Text: Matthew 1:1, 16-18

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

16, And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

17, So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

18, Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.

Introduction:

Before Matthew tells us about the birth of Jesus Christ, He gives us a Jesus’ genealogy.

The structure is simple: "So-and-so was the father of so-and-so, who was the father of so-and-so, etc." One name after another, a listing of the generations of the Hebrew people from their father Abraham to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. As history, the list is fascinating, but for most of us, that's about as far as it goes.

It's like the story of the man who was asked to write a review of the phone book. His summary: "Great cast of characters. Weak plot." That's the way we feel when we examine Matthew 1:

The Jews routinely paid close attention to questions of genealogy. For instance, whenever land was bought or sold, the genealogical records were consulted to insure that land belonging to one tribe was not being sold to members of another tribe—and thus destroying the integrity of the ancient tribal boundaries. You couldn't just put the money down and take the deed. You also had to prove that your ancestors came from the same tribe.

Genealogy was also crucial in determining the priesthood. The law specified that the priests must come from the tribe of Levi. Genealogy also helped determine the line of heirship to the throne. That helps explain why Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 contain lengthy listings of the various people returning from captivity. As the Jews re-established themselves in Israel, it was crucial that they know which families had historically held which positions in the nation.

That same principle applies directly to the Christmas story.

Luke 2:1,3

1, And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.

3, And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

That meant that each man must return to his ancestral hometown—the town from which his family had originally come. But the only way you could be sure about your ancestral hometown was to know your genealogy.

Which is why Mary and Joseph had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem in the ninth month of her pregnancy. They had to make that long and dangerous journey because Bethlehem was Joseph's ancestral hometown—a fact they knew from studying their genealogy.

Why These Passages Is Important Today

You may readily grant all that I have said and still wonder why we should study this passage. Although it was important 2000 years ago, what relevance does it have today? Let me suggest three answers to that question.

    1.       It establishes Jesus as in line to the royal family of David.

    a.       This is no doubt the central purpose of Matthew 1:1-16. To a skeptical Jewish reader, no question would be more central in his mind. God had said 1000 years earlier that the Messiah must come from the line of David and rule on his throne.(II Samuel 7).

    b.      Claim to be Israel's Messiah. How would the people know who to believe? One answer: Check his genealogy. If he's not from the line of David, forget it. He can't be the Messiah.

    c.       Matthew genealogy is one of three genealogy listed in the Bible for Jesus.

Matthew 1:1-17 (Joseph’s genealogy)

Mark – None

Luke 3:23-38 (Mary’s genealogy)

23, And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, KJV

23, Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. TLB

23, Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,

the son of Heli, NIV

38, Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

Galatians 4:4-5

4, But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

5, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

John 1:1-2, 14 (God’s genealogy)

John 1:1-2

1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2, The same was in the beginning with God.

14, And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Philippians 2:6-11

6, Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

7, But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

8, And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

9, Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

10, That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

11, And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

    d.      That's why Matthew 1 begins this way: " The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." David is listed first, even though chronologically Abraham came first in history. Why? Because the crucial issue was not only, "Is Jesus a Jew (a son of Abraham)?" but also, "Is he a direct descendant of David?" In order for Jesus to qualify as the Messiah and King, he must be a literal, physical descendant of David.

    2.      The Birth of Jesus the Christ

    a.       The Jews themselves knew that the Messiah would come according to the prophecies.

Matthew 2:4-5

4, And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born.

5, And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is written by the prophet,

    3.      It's a Chronicle of the Grace of God.

    a.       If you study these names in detail, it's almost as if God has pulled together a rogue's gallery. Nearly all of them had notable moral failures on their spiritual resumes. For instance:

Abraham lied about his wife Sarah v2

Isaac did the same thing v2

Jacob was a cheater v2

Judah a fornicator v3

David was an adulterer v6

Solomon was a polygamist v7

Manasseh was the most evil king Israel ever had v10

And on and on we could go.

    b.      A murderer is on the list, a fornicator is on the list, an adulterer is on the list, a liar is on the list, a deceiver is on the list. Think about that. Most of these men were very great sinners.

    c.       Four Unusual Women, they are Tamar (3), Rahab (5), Ruth (5), Bathsheba (6).

Tamar: Incest, immorality, feigned prostitution, a Gentile

Rahab: Harlotry, lying, deception, a Canaanite

Ruth: A woman from Moab—a nation born out of incest

Bathsheba: Adultery

Four unlikely women:

Three are Gentiles

Three are involved in some form of sexual immorality

Two are involved in prostitution

One is an adulteress

    d.      Why would God include women like that in this list? But it's not just the women. Think about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David. They were sinners, too. Why include people like that?

    e.       I think there are two answers to that question:

1. He did it to send a message to self-righteous people.

Matthew was written especially to the Jews. Many of their leaders (the Pharisees in particular) were self-righteous and judgmental toward others. They truly thought they deserved eternal life. What a shock it would be to read this genealogy because it is filled with liars, murderers, thieves, adulterers and harlots. Not a pretty picture. Not a "clean" family tree. This list was a stinging rebuke to that kind of judgmental self-righteousness.

Matthew 3:9

9, And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Matthew 22:32

32, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

John 8:31-34, 39, 56-58

2. He did it so that God's grace might be richly displayed.

If you come from a family like this, you can't exactly boast of your heritage. Sure, your ancestors were rulers and kings, but they were also great sinners.

Question: Can a prostitute go to heaven? Yes or no? Can an adulterer go to heaven? Can a murderer go to heaven? Can a liar go to heaven? You'd better say yes, because Rahab and David are both going to be in heaven—and Rahab was a prostitute and a liar and David was an adulterer and a murderer.

    4.      Closing

    a.       Good News! No matter what you've done in the past, Jesus can save you. If a prostitute can be saved, you can be saved. If a murderer can be transformed, you can be transformed. If an incestuous person can be saved, then there is hope for you.

    b.      I hope you won't skip Matthew 1 in your Bible reading. This unlikely list of unlikely people may be the greatest chapter on the grace of God in all the Bible. In these forgotten names from the past God turns the spotlight of his holy grace on fallen men and women, and through their lives, we see what the grace of God can do.

    c.       Good news! Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. Good news! Call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins.

    d.      Matthew 1:20-23