Bobservations' Column
Titled - "Bloodline Restored"
Written by: Pastor Bob Lawrenz
In Luke’s Gospel, we learn that the virgin’s name was Mary, and her espoused husband was Joseph. We learn there too that Mary remained a virgin until Jesus’ birth.
Both Mary and Joseph were of King David’s Royal Lineage as revealed in the two studies of it in Matthew (Joseph’s) and Luke (Mary’s). Much has been written about Mary’s role in the life of our Savior, but scriptures are all but silent about Joseph after Jesus was 12 years old, and His Earthly parents went looking for Him, returning to Jerusalem, and finding Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-47).
Though little is written of Joseph’s life, we find much has been written concerning Joseph’s ancestry. In his lineage, Joseph is surely of the House of David. But upon a closer look in the Old Testament, we find that his family tree includes Kings that had done evil in the sight of God. King Jehoiakim’s name in particular is omitted from the listing in Matthew 1:10-12. Though a true son in the lineage, Jehoiakim’s name was deliberately deleted, because of a judgement of God.
Follow along as we see what lies in Jesus’ blood line that would cause an ancestor’s name to remain unspeakable, as the Word reveals, and speaks clearly of it. We will find God’s faithfulness to His own Word, in prophetic promises, and in prophetic judgments as well. This should be as much a part of the Christmas Story, as the miraculous birth of Jesus. Miraculous from both Mary and Joseph's families.
From Luke 3:32,
“Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the Son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,...”
Bobservations' Column: Audio Version
Sunday Morning Message:
Matthew 1:1-17 - "Bloodline Restored"
Summary/Additional Commentary & Definitions:
We know through the prophets, God told his people that he would send a King to defeat their enemies and rule over them with perfect justice and righteousness, someone who’d usher in a kingdom of everlasting peace.
For example, the prophet Micah said, “But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah…from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose going forth is from of old, from ancient days….And he shall stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they shall dwell secure, for now he shall be great to the ends of the earth. And he shall be their peace” (Micah 5:2, 4-5a).
And the prophet Isaiah, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9:6-7).
And the prophet Jeremiah, “Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.” (23:5).
Through the prophets, God told his people that a King would come to undo the effects of the curse on the world because of sin. Wrongs would be righted. Oppression would cease. The wicked would get what they deserve, and God’s people would dwell in safety and peace. This King would set up a government unlike any the world has ever seen. God’s plan to redeem and remake the world would reach its climax with the coming of this King.
Matthew begins his Gospel with a formal genealogy of Jesus to show his readers at the outset who Jesus is, and what He came to do.
Notice that verse 1 begins, “The book of the generation (genealogy - biblos geneseos) of Jesus Christ.” This is the exact same phrase used in Genesis 2:4, “These are the generations (biblos geneseos) of the heavens and the earth when they were created,” and 5:1, “This is the book of the generations (biblos geneseos) of Adam.”
Matthew uses this phrase to draw a parallel between Jesus and Genesis, between Jesus and God’s creation of the world and Jesus and God’s creation of mankind. Matthew is saying, not so subtly to his original readers, that Jesus came to establish a new creation and is the new Adam. Matthew’s genealogy thus tells us who Jesus is and what he came to do. It tells us that God sent Jesus to remake the world and be the King of a new people.
How do we know who this King is? Well, the writers of the New Testament were convinced that a man named Jesus of Nazareth was this promised King who would come to set things right and bring us back to God.
One of the ways they argue their case that Jesus is this promised King is unexpected and often overlooked: genealogies. It’s no accident that the New Testament opens with the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17). Matthew begins his Gospel with a formal genealogy of Jesus to show his readers at the outset who Jesus is.
The focus of the genealogy is Jesus’ identity as King. We see in His genealogy, that Jesus came from a royal family, that He is the rightful King, He alone has the legitimate claim to the throne. It also shows prophecy being fulfilled in every detail. God is indeed faithful to His promises, and His Word is absolutely trustworthy.
Secondly, we see that through this bloodline, the broken bloodline. Jesus' human family line was far from perfect. Among them we see adulterous, lying, scheming, murderous, idol worshippers.
Matthew is telling us that the Messiah didn’t just come through broken people, but through a broken and decaying nation. This genealogy teaches us that God used broken people and a broken nation to move his plan of redemption forward.
Jesus is the King of grace.
Sunday Morning Audio Message:
Key Words and Definitions with Reference:
Jesus Christ (1:1) - Matthew calls Him "Jesus Christ" from his opening verse. The name Jesus is derived from the Greek version of the name given by Joseph and Mary in obedience to the angel (Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:31), which is Iēsou. This, in turn, is from the Hebrew Yeho'sua, also translated as "Joshua," which means "the Lord is Salvation." The term Christ means "anointed one, "the exact equivalent of the Hebrew word for "Messiah" (Daniel 9:25). Matthew's Jewish readers would have understood it to mean Messiah. Jesus was both the rightful descendant of King David with a legitimate claim to the throne of Israel and the long-expected Savior of Israel.
