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Matthew lists the genealogy of Jesus in these 17 verses. You’ll find a mix of characters here, from prostitutes, such as Rahab to kings, such as David and Solomon. Most of the names are simply that — names of people whom the Bible does not talk about. However, God chose all to be a relative of Jesus. How cool is that?
Consider that there were 14 generations from Abraham to David, from David to the time of the Babylonian exile, and from the exile to the Messiah. Why the number 14? Matthew leaves out generations in order to create this numeric lineup. The letters of the Hebrew alphabet represented numbers, too. The letters in David’s name add up to 14, which is used to show that Jesus was the son of David, but also that Jesus is greater than David.
Mary became pregnant while betrothed to Joseph. Joseph, knowing that he was not the father, wanted to divorce Mary but in a quiet way. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph as he slept and reassured him that Mary is faithful. Mary’s child she carries is from the Holy Spirit and is to be named Jesus, meaning “the Lord saves.” This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14.
Joseph believed the angel. He took Mary as his wife but did not lie with her until after the birth of Jesus.
14a ) Matthew emphasizes how Jesus is from the line of David as it was foretold in the Old Testament. The angel mentions how Jesus will be from a virgin birth and called Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).
b ) God has a plan and he wants to make sure his people knew exactly who Jesus was.
15 ) Their families could have ostracized them and kicked them out of their faith. They could have been social outcasts. Their reputations could have been tarnished, making it hard to make a living in Old Testament times.
16 ) Anytime you lay down yourself and your wants for others costs you something. In truth, I don’t have any earth-shattering examples, but just following him and doing the right thing can be hard and difficult at times, alienating others, too.
In chapter 1 of Matthew, we get a sense right away of what this book is all about. We will be following Jesus’s birth and life all to the end, and we will be meeting people who aren’t exactly high society. We see how Christianity is right for everyone. Fabulous!
I’m super excited to be studying with you all again this year! Every year is like family, and I can’t wait to see what you all learn! In addition, do comment and share when led. Welcome to BSF’s Study of Matthew! Contact me with questions!
Luke records how the angel of God reassured Mary, too. We are told that the angel, Gabriel, went to Nazareth in Galilee to a virgin named Mary. Gabriel told Mary that the Lord was with her and that she is highly favored. However, Mary was afraid, but the angel said that God has favored her and chosen her to bear His son to be named Jesus. He will inherit the throne of David and will reign over God’s people for eternity.
The Holy Spirit will come upon her. Her relative, Elizabeth, will have a child (John the Baptist) in her old age for nothing is impossible with God. “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered, and the angel left.
11a ) Gabriel told Mary that the Lord was with her and that she is highly favored. The angel said that God has favored her and chosen her to bear His son to be named Jesus. He will inherit the throne of David and will reign over God’s people for eternity. The Holy Spirit will come upon her. Her relative, Elizabeth, will have a child (John the Baptist) in her old age for nothing is impossible with God.
b ) The Holy Spirit. Because it is God’s child, his Son, the Savior of the World.
12 ) “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May it be as you have said,” she told the angel Gabriel upon hearing she would bear God’s Son.
13 ) How I can see everything working in my life that He planned, not me. To impact my little corner of the world as He sees fit. Everything has come to this moment.
I love how we can have the same stories from different points of view. So great! God is good!
Curiously enough, no writer of the Old Testament ever mentioned the town of Nazareth. This tells you how insignificant it truly was. Until this moment when God chooses the human parents of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. They live in Nazareth. Here, we get the term “Jesus of Nazarth” plus the Nazarenes, or followers of Jesus.
One could say we are all favored, blessed, and have the Lord in the form of the Holy Spirit with us.
Mary’s mind turns to the practical when asking how she will have a baby when she has never had sex. Does this show a lack of faith? No. It simply is a question that most of us would ask. How will this happen?
“Overshadow” has the same meaning as cover with a cloud what God appeared in (Exodus 16:10, 19:9, 24:16, 34:5, 40:34) and when Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17:5, Mark 9:7, Luke 9:34). The cloud is God or the Holy Spirit.
The example of Elizabeth strengthened Mary’s faith in the the angel’s words.
Mary will face scrutiny from man for her pregnancy. Yet, God’s words are stronger.
Fun Fact: Note in no other culture does a virgin birth occur.
A great book about Mary! Happy Reading!
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Mary became pregnant while betrothed to Joseph. Joseph, knowing that he was not the father, wanted to divorce Mary but in a quiet way. An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph as he slept and reassured him that Mary is faithful. Mary’s child she carries is from the Holy Spirit and is to be named Jesus, meaning “the Lord saves.” This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14.
Joseph believed the angel. He took Mary as his wife but did not lie with her until after the birth of Jesus.
7a) Joseph’s immediate thought was to divorce Mary, but he cared for her, so he was willing to do it quietly so she would not be disgraced.
b) An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph as he slept and reassured him that Mary is faithful. Mary’s child is from the Holy Spirit and is to be named Jesus, meaning “the Lord saves.” This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah in Isaiah 7:14.
8a ) Jesus and Immanuel. Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, meaning “the Lord saves” or “Yahweh is Salvation.” Immanuel means “God with us.” While Joshua saved his people from marauders in the Promised Land, Jesus would save his people for all of eternity.
b) Everything. Knowing God is wtih me and the Lord saves me gets me through the tough times and days of my life.
9 ) That no matter what I do, I am saved. I will go to heaven. All I have to do is believe in Jesus and his salvation (Romans 10:9). It truly is that simple.
10 ) Joseph believed the angel. He did not divorce Mary. Instead, he took Mary as his wife but did not lie with her until after the birth of Jesus.
