Generation 42

Matthew 1:1-25

 Good morning!  We are starting a new series today.  It is titled, “The Kingdom of Jesus.”  We will cover the first half of Matthew’s gospel, chapters 1-12.  It will carry us till the end of March.

Carl wrote the introduction for the series in this way … “In the decades before Jesus, expectations grew of a long-awaited Messiah who would finally bring the kingdom of God to earth. Even the long-celebrated kingdom of David was seen as a foreshadowing of the far greater kingdom that was to come. For centuries, prophets had written about this coming King and kingdom, but the age of the prophets had seemingly ended. Life in Israel was difficult as a result of foreign occupation and interference. Had God forgotten His promises? Matthew tells the fantastic story of how, at last, the Messiah had come.”

There are some unique characteristics about Matthew’s record of Jesus’ life on the earth.  For one, it is the only gospel written by one of Jesus’ twelve disciples.  The book is clearly focused on the Jewish view of the history and events, but it makes clear the transition of the good news to the world.  We just finished a series titled, “Fulfilling the Great Commission,” and Matthew records the most commonly cited version of the Great Commission.

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." – Matthew 28:18-20

We’ll see in a minute that he starts with Abraham.  The book contains more quotes and allusions to the Old Testament than any other New Testament author.  Matthew routinely uses Jewish terminology, but as we see though Matthew speaks from a Jewish perspective, the message has a universal or global outlook.

Matthew himself was a tax collector who left his work to follow Jesus (9:9-13).  He is only mentioned by name a half a dozen times in Scripture … and four of those are in lists of the apostles.

One of the roles that Matthew seems to have taken up was as the “recorder” of the twelve disciples.  William Barclay said it like this, “We might say that when Matthew followed Jesus, he left everything behind – except his pen and paper.”

A key purpose in Matthew’s gospel is to demonstrate to His readers that Jesus is the Messiah.  He is the Messiah.  He does that by showing Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament predictions of the Messiah, by emphasizing Jesus’ descent from David, and by highlighting how the history of God’s people is seen in Jesus’ life.  Matthew always comes first in ancient lists of the gospels and other texts.  One logical reason for that is Matthew approach serves as the best bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament.

Before we jump into chapter 1, let’s take a moment and pray …

Lord God, thank you for how you fit things together.  Thank You that you are the author and finisher of our faith.  Please speak to us this morning and show us Your good news.  In Jesus’ name we pray.  Amen.

We are going to start with a genealogy.  It’s rather lengthy and in some ways, it can be a tongue twister, but I want to read it because it highlights something important.  Jesus is a real person who was born into this world where we live.  It’s been years since I heard this, but I recall a situation where missionaries were trying to reach a primitive people group.  They were reluctant to “waste time” translating and communicating the genealogy of Jesus.  Out of reverence for God’s Word, they decided to share the genealogy.  Up till that time, they had a hard time connecting these people with Jesus.  Once they shared the genealogy of Jesus, there was a surprised reaction.  The unreached people responded, “This Jesus you’ve been telling us about is a real person.  That changes everything.”  Previously, they thought Jesus was a myth.  Hearing this lineage in their culture gave validity to the message even if they didn’t know anyone else in that genealogy.  All of God’s Word is valuable, and does not go out without purpose.  So, here we go in Matthew 1, verse 1.

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: 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 Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon 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, 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 Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary … – Matthew 1:1-16

That’s quite a list!  We could easily spend hours going through all these individuals.  I will make a few observations, but it’s going to be at a pretty high level.  The time frame of is quite long, more than 2000 years.  That means we’re about as far in time from Jesus as Jesus was from Abraham.  Looking at 42 generations, it’s in average about 50 years per generation.

The variety of people mentioned in the genealogy illustrates the broad scope of those who make up the people of God.  We also have five women mentioned in the genealogy: Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, Bathsheba (though not by name), and Mary.  This is unusual acknowledgment for ancient genealogies.

I think I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that there are some omissions in the genealogy both in the time from David to the exile and from the exile to Jesus.  There are actually terms for describing these features.  One expression is telescoping generations.  In other words, someone is listed as a father but they are not the direct father but a forefather.  For example, Shealtiel is the grandfather of Zerrubabbel according to the genealogy in II Chronicles.  (Jehoram à Uzziah; Josiah à Jeoiachin/Jeconiah; Shealtiel à Zerrubbabel)

I think we would wish for none of these variations, but nevertheless, God has chosen to give us the list in the form that we have.  At the end, we can point to a couple of prophecies which are fulfilled in view of this genealogy.  In II Samuel 7:12-16, God tells David that He will raise up David’s offspring to the throne and establish David’s kingdom forever.  In Genesis 12:3, God tells Abraham that He will bless all the peoples of the earth through Abraham.

