus came not only for, but, through, sinners” (Bruner, Matthew Vol 1, p. 6). Romans 8 tells us that God sent his Son in the likeness of sinful man (Rom.8:3). Hebrews 2 tells us that Jesus is not ashamed to call us his brothers (Heb. 2:11).

Jesus came not for the righteous but for sinners. I like how Martin Luther puts it: “Christ is the kind of person who is not ashamed of sinners—in fact, He even puts them in His family tree!”

CONCLUSION: And so: 1) Jesus’ birth was rooted in history. 2) Jesus’ birth was rooted in God’s sovereignty. 3) Jesus’ birth was rooted in God’s promises. 4) Jesus’ birth was rooted in God’s grace.

Now, let’s apply that to ourselves. As we said earlier, everyone has a past. And just like Jesus, your life also is rooted in history, in God’s sovereignty, in God’s promises and in God’s grace.

   – Your life is rooted in history (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12)

First of all, your life is rooted in history. You also have a genealogy. You are descended from Adam. C.S. Lewis liked to say we are all sons of Adam and daughters of Eve. Unfortunately, that’s not a good thing. Because when you trace your lineage back to Adam, your history includes Adam’s sin, the original sin which affects everyone in his line, including you.

David wrote in Psalm 51: “Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5). You might wonder why David would consider himself sinful at birth, even before he was old enough to commit any sin. The answer is because he was descended from Adam. Paul writes in Romans 5: “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned” (Rom.5:12). We are all descended from Adam, and so we all share in Adam’s sin. Your life is rooted in history.

   – Your life is rooted in God’s sovereignty (Psalm 139:16; Acts 17:26)

But it gets better! Because your life is also rooted in God’s sovereignty. God is sovereign over all the many details of your life. We read in Psalm 139: “All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be” (Ps. 139:16). God is sovereign over your life. Acts 17 tells us: “From one man [God] made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live” (Acts 17:26). Your life is in God’s hands. Your life is rooted in God’s sovereignty.

   – Your life is rooted in God’s promises (John 6:37; Acts 2:38-39)

But it gets even better than that! Because your life is also rooted in God’s promises. Yes, we are all sinners by birth, but God’s promises are greater than all our sins. Jesus promised: “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away” (John 6:37). It doesn’t matter how big a sinner you are. It doesn’t matter how long you have been sinning. It doesn’t matter how many sins you have committed. Jesus accepts everyone who comes to him. Whoever comes to him, he will never drive away.

Later on, Peter preached to the crowd on Pentecost: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children” (Acts 2:38-39). The promise is for you and for all who will believe. Your life is rooted in God’s promises.

   – Your life is rooted in God’s grace (Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:4-5)

And then finally, best of all, your life is rooted in God’s grace. The Bible says: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast” (Eph. 2:8-9). And again, in Titus 3: “But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy” (Titus 3:4-5).

God’s message for you through Jesus’ genealogy is a message of hope and peace. Jesus Christ has come. He is the son of David. He is the son of Abraham. He is the fulfillment of all God’s promises. And he extends the promise of salvation to all who believe in him.

Your life is rooted in history, in God’s sovereignty, in God’s promises and in God’s grace. Will you trust in Jesus as your Savior this Christmas season?

© Ray Fowler

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