The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
1:1 This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
1:2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 1:3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah (by Tamar), Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 1:4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 1:5 Salmon the father of Boaz (by Rahab), Boaz the father of Obed (by Ruth), Obed the father of Jesse, 1:6 and Jesse the father of David the king.
David was the father of Solomon (by the wife of Uriah), 1:7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, 1:8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah, 1:9 Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 1:10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, 1:11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
1:12 After the deportation to Babylon, Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 1:13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 1:14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 1:15 Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 1:16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.
1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to Christ, fourteen generations.
The Birth of Jesus Christ / God with Us / The Fathers of Jesus
1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 1:19 Because Joseph, her husband to be, was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her privately. 1:20 When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 1:21 She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 1:22 This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.” 1:24 When Joseph awoke from sleep he did what the angel of the Lord told him. He took his wife, 1:25 but did not have marital relations with her until she gave birth to a son, whom he named Jesus.
Notes
1:21 he will save his people from their sins.
The Person of Jesus
Matthew quotes Isaiah 40 here to make a claim that Jesus is God. Jesus is inserted in the place of God as if they are the same person. This bothers modern people. They wish that Christians would refer to Christianity as a good religion, instead of the true religion. Why can’t we just treat religion like a buffet, where everyone chooses the one that enjoy best? Here’s why.
Every other religion has a founder that says ‘I’ll show you the way to God’, but Christianity is the only religion whose founder says ‘I’m God, come to find you’. This is the superior way. If he(Jesus) was delusional, Christianity would be inferior. Either Christianity is inferior or superior, but it cannot be both. Christianity is all or nothing. There is no record in the Bible of just mild approval. (from sermon: The Fathers of Jesus, 1. The Person of Jesus)
1:21 he will save
The Importance of the Doctrine of Christmas
Jesus doesn’t come to instruct, like all the other world religious leaders do. He comes to save. But what do we need saving from?
If Jesus was just a teacher and you decided to really do what he said, you would have a sort of bipolar spirituality.
- On the days when you are doing good, you’ll feel superior to others. You’ll feel good about yourself.
- But on the days when you are doing bad, you’ll hate yourself.
- Jesus offers another way: saving you so that you can know the joys of being accepted, will never feel superior. You’ll be lifted up, yet humble, at the same time.
If Christmas is just a legend, you’re on your own, and you’ll fail. But if Christmas is true… you can be saved by grace.
1:21 you will name him Jesus
The authority of Jesus Joseph loses the right to name his child. But why?
Angel is, in a way, telling Joseph, “You won’t name your child, that child will name you. You don’t tell that child what to do, but ultimately, that child will tell you what to do.” Of course, Jesus took practical instruction as he grew, but the implication here is that ultimate authority will fall on Jesus. He is the king. When he comes into our lives, he is the one that rules.
But how is it “good news of great joy” to have someone else comes into your life, defy your will and tell you what to do?
To illustrate this, Keller tells of a story of a father who takes his father to
C.S. Lewis on the sacrifice of Christ
For in self-giving, if anywhere, we touch a rhythm not only of all creation but of all being. For the Eternal Word also gives Himself in sacrifice; and that not only on Calvary. For when He was crucified He ‘did that in the wild weather of His outlying provinces which He had done at home in glory and gladness’.1 From before the foundation of the world He surrenders begotten Deity back to begetting Deity in obedience. And as the Son glorifies the Father, so also the Father glorifies the Son2. … From the highest to the lowest, self exists to be abdicated and, by that abdication, becomes the more truly self, to be thereupon yet the more abdicated, and so forever. (The importance of the Doctrine of Christmas)
How the Gospel helps us trust God (Matthew 1:21)
- What you must do: We must give ourselves to God fearlessly and willingly and joyfully. We must accept the authority of Jesus over our lives, like Joseph does in naming His son Jesus.
- But you can’t: (1) We don’t like the idea of Christianity being superior to other religions. (2) The idea of inviting someone into our lives and ruling over us is not compelling or enticing or joy-inducing. It produces fear- what if God fails us? What if he is keeping something from us?
- But there was one who did: Jesus came to die for you. He gave up his omnipotence, his glory, his deity, and became killable to save you. Jesus completely gave himself, as he had always done for all eternity within the Trinity.
- Only now we can change: We will only get over the deep fear of giving ourselves to God when we see God giving himself completely for us. Then we can be healed, trust, and find that which we were built to have.