Today we’re sharing an excerpt from Lifeway Women’s new Advent Bible study Joy to the World. This excerpt was written by Kelly King. Learn more about this impactful new Bible study!
THE PROMISED ONE
Good stories have a good beginning, and Matthew’s introduction in chapter 1 verse 1 echoes the good beginning of Genesis 1:1. In fact, the Greek word for our English phrase “of the genealogy” in Matthew 1:1 is génesis.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Genesis 1:1
An account of the genealogy [génesis] of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham . . .
Matthew 1:1
Both opening verses to the Old and New Testaments signal something seismic is unfolding. Can you sense it? God spoke creation into existence, and “it was good” (Genesis 1). Then with the arrival of Jesus—who the Gospel writer John describes as “the Word” of God (John 1:1)—into our world, God did something even better. Jesus’s genealogy will show readers how He was the fulfillment of promise after promise that God made. Specifically, the Gospel of Matthew describes how the birth of Jesus fulfills God’s promise to one man (Abraham), through one nation (the Israelites), and expands the promise to all people (including you and me). Let’s take a closer look.
In Matthew 1:1, Matthew emphasized four names to help his readers understand why this beginning and this genealogy is different than others.
1. JESUS
The first name, Jesus, was a common Jewish name and in Hebrew it is translated Joshua, which means “Yahweh saves.” This was important to Matthew’s readers not only because it connected the identity of Jesus as the Son but also because it connected Jesus to the salvation He would bring to them.
2. CHRIST
The second name, Christ, means “anointed,” which pointed to Jesus’s identity as a leader who was expected to bring in an age of peace and freedom from oppression. Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word mashiach, meaning “the Messiah” or “Anointed One.” Although God’s people in Matthew’s day were waiting for a leader who would bring them freedom from oppression and overthrow the Romans, Matthew’s Gospel would show how Jesus the Christ brought an even better freedom—spiritual freedom from the bondage of sin only accomplished through the cross.
3. THE SON OF DAVID
Matthew referred to Jesus as the Son of David. This description reveals another important aspect of His identity—the fulfillment of Jesus’s royal lineage through the family of David. Jews would keep extensive genealogies to establish a person’s legitimacy and inheritance rights. The genealogy here is traced through Joseph, Jesus’s legal (though not biological) father, and it established His claim and right to the throne of David.
In 2 Samuel 7:12-16, God promised David that a never-ending kingdom would come through David’s lineage. Many earthly kings followed David, but until Jesus, none were able to fulfill that promise. Here Matthew established Jesus as the Son of David whose rule will never end.
4. THE SON OF ABRAHAM
Matthew began Jesus’s genealogy with Abraham, and verses 2-6 track Abraham’s family tree through fourteen generations leading up to King David. Among the many Old Testament promises Jesus’s birth fulfilled is one very important one—God’s promise to Abraham that through him and his descendants would spring forth the family of God.
Now the word of the LORD came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.”
Genesis 15:4-5
Jesus’s birth was not God’s backup plan. Instead, Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to redeem humanity from the brokenness of sin (Gen. 3:15). In the genealogy of Jesus, we see God’s faithfulness through generations and proof that He is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament.
Want to learn more about the Joy to the World Bible study? Watch the short video below or view a free sample and teaching video clips at lifeway.com/joytotheworld.
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