Matthew records the covenant lineage of Jesus.
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Oh no, genealogies, more begats. Laborious to read but very important to trace. The redemptive line which runs through the lineage, carrying the promises of God and the prophetic hope of all the promises of God being fulfilled in Jesus.
Beginning with Adam and Eve in the garden after the fall, God curses Satan and He continues to resist and carry out His authority over the evil one, the serpent of old. He declares his fate, his end.
God reminds him that he is an enemy of heaven and all of creation and in every generation the war will continue. Through the descendents of Eve will come one who will bring his ultimate defeat.
Let’s start with the opening sentence of the book. Matthew tells us the two key people who are most important in this genealogy:
God recognizes the choosing of Abraham and His covenant to him and his descendants. From this opening statement, we expect this family tree to help us understand not only the ancestral past of Jesus, but also his identity and mission. Jesus is called the son of both David and Abraham. Starting with Father Abraham and his barren wife Sarah—does that sound familiar? By calling Jesus the “Son of Abraham,” the author is connecting Jesus to the father of the people of Israel. Abraham represents the moment when God selected and separated his family from the rest of the nations all the way back in the book of Genesis. It was through these Israelite people that God promised to bring blessing to all of humanity (Gen 12:1-3). Salvation and restoration of mankind.
Secondly, “Son of David,” is a term that the author of Matthew is very fond of. Verse one is the first of ten appearances of the phrase in the book and it draws our attention to the royal line of King David. Abraham’s name pointed to a belonging amongst the people of Israel. David’s name tells us that Jesus was royalty. He is called the son of David and of Abraham.
In Jewish culture, lineage was crucial for establishing identity and legitimacy, so presenting Jesus as a descendant of David held significant meaning. He is the Messiah, prophesied to come to Israel and the world. His sonship, legitimatized, as the Son of God sent into the earth also called the son of man.
Glory to God in the highest!
-Keith Curlee
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