I love the obedience. Of course, it helps to have an angel deliver news. Still, what would happen if we obeyed just as readily?
Luke tells us about Jesus’s actual birth. Matthew just tells us about the conception.
In the Jewish culture, couples were often engaged quite young, even as children. Betrothals followed, which was the next step towards marriage. Once you were betrothed, separation was only by a divorce. Finally, the marriage took place.
The virgin birth is a hard concept for people to grasp, which is why it’s denied. What you need to remember is all things are possible through God (Matthew 19:26). Mary’s pregnancy is a miracle by God.
Since Mary was pregnant not by Joseph, Joseph is understandable upset (wouldn’t you be). He seeks a divorce from her, which is when God (once again) steps in to preserve Jesus’s lineage. An angel visits Joseph to explain the situation and what he is to do.
Jesus was a common name at the time. It means the salvation of Yahwah. Today, it is much more significant. Jesus is to save his people (all people) from sin.
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said.” This is a theme of Matthew and the first time of many you will see this phrase used.
You can debate all day long what Immanuel means. However, what matters most is what Immanuel means to you. God is with you in the pain, the sorrows, the circumstances, the hurts, the joy, the wins, the losses, in death, in death of a loved one, in birth of your child, and the list goes on. Every hour, every minute, every second of every day, of every week, of every month, of every your of your life. God is with you. When you truly grasp that, nothing on this side of heaven will shake you.
Joseph obeys after the angel appears. Jesus’s parents are now set in place.
There is debate as to Mary’s lineage. Scholars say she is of David’s House and of the tribe of Judah because she is descended from Nathan, the third son of David and Bathsheba. Joseph, on the other hand, is from the line of David via Solomon. This point is debated with bible scholars because it is not explicity stated. BSF stays away from the debate altogether. To me, it seems logical that both are descended from David because God wants to make sure there is no doubt. Contact me today!
Matthew lists the genealogy of Jesus in these 17 verses. You’ll find a mix of characters here, from prostitutes, such as Rahab to kings, such as David and Solomon. Most of the names are simply that — names of people whom the Bible does not talk about. However, God chose all to be a relative of Jesus. How cool is that?
Consider that there were 14 generations from Abraham to David, from David to the time of the Babylonian exile, and from the exile to the Messiah. Why the number 14? Matthew leaves out generations in order to create this numeric lineup. The letters of the Hebrew alphabet represented numbers, too. The letters in David’s name add up to 14, which is used to show that Jesus was the son of David, but also that Jesus is greater than David.
3) It was super important in the Jewish culture at that time to know that Jesus, the son of God, came from those whom God chosen, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David, and that he was of royal birth as the King of Kings. It lent credibility to the fact that Jesus was indeed the Messiah of the world as it proved Jesus’s royal line.
4) Matthew connects Jesus to David through Joseph. Most are names of those who were ordinary people.
5a)
5b ) None of these women are perfect. Tamar used deceit to conceive. Rahab was a prostitute. Ruth was a foreigner. Bathsheba committed adultery. Mary was a virgin. They all tell of how God uses whom he chooses for his purposes.
6) I think everything I have today is by God’s grace: my family, pets, home, job, etc. He gives me everything.
Check out this gem of a book I found about these great women of the Bible!
I love Matthew’s genealogy. They are all imperfect people — some of them just a written name — who all played a role in bringing salvation to the world. Pretty cool. They were all chosen by God for a purpose, as we all are chosen by Him for a purpose, too. Sometimes, we might not see that purpose right away.
The first thing Matthew emphasizes is the history of Jesus. This is to show that Jesus came from Abraham, the patriarch of God’s people and of the Jewish faith and that he came from the line of David (2 Samuel 7:12-16) to establish his rightful claim to be king. The Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be a son of David.
You will see throughout Matthew that he makes a concerted effort to bridge the gap between the Old Testament and the New Testament. There is a 400-year gap that is known as the Intertestamental Period (between Testaments). This time was full of upheaval, chaos, uncertainty, wars, and more. Rome took over Jerusalem. Rome oppressed the Israelites, so they realized their only hope was God. The world most definitely needed saving. And the time was right for Jesus to come. With the relative peace of Pax Romana, travel was possible, so Jesus’s disciples could indeed spread the Good News. Quick summary HERE
Matthew (also known as Levi) was a tax collector who was despised by the people. Yet, he gave it all up to become an apostle of Jesus. It is likely Matthew was well-versed in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. Furthermore, this is the only Gospel written by a disciple. It was the most highly valued Gospel and the most quoted before 180 AD. It appears first in most lists.
There are two main themes Matthew follows:
The fact Matthew mentions the four women shows God’s grace and how God is for everyone. God identifies with sinners. God includes women. Note how Joseph is the husband of Mary, not the father of Jesus. Matthew uses the number 14 to organize his genealogy. There are 14 generations from Abraham to David, from David to Babylon, from Babylon to Jesus. It is not meant to be complete.
Luke shows Jesus’s genealogy through Mary, who is through Nathan, a different son of David. (Luke 3:31)
Matthew passed over a man named Jehoakim (2 Chronicles 36:5-8) in his genealogy between Josiah and Jechoniah (Matthew 1:11). Jeremiah the prophet revealed that God decreed that no blood descendant of Jehoakim would sit on the throne of Israel (Jeremiah 36:30-31) because he was so wicked. Mary was not a part of the blood curse on the line of Jehoiakim since she is descended from Nathan and not Solomon.
God gave us the Bible to show us how to live, to show us we are forgiven by Jesus’s sacrifice, we are his, and to give us purpose. By knowing God, we can experience everything God has for us. You are where you are at for a reason. What is that reason? Contact me today!
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