Son of David (1:1) - A title used for Messiah in only the synoptic Gospels.
Son of Abraham (1:1) - This title takes Jesus' royal lineage all the way back to the nation's inception in the Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 12:1-3).
Matthew's mention of Abraham and David is significant for another reason. They represented God's two great covenants with the nation of Israel. God's covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3; 22:18) declared Israel to be His chosen people with a promise to bless them greatly. God also told Abraham the entire world would be blessed through his descendants. That promise is fulfilled in Christ.
God's covenant with the great King David, made through the prophecy of the prophet Nathan, was that David's line would rule over Israel forever: "Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16). Matthew will show that Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of that covenant promise to David, as well.
Matthew's mention of Abraham and David is significant for another reason. They represented God's two great covenants with the nation of Israel. God's covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12:1–3; 22:18) declared Israel to be His chosen people with a promise to bless them greatly. God also told Abraham the entire world would be blessed through his descendants. That promise is fulfilled in Christ.
God's covenant with the great King David, made through the prophecy of the prophet Nathan, was that David's line would rule over Israel forever: "Your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever" (2 Samuel 7:16). Matthew will show that Jesus is the ultimate fulfilment of that covenant promise to David, as well.
Tamar (1:3) - Tamar is the first of five women mentioned in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus and not nearly the only person connected to questionable moral choices. This is significant. First, genealogies did not require the mention of any women, at all, since the line was passed through male descendants. Matthew goes out of his way to mention these women, including a conception under questionable circumstances
However, this fits into the focus of Matthew's book: Jesus, who came to offer grace and forgiveness from God to humanity through His own life and death and resurrection. It also fits with the counter-cultural way in which Jesus honored and esteemed women during His ministry on earth. As someone once involved in a profession considered despicable—a tax collector for the Romans—Matthew would have appreciated God's ability to use sinners to accomplish His will.
It is unusual for women to be named in genealogies. Matthew names five: Tamar was a Canaanite woman who posed as a prostitute to seduce Judah (Genesis 38:13-30). Rahab (v. 5) was a Gentile and a prostitute (Joshua 2:1). Ruth (v. 5) was a Moabite woman (Ruth 1:3) and a worshipper of idols. Bathsheba ("Uriah's wife," v. 6) committed adultery with David (2 Samuel 11). And Mary (v. 16) bore the perceived stigma of pregnancy outside of wedlock. Each of these women is an object lesson about the workings of divine grace.
However, this fits into the focus of Matthew's book: Jesus, who came to offer grace and forgiveness from God to humanity through His own life and death and resurrection. It also fits with the counter-cultural way in which Jesus honored and esteemed women during His ministry on earth. As someone once involved in a profession considered despicable—a tax collector for the Romans—Matthew would have appreciated God's ability to use sinners to accomplish His will.
It is unusual for women to be named in genealogies. Matthew names five: Tamar was a Canaanite woman who posed as a prostitute to seduce Judah (Genesis 38:13-30). Rahab (v. 5) was a Gentile and a prostitute (Joshua 2:1). Ruth (v. 5) was a Moabite woman (Ruth 1:3) and a worshipper of idols. Bathsheba ("Uriah's wife," v. 6) committed adultery with David (2 Samuel 11). And Mary (v. 16) bore the perceived stigma of pregnancy outside of wedlock. Each of these women is an object lesson about the workings of divine grace.
Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab . . . Jesse begot David the king (1:5, 6) - This genealogy is not exhaustive. Several additional generations must have elapsed between Rahab (in Joshua's time) and David (v.6) - nearly four centuries later. Salmon fathered a man named Boaz by a woman named Rahab. This is the second woman mentioned in Matthew's genealogy of Jesus. She was also, remarkably, a Gentile. Her famous story is told in Joshua 2. Rahab was a prostitute living in the town of Jericho who protected Israel's spies because of her confidence in Israel's God. In exchange, Joshua spared her life when the Israelites destroyed Jericho, and he allowed her to live among the people of Israel after they had occupied the Promised Land (Joshua 6:25). Though Rahab was known as "Rahab the prostitute," she is also praised in both Hebrews 11:31 and James 2:25 for her faith in God.
Matthew is clearly not interested in protecting the reputation of Jesus' human ancestry. In fact, he seems to go out of his way to show that Jesus is a true son of Israel—from the most to least reputable among them. Though Jesus never sinned, the Bible never suggests the human line He was born into was any more or less sinful than the rest of humanity. Jesus came to die for sinners (Hebrews 4:15–16).
