Matthew 1:1-25

1:1-25 | The Jewish people had not received any word from God for 400 years – what is known as the intertestamental period. Matthew breaks this silence with a genealogy, tracing Jesus’ earthly lineage back 42 generations – from Abraham (Gen. 22:18) to King David (Ps. 132:11; Isa. 11:1; Jer. 23:5; Rom. 1:3; Rev. 22:16), then to the last king of Judah, and finally to Joseph the husband of Mary. Because Jesus’ legal claim to the thrown of Israel was so important to fulfilling OT prophecy, the early church fathers gave special weight to Matthew’s account.

1:1 | Matthew gives three distinct names to our Lord: Jesus Christ; the Son of David; the Son of Abraham. Later in the chapter he includes three more: Christ; Jesus; Immanuel.

1:2-17 | Against tradition, Matthew mentions four women in his genealogy, giving the names of three of them. Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth were Gentiles, and Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah, a Hittite. Tamar (Gen. 38), Rahab (Josh. 2), and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 11-12) had been involved in sexual sin, while Ruth was a Moabite, a member of a tribe that sprang from an incestuous union (Gen. 19). From the beginning, Matthew reveals the Messiah as a Savior to all who come to Him in faith.

1:6-16 | Joseph was a person of royal ancestry, a potential king. The Gospels say little about him, although he probably was poor, because he offered a poor man’s sacrifice after Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:24). Matthew does not list Joseph as Jesus’ biological father but only the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

1:18-19 | On finding that Mary was pregnant, Joseph considered secretly divorcing her (to put her away), desiring to save her from death by stoning – a common punishment for adultery in those days, whether the woman was betrothed (engaged) or married.

1:20-21 | The Messiah was to be from the line of David. Joseph was a son – an ancestor – of David, which would legally place Jesus in the Davidic line. Jesus means “the Lord is salvation.” This Child would save His people from their sin.

1:22-23 | Matthew cites Isaiah 7:14, which says that the virgin will conceive; in Hebrew, the word translated virgin is preceded by a definite article, indicating that the young woman would not be just “a” virgin but “the” virgin. Isaiah’s prophecy was fulfilled in Mary.

1:24-25 | The term translated “know” is sometimes used to denote sexual intimacy. Matthew indicates that Joseph was not physically intimate with Mary before Jesus was born. This verse protects the doctrine of the virgin birth – a doctrine so important that the writers of Scripture go out of their way to make sure that every detail is precise. The supernatural virgin birth is proof of both Jesus’ humanity and His deity.