Paul writes in both I Timothy (1:4 and 6:4) as well as Titus 3:9 that we should not strive over genealogies or get into arguments about them.  Furthermore, if the Jewish opponents of Jesus could have demonstrated that He was not descended from David, they would have disqualified His claim to be Messiah.  However, they did not do this because they could not do it.

Joseph [was] the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. 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 Messiah. – Matthew 1:16-17

And so, this is where we get our title for generation 42.  Fourteen plus fourteen plus fourteen equals forty-two.

Matthew doesn’t say that Joseph is the father of Jesus but that he was husband to Mary, Jesus’ mother.  Matthew shows Jesus is the legal son of Joseph and therefore a legal claimant to the hereditary office of king.  The Gospel of Luke provides Jesus’ blood lineage through Mary.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. – Matthew 1:18-19

They, Joseph and Mary, are supposed to get married.  But Mary turns up pregnant and not by Joseph either.  This is a shock and a scandal.  How should this situation unfold?  We’re accustomed to the story because we’ve heard it time and again, but it is amazing.

The betrothal period did not allow sexual relations, but it was much more binding than a modern engagement.  It typically lasted for a year.  And, it could only be broken by a divorce.  Joseph was a good guy.  He planned to sign the necessary legal papers but he would not have Mary judged publicly nor allow her to be subject to punishment.

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 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." – Matthew 1:20-21

When I think about the things Jesus did in His earthly life, the things He endured, I am amazed.  We can also look at the things that Mary and Joseph did.  Think about it.  Mary’s reputation, her honor, and even her life were at stake when she became pregnant outside of marriage.  The Bible doesn’t tell us, but I can’t imagine that Joseph’s life was a picnic either.  He’s going to marry a woman who was pregnant and not by him.  In the court of public opinion, I can’t imagine that saying, “It’s okay, she’s pregnant by the Holy Spirit.  It’s part of God’s plan to save the world.”  What did people say?  Luke tells of how they traveled from Galilee to Bethlehem alone.  Where was their family support?  Where were their friends, their community?  It seems probable that they were ostracized.

Jesus taught that “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.”  Jesus and even His family were last.  God chose it to be this way.  I don’t have a detailed explanation for why it was necessary for Joseph and Mary to go through what they did.  It must have been the right way because that’s how it was.

When I think about my own circumstances, how quickly is my pride is injured?  I mean, one of my favorite verses is Romans 10:11, “Anyone who believes on Him will never be put to shame.”  How easily is our pride offended?  Are we willing to take a lower place?  Can we take some cues from Mary and Joseph when responding to difficult situations we end up in ourselves?  Can we respond gently to others who are themselves in difficult situations?  As Joseph planned to respond gently to Mary’s pregnancy before the angel appeared to him.

It’s an amazing message from the angel.  Joseph, this is the work of God.  The name Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua.  Joshua means, “The LORD, Yahweh, the great I AM, saves.”  The message is simple but also does something quite significant.  It decouples Jesus as Savior from Jesus as national liberator.  Many of the Jewish people were looking for a political deliverer.  God’s plan is a lot bigger than that.  God loved the world, and His plan is for Jesus is to save everyone who believes in Him whether Jewish or non-Jewish.

The one who is willing to go to the cross for us is the one we can trust.  Even if we don’t understand why God is doing this, or not doing this, the question we can ask, “If a God who is himself willing to suffer and die for us in the person of Christ, what more could he do that he has not done?” We can trust a God like that, even if we don’t understand. And I think that’s where we can start and end—with Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. (John Peckham)

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" (which means "God with us"). – Matthew 1:22-23

Matthew will explain to his readers again and again that the Old Testament is fulfilled in Jesus.  Matthew also quotes the Old Testament at least 47 times.  Isaiah 7:14 is a foreshadowing.  It had an immediate fulfillment during the time of Isaiah, but Jesus is the full and final fulfillment of this prophecy because He is truly “God with us.”

How do we make sense of a single prophecy that has two fulfillments?  Well, God is doing more than we can imagine in a single event.

We can deeply meditate on the meaning of this name – Immanuel.  It illustrates how low God bent down to save man.  He added the nature of one of His own creatures to His own divine nature.  He accepted the weaknesses, frailties and dependency that we experience.  The name Immanuel shows what a great miracle it was that God could add a human nature to His own and still remain God.  It shows the compatibility between the unfallen human nature and the divine nature.  Human nature without sin and God’s divine nature are joined together in Jesus.  Immanuel proves that we are truly made in the image of God.

Since He has come to us, then we can come to Him without any question or hesitancy.  Whoever you may be you need no one to introduce you to God, for God has introduced himself to you. (Spurgeon) John Wesley’s last words echo the goodness of Immanuel.  “The best of all is God is 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 did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. – Matthew 1:24-25

The name Jesus.  Name above all names.  The greatest name. There is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved. (Acts 4:12) Salvation is found in no one else.

Let us pray.