Understanding the Gospel of Matthew and Why it Matters - Part 2

Matthew 1:1-17

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2A braham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achimrfasr the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

In 1998, investigative journalist Lee Strobel authored a book called "The Case for Christ". Strobel, who received a degree from Yale Law School and was Legal Editor for the Chicago Tribune, was converted from atheism to Christianity while writing the book. In "The Case for Christ", Strobel interviews a host of experts who lay out the evidence for the authenticity of the Bible and its teachings about Jesus.

In a sense, Matthew's gospel could also be called "The Case for Christ". As he begins the book, his full intention seems to be to convince his fellow Jews that Jesus really is the promised Messiah. Exhibit A is the opening genealogy.

The prophets had long foretold that the Messiah would come from the seed of Abraham and David. Matthew's genealogy is the evidence that Jesus meets this criteria. It's important to note that at the time when Matthew wrote his gospel, the Temple Records were still intact and accessible to the public. Anyone could have verified this genealogy and confirmed its legitimacy. These records were destroyed with the Temple in 70 A.D., making it impossible for any Jew today to prove himself a genuine descendant of David.

Matthew makes his point very clear by beginning and ending the genealogy by referring to Jesus as the Christ. The word "Christ" (Christos) is the Greek form of the Hebrew word "Messiah", which means "Anointed One." In the Old Testament, only three kinds of people were anointed. The prophets were anointed to be messengers from God. The priests were anointed to represent the people in performing sacrifices to God. The kings were anointed to rule over and lead God's people. The promised Anointed One was to be all three of these in one. Jesus, as the Messiah, was to be a prophet, priest, and king.

The Jews had waited centuries for this Messiah to come. His arrival was a testimony to the faithfulness of God. On this point Matthew Henry reminds us that "Delays of promised mercies, though they exercise our patience, do not weaken God's promise." Is there a promise that you are waiting for God to fulfill? Are you in a circumstance where you cannot see how God could possibly bring good out of it? Are you wishing that God would hurry up and bring peace to an area of your life? Be patient. God's timing is always perfect. Though He may tarry a little while, He will keep His promise. Jesus is evidence of that.

Addressing the Issues

Admittedly, Matthew's genealogy has long been a source of problems for those who defend the reliability of the Bible. Skeptics have been quick to point out that Matthew's genealogy is very different from the o