Matthew 1 - God is With US! God is With You As You Start a New Year!

Happy New Year! I look forward to going through the New Testament with you. By reading 5 chapters a week, you will go through the entire New Testament in one year. The important thing is to get in God's Word on a regular basis and learn to apply it to your life. Don't get discouraged if you get behind, just pick back up where you started. 

We start our journey in the gospel of Matthew. The first two links below are introductions to the book of Matthew. They help you understand the author, the time the book was written, it's main purpose, and other important themes. You can click on the them. I only supply these at the beginning of each book. 

Introduction to the Book of Matthew - Insight for Living

Introduction to Matthew - The Passion Translation (TPT)

I have also given you links for two different versions of the bible, which we call translations. The NIV translation is probably the most popular bible among evangelical Christians. At our Lutheran church, we use it as the standard bible for preaching and teaching God's Word. 

Matthew 1 - New International Version (NIV)

I have also added a link for a newer translation called the Passion Translation, which I will be referring to as well this year. It was written in 2020. It is very readable, and you can click in the study notes on the side (they appear in little bubbles). In particular, this translation gives lots of insights into the Aramaic language, which is the primary language Jesus and his followers probably spoke in everyday parlance. I.e. Jesus didn't speak in Greek when he taught, which is the primary language used to write the bible. He taught in Hebrew to his fellow Jews in the temple and synagogue, but in Aramaic when he was with his disciples and non-Jews (aka Gentiles).  This translation will hopefully give you a new look at some passages that you have known forever. 

On Bible Gateway website, there are over 200 translations you can use to compare and contrast different versions of the bible. No translation is perfect. They are written by human being, as inspired by the Holy Spirit. As we rely on the Holy Spirit, the Word of God will never fail to lead us to Christ and be fed by His Word. 

When I quote from commentaries, I will cite which one I use. The primary one I use is "Enduring Word" written by David Guzik. It is a conservative, evangelical commentary. Like any commentary, once again it is a human author adding their comments and insights. Guzik also quotes other historically well known commentators like F.F. Bruce and Charles Spurgeon. 

Matthew 1 - The Passion Translation (TPT)

The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah

1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah[b] the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David.

As you may have read in the introduction, Matthew's gospel is called the "Jewish gospel". Why? Because one of the main themes is to show that Jesus is the Messiah, who was prophesied about in the Old Testament. This would lead us to believe Matthew was written to a Jewish audience. Matthew quotes the Old Testament many times, which supports this theory. 

Matthew 1 starts with the geneaology of Jesus through Joseph, Mary's husband. In these verses you will see many of the most important people in the Old Testament including: Abraham, Issac, Jacob, leading up to King David. The word "Messiah" means "the Lord's anointed One", which is translated King. The promise God made to King David (aka the royal convenant) was that there would never fail to be a king through his lineag. It was an everlasting covenant, which was eventually fulfilled in Jesus, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. 

Also, you will see some other names of unlikely people who played a significant role in the lineage of Jesus. I.e. Rahab the prostitute, Ruth, and Tamar. 

The genealogy of Jesus includes four women: Ruth, Tamar, Bathsheba, and Rahab". (TPT)

The name Jesus means "Yahweh is our salvation." (TPT)

These first verses including the genealogy of Jesus from his birth to King David, which are about 14 generations. To Abraham God made the first covenant to bless him and make his name great. He would be a blessing to all nations reminding us that God's plan of salvation was not just for Jews, though Jesus came through a Jewish lineage. God plan is for all people to be saved. 

David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife, 7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, 9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah[c] and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.

David's son was Solomon, the third king of Israel. Solomon was born through David's adulterous affair with Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah. Notice Matthew does not mention her name here. The fact that such a key figure in the genealogy of Jesus came through a sinful act on the part of David reminds us of the humanness of the bible's key character. Though David was a "man after God's own heart", he was a sinner who Jesus came to redeem just like you and me. 

This genealogy takes us from the height of Israel's history when David was king and Israel was the most powerful nation in civilization, to it demise and destruction at the hands of the Babylonians. The Israelites abandoned their covenant relationship with God given to them through Abraham and David, and worshipped other gods. Though God was merciful to them, there were still consequences for their idolatrous practices, which caused them to be exilted to Babylon (modern day Iraq).

