Today’s passage: Matthew 1:1-17
Helpful Information:
- Matthew’s Gospel was primarily written to the Jewish people.
- Matthew wanted his readers to know that Jesus was the King, the Son of David, the seed of Abraham and the promised Messiah/Anointed One/the Christ.
- The name “Jesus” is the Greek form of “Joshua.” Which means, the LORD (Yahweh) saves.
- Every person in this genealogy was a sinner, except Jesus Christ. They all desperately needed the grace of God.
- Some of the people in this genealogy loved God, some of them hated God.
- There are five women mentioned. None of them might be the typical women you would choose to brag about in the genealogy of the Messiah:
- Tamar – Perez and Zerah conceived through incest (Fathered by Judah) – Genesis 38
- Rahab – The prostitute at Jericho – Joshua 2
- Ruth – The Moabitess – Ruth
- Bathsheba (The wife of Uriah the Hittite) – Married to David after sexual sin and murder – 2 Samuel 11
- Mary – A young girl, engaged to be married, who was discovered to be pregnant
Questions to Consider:
- Why would this genealogy be necessary given the audience and purpose of this Gospel?
- After reading through the genealogy, who is Jesus? What is his position and title?
- Not everyone in this list loved or followed God. What does that teach us about the sovereign will of God?
- How can the sins and the history of the people in this genealogy serve as an encouragement to us? (Hint: Think about the Gospel and your own salvation!)