Matthew is clearly not interested in protecting the reputation of Jesus' human ancestry. In fact, he seems to go out of his way to show that Jesus is a true son of Israel—from the most to least reputable among them. Though Jesus never sinned, the Bible never suggests the human line He was born into was any more or less sinful than the rest of humanity. Jesus came to die for sinners (Hebrews 4:15–16).
Josiah begot Jeconiah (1:11) - Jeconiah is also called Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:6; 2 Chronicles 36:8) and sometimes Coniah (Jeremiah 22:24). Jeconiah presence in this genealogy presents an interesting problem. It was Jeconiah whose sins caused God to cut off his seed from ever sitting on David's throne (Jeremiah 22:30). Jeconiah's royal line of descendants is listed here to show the legal right of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, to David's throne, even though neither Joseph nor any others of Jeconiah's seed could ever have the spiritual right to the throne. That right was carried through Mary's ancestry. Jesus was heir through Joseph to the royal line of descent, but since he was not an actual son of Joseph and thus not a physical descendant through this line, the curse bypassed him.
Matthew's telling of the line of Jesus, which began with Abraham and continued through David, now comes to a dramatic moment in Israel's history. God had promised King David that his descendants would rule Israel forever (2 Samuel 7:16). They did exactly that, from Solomon all the way through Jeconiah, also known as Jehoiachin. Jeconiah's reign on Israel's throne ended abruptly after only three months when Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon and many of its people carried off into captivity (2 Kings 24:8–17). His brother Zedekiah became a caretaker king over Jerusalem, but he is not in the line of Jesus. Zedekiah's reign ended in 587 BC when Jerusalem was fully and finally destroyed by Babylon after one last rebellion (2 Kings 25).
The era of the Babylonian captivity had begun and the era of the reign of David's descendants seemingly ended. It did not end for good, however. Matthew's point in making this genealogy is to show that Jesus, of David's line, will rule and reign over Israel forever, just as God promised.
Matthew's telling of the line of Jesus, which began with Abraham and continued through David, now comes to a dramatic moment in Israel's history. God had promised King David that his descendants would rule Israel forever (2 Samuel 7:16). They did exactly that, from Solomon all the way through Jeconiah, also known as Jehoiachin. Jeconiah's reign on Israel's throne ended abruptly after only three months when Jerusalem was conquered by Babylon and many of its people carried off into captivity (2 Kings 24:8–17). His brother Zedekiah became a caretaker king over Jerusalem, but he is not in the line of Jesus. Zedekiah's reign ended in 587 BC when Jerusalem was fully and finally destroyed by Babylon after one last rebellion (2 Kings 25).
The era of the Babylonian captivity had begun and the era of the reign of David's descendants seemingly ended. It did not end for good, however. Matthew's point in making this genealogy is to show that Jesus, of David's line, will rule and reign over Israel forever, just as God promised.
Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel (1:12) - The final king in the line of Jesus, Jechoniah—also known as Jehoiachin—was taken to Babylon. He became the father of Shealtiel, who became the father of Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was given permission by Babylon to lead the first group back to Israel, where he became the governor of Judah (Haggai 1:14). See 1 Chronicles 3:17-10, where Zerubbabel is said to be the offspring of Pedaiah, Shealtiel's brother. Elsewhere in the OT, Zerubbabel is always called the son of Shealtiel (e.g. Haggai 1:1; Ezra 3:2; Nehemiah 12:1). Zerubbabel is the last character in Matthew's list who appears in any of the OT genealogies.
Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus (1:16) - This is the only entry in the entire genealogy where the word begot is not used - including those where whole generations were skipped. The pronoun whom is singular, referring to Mary alone. The unusual way in which this final entry is phrased underscores the fact that Jesus was not Joseph's literal offspring. The genealogy, nonetheless, establishes His claim to the throne of David as Joseph's legal heir.
Fourteen Generations (1:17) - Matthew did not set out to make an exhaustive genealogy of Jesus. He is interested in making a historical and legal case. His thesis is that Jesus has a legitimate right to claim His position as a direct descendant of both Abraham and David. Matthew's book will assert that Jesus is, in fact, the fulfilment of God's promises to both of those key figures in Israel's history.
Matthew also set out to build his genealogy in a way that would be easier to follow or easier to remember. To do so, he created three sections, each with 14 names included in it. This does not mean that only 14 generations passed during each period of history. Matthew's readers would have known that only 14 generations are included in each section of his list, though more of them occurred in history.
The sections are Abraham to David, David to the Babylonian exile of Israel, and that deportation to Christ. There are indeed 14 generations included between Abraham and David. Counting David again gives another 14 generations through Josiah. The final 14 begins with Jeconiah and ends with Jesus. Some commentators count them slightly differently. Some scholars have suggested varied opinions as to what Matthew may have intended to represent with the number 14, but no fully satisfying explanation is available.