We know from other historical references that the Babylonian invasion of Israel, and their subsequent exile, happened around 586 B.C.  B.C. is often referred to as "Before Christ" although technically it should be called B.C.E. "Before Common Era'. However, the fact remains that all of history is divided by the time leading up to Jesus' birth (B.C), and the time after it until now which we call A.D. which is the Latin "Anno Domini", which means the year of our Lord!  

12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

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 Messiah. 

You will not recognize many of these names during the exillic period, but it culminates in the birth of Jesus, whose mother was Mary. Note it doesn't say Joseph was the father of Jesus. We know Mary was a virgin at the time of the miraculous conception of Jesus. Mary was engaged to Joseph but they had not yet consummated their marriage. The virgin birth of Jesus is important, as we look at Jesus who was sinless from birth. I.e. He was not born of the sinful nature. 

Note a generation in Jesus' time was about 40 years. So if the Babylonian exile took place around 586 B.C. let's check the math. We see that 14 generations after exile, so 14 x 40 years=560, which is close to 586. Why is this important? 

It shows the bible is not a fairy tale. It is rooted in history just as the dating of our calendar is all connected to the historical birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. 

The Christian faith is not just something people believe in to have a pipe dream of going to heaven some day. We believe in the historical Jesus, who claimed to be the unique Son of God, and died on the cross for making that claim. He rose again proving he was more than just a prophet. He the long-awaited Messiah promised through the covenants God made with Abraham, David, and Moses. 

So either Jesus was the Son of God or not? He can't just be a good prophet or good moral teacher. He hasn't left that option to us. This is a huge fact we use to defend the Christian faith and lead others to the belief in Jesus, the Messiah! As C.S. Lewis said, "Jesus is either a LIAR, a LUNATIC, or LORD!" 

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: 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. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[g] (which means “God with us”). 24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Whereas Luke's gospel focuses more on Mary, Matthew's gospel gives us unique insight into the faithfulness of Joseph, her husband. When Joseph found out Mary was pregnant, he had many things to think about and many options on how to handle it. But Joseph loved Mary.  An angel appeared to him and told him to take Mary as his wife. 

The angel told him that Mary would conceive a child through the power of the Holy Spirit. Okay, put yourself in Joseph's shoes. Not only is the women you are engaged to pregnant, but an angel tells you not to worrry because it is from the Holy Spirit. The angel tells Joseph that Jesus will be a very special baby. He gives a direction quote from Isaiah 7:14, when he says Jesus will be called "Immanuel", which means God with us. 

The angel told Joseph to give him the name "Jesus", which means Yahweh will save us. It is the Greek form of the name 'Joshua:. Most importantly Joseph was obedient to the angel's commands and took Mary home as his wife. To further prove Jesus was born through the Holy Spirit, Matthew adds that Joseph did not consummate their marriage until after Jesus was born! 

Here are couple of quotes from David Guzik's commentary to note:

This also denies the Roman Catholic dogma of the perpetual virginity of Mary. “The marriage was thus formally completed, but not consummated before the birth of Jesus. The Greek expression for not until would normally suggest that intercourse did take place after the end of this period…There is no biblical warrant for the tradition of the ‘perpetual virginity’ of Mary.” (France)

 “In what sense then, is Christ GOD WITH US? Jesus is called Immanuel, or God with us, in his incarnation; God with us, by the influences of his Holy Spirit, in the holy sacrament, in the preaching of his word, in private prayer. And God with us, through every action of our life, that we begin, continue, and end in his name. He is God with us, to comfort, enlighten, protect, and defend us, in every time of temptation and trial, in the hour of death, in the day of judgment; and God with us and in us, and we with and in him, to all eternity.” (Clarke)  (In this case Guzik is quoting Clarke, who was a British Methodist Theologian 1760 - 1832 )

Application for Today:

The whole bible is really how God came to earth through His Son, Jesus, to be with us. As you read through the New Testament you will many expressions of this. May the Holy Spirit be with you in 2025, as you read God's Word, the Word about Jesus. Most importanly as you apply the biblical truths you will learn this year you will experience the life you have always wanted. 

In John 10:10 Jesus said to his disciples, "I have come to give you life and life abundantly!" (aka Life to its fullest!)