SCRIPTURE: MATTHEW 1
INTRODUCTION:
Matthew means “gift of God”. Matthew was a Jewish tax collector who became one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. He was given the name “Levi”. He wrote the book of Matthew especially for the Jews proving that Jesus Christ is the Son of David, the Messiah and rightful heir to David’s throne. He was not the Savior sent to be an earthly king but a heavenly king. We must worship Him as king of our life.
THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS (vs. 1-17)
Jesus Christ is the son of David, the son of Abraham:
From Abraham to David:
- Abraham
- Isaac
- Jaco
- Judah and Tamar
- Perez
- Hezron
- Ram
- Amminadab
- Nahshon
- Samon and Rahab
- Boaz and ruth
- Obed
- Jesse
- David and Bathsheba
From David to Babylonian Exile
- David
- Solomon
- Rehoboam
- Abijah
- Asa
- Jehoshaphat
- Jehoram
- Uzziah
- Jotham
- Ahaz
- Hezekiah
- Manasseh
- Amon
- Josiah
From Babylonian Exile to Jesus
- Jeconiah
- Shealtiel
- Zerubbabel
- Abiud
- Eliakim
- Azor
- Zadok
- Achim
- Eliud
- Eleazar
- Matthan
- Jacob
- Joseph and Mary
- Jesus
Thus, there were 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the exile to Babylon, and 14 from the exile to Jesus.
THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHIRST (vs. 18-25)
Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. So Joseph planned to break the engagement. But an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him to take Mary as his wife because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins. (v. 21). This would fulfill the prophesy of Isaiah who said: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, they will call him Immanuel: which means “God with us”. (vs. 22-23).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But they did not have union until Jesus was born.
THOUGHTS:
Jesus was conceived by the holy Sprit, so he does not have any trace of human sin. But he was born of a woman, so he was a human being. Therefore, Jesus is both fully human and fully divine. Because He is God, He has the power and authority to deliver us from sin.
After Mary was found pregnant, Joseph was faced with a difficult choice. But when the angel of the Lord appeared to him and told him to take Mary as his wife, he obeyed God and married Mary. Sometimes, we may face a difficult situation to make a choice. The best way is to seek guidance from the Lord before making any decision.
Jesus means “the Lord saves”. He came to earth to save us because of our sinful nature. He came as a Savior to pay the penalty of sin for us. His death on the cross has saved us from eternal death.
Jesus is also called “Immanuel” (God is with us) by prophet Isaiah. As Jesus was God in the flesh, he was literally “with us:”. And through the Holy Spirit, Christ is present today in the life of every believer.