The Genealogy of Jesus, THE Christ (1:1-17)

A casual reading of the NT may cause a person to wonder why it begins with
something as seemingly dull as a family tree. One might conclude that there
is little significance to be drawn from this catalog of names and, thus, skip
over it to where the action begins.

However, the genealogy is indispensable. It lays the foundation for all that
follows. Unless it can be shown that Jesus is a legal descendant of David
through the royal line, it is impossible to prove that He is the Messiah-King
of Israel. Matthew begins his account where he must—with the documentary
evidence that Jesus inherited the legal right to the throne of David through
His stepfather, Joseph.

This genealogy traces the legal descent of Jesus as King of Israel; the
genealogy in Luke's Gospel traces His lineal descent as Son of David.
Matthew's genealogy follows theroyal line from David through his son,
Solomon, the next king; Luke's genealogy follows the blood line from David
through another son, Nathan. This genealogy concludes with Joseph, of whom
Jesus was the adopted Son; the genealogy in Luke 3 probably traces the
ancestry of Mary, of whom Jesus was thereal Son. A millennium earlier, God
had made an unconditional agreement with David, promising him a kingdom that
would last forever and a perpetually ruling line (Psa 89:4, Psa 89:36-37).
That covenant is now fulfilled in Christ: He is legal heir to the throne of
David through Joseph and the actual seed of David through Mary. Because He
lives forever, His kingdom will last forever and He will reign forever as
David's greater Son. Jesus united in His Person the only two bases for claims
to the throne of Israel (the legal and the lineal); since He still lives,
there can be no other claimant.

1:1-15 The formula the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of
David, the Son of Abraham is similar to the expression in Gen 5:1: “This is
the book of the genealogy of Adam.” Genesis introduces the first Adam;
Matthew, the last Adam. The first Adam was head of the first, or physical,
creation. Christ, as the last Adam, is Head of the new, or spiritual,
creation.

The subject of this Gospel is Jesus Christ. The nameJesus presents Him as
Jehovah-Savior; the titleChrist (“Anointed”), as the long awaited Messiah
of Israel. The title Son of David is associated with the roles of both
Messiah and King in the OT. The title Son of Abraham presents our Lord as the
One who is the ultimate fulfillment of the promises made to the progenitor of
the Hebrew people.

YOU! Are NOT Him.