Have you let Matthew 1 sink into your heart this week?
We start off with the genealogy...not the most exciting reading, BUT it is included in God's Holy Word for purpose. What do you think God's purpose was for Matthew to include this listing? Remember what I put in the comment I added to last week's post, that Matthew was writing to a primarily Jewish audience that had converted to Christianity, or were considering that conversion. Why would it have been important for them to read this detailed genealogy? Because they needed to see, in detail, the fact that Jesus came from the line of promise, going back to their father Abraham. Abraham had received the promise long ago that his offspring would bring blessing to all people (Genesis 12:3 and 22:18). And they also knew the promise given to King David, that his descendent would establish a forever kingdom (2 Samuel 7:11-13). So while this reading may seem unimportant to us, for a first century Jew to even consider that Jesus was the promised Messiah, it was absolutely necessary to see His lineage. I also think it's important for us to see that the promises God makes are being worked out over periods of time---they may not happen in our lifetime, just as they did not for Abraham or David. But God was working through every conception, every life, throughout all these generations to fulfill His divine promise. And then at just the right time, it happened!
Now my question about the "fourteen generations" --- I read several commentaries regarding this notation of Matthew, and the one that I settled on was this: the three fourteen generation segments represent six "sevens", thus making the arrival of the Messiah the seventh seven. A Jewish religious scholar understood the significance of the number seven --- it represented completion and perfection. A seventh seven would be the epitome of that representation. That answer satisfies me, although it may not be all that Matthew intended. What do you think?
And then Jesus' birth...what beautiful characters we are introduced to! Mary, the young mother who suddenly finds herself pregnant. And Joseph, who had thought he had been engaged to a sweet, innocent, Jewish girl now suddenly faced with a situation he was caught totally off guard with, but still showing such sweetness of heart that he did not want to put Mary in a place of disgrace. How many men would probably have drug her into the public square for a, then deserved by Jewish law, stoning!
Another note of importance for Matthew's readers would be the explanation of how Mary became pregnant, by the Holy Spirit. They knew the prophecy contained in Isaiah 7:14, that a virgin would conceive and bring Immanuel, "God is with us." Matthew quotes the prophecy to reinforce to his audience that Jesus is the One Isaiah spoke of.
So, I had stated that one of my goals in studying Matthew was to focus on the "Mission of Jesus", statements that tell us why Jesus came to earth for us. This is what I saw in the first chapter of Matthew---
1. To save us from our sins (v. 21)
2. To fulfill what was spoken of by God through Old Testament prophets (vs. 22)
3. To bring God to us so we could truly know Him (v. 23)
4. To prove that God's Word is trustworthy - what He says He will do, He will do - even if it takes 42 generations! (v. 2-16)
Now on to Chapter 2...I'm picking two verses to memorize, vs. 10-11. I'm picking these verses because they exhibit the emotion that I think we should have when we worship our Lord,
"When they saw the star they were overjoyed beyond measure. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him."
Overjoyed beyond measure...falling to their knees...they worshiped Him! They had found their sought-after treasure and they were exuberant and humble at the same time. Let that be me!
We start off with the genealogy...not the most exciting reading, BUT it is included in God's Holy Word for purpose. What do you think God's purpose was for Matthew to include this listing? Remember what I put in the comment I added to last week's post, that Matthew was writing to a primarily Jewish audience that had converted to Christianity, or were considering that conversion. Why would it have been important for them to read this detailed genealogy? Because they needed to see, in detail, the fact that Jesus came from the line of promise, going back to their father Abraham. Abraham had received the promise long ago that his offspring would bring blessing to all people (Genesis 12:3 and 22:18). And they also knew the promise given to King David, that his descendent would establish a forever kingdom (2 Samuel 7:11-13). So while this reading may seem unimportant to us, for a first century Jew to even consider that Jesus was the promised Messiah, it was absolutely necessary to see His lineage. I also think it's important for us to see that the promises God makes are being worked out over periods of time---they may not happen in our lifetime, just as they did not for Abraham or David. But God was working through every conception, every life, throughout all these generations to fulfill His divine promise. And then at just the right time, it happened!
Now my question about the "fourteen generations" --- I read several commentaries regarding this notation of Matthew, and the one that I settled on was this: the three fourteen generation segments represent six "sevens", thus making the arrival of the Messiah the seventh seven. A Jewish religious scholar understood the significance of the number seven --- it represented completion and perfection. A seventh seven would be the epitome of that representation. That answer satisfies me, although it may not be all that Matthew intended. What do you think?
And then Jesus' birth...what beautiful characters we are introduced to! Mary, the young mother who suddenly finds herself pregnant. And Joseph, who had thought he had been engaged to a sweet, innocent, Jewish girl now suddenly faced with a situation he was caught totally off guard with, but still showing such sweetness of heart that he did not want to put Mary in a place of disgrace. How many men would probably have drug her into the public square for a, then deserved by Jewish law, stoning!
Another note of importance for Matthew's readers would be the explanation of how Mary became pregnant, by the Holy Spirit. They knew the prophecy contained in Isaiah 7:14, that a virgin would conceive and bring Immanuel, "God is with us." Matthew quotes the prophecy to reinforce to his audience that Jesus is the One Isaiah spoke of.
So, I had stated that one of my goals in studying Matthew was to focus on the "Mission of Jesus", statements that tell us why Jesus came to earth for us. This is what I saw in the first chapter of Matthew---
1. To save us from our sins (v. 21)
2. To fulfill what was spoken of by God through Old Testament prophets (vs. 22)
3. To bring God to us so we could truly know Him (v. 23)
4. To prove that God's Word is trustworthy - what He says He will do, He will do - even if it takes 42 generations! (v. 2-16)
Now on to Chapter 2...I'm picking two verses to memorize, vs. 10-11. I'm picking these verses because they exhibit the emotion that I think we should have when we worship our Lord,
"When they saw the star they were overjoyed beyond measure. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary, His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him."
Overjoyed beyond measure...falling to their knees...they worshiped Him! They had found their sought-after treasure and they were exuberant and humble at the same time. Let that be me!
