Scripture: 1 John 1:5-6, Matt 6:1-6, etc.
A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ 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 (Matt 1:1-2), …
The Gospel of Matthew begins with this genealogy. A genealogy shows the origin of a person’s identity, and this “genealogy of Jesus Christ” asserts that he is a descendant of Abraham, an Israelite. God made a covenant with Abraham and David. He promised Abraham that his descendants would increase in number and become one nation and David that his nation would be established through his offspring. However, it is crucial to know that God promised to bless all nations through Abraham and that David’s kingdom will be established forever. In both cases, the Bible speaks of one descendant (seed) by referring to “Your offspring to succeed you (zar’akha … ‘asher yetseh mimme’eikha: lit. your seed coming out of you)” (Gen 15:4, 2 Sam 7:12). Matthew shows that this one seed coming out of Abraham and David was Jesus Christ. Then, at the end of the genealogy, he says:
… and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 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 Christ (vv. 16-17).
After the long genealogy is given, there is a reversal and gap at the end. The reversal is that Jesus Christ was born of Mary, not Joseph. The gap is that the kingdom was destroyed, and the royal line was cut off at the time of the exile. These two points point to the fact that Jesus Christ was born not in the biological genealogy of Abraham and David but in a spiritual covenantal relationship with God. The kingdom promised to David was not the visible nation of Israel but a spiritual one to which all peoples on earth would come to belong by faith in Jesus Christ.
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit (v. 18).
Jesus Christ was not related to Joseph by blood and was not his biological son. However, marriage is a covenant under which God joins the two. Thus, in this sense, he is the son of Joseph, David, and Abraham. But who is his real father? To show this, Matthew moves on to the story of the star in chapter 2.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him (2:1-2).”
(From Sermon Summary, “Children of Light” No. 4)
