Fully Devoted: JesusSample

The History of His Story

While John chooses to open his account by focusing on Jesus’ deity, Matthew zooms in on Jesus’ humanity. He shows us the long history of Jesus’ earthly family. It’s a very different approach but it highlights some equally powerful things about who Jesus is and why He stepped into history. 

What you need to understand is that while we—in our modern context—probably find this long list of names super trivial and boring, a Jewish audience would have felt the opposite. These genealogies really set the stage for a person’s life. They oriented someone within the larger narrative that had been playing out since the beginning. And right off the bat, Matthew makes it clear that the stage being set for Jesus is anything but ordinary. 

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham … Matthew 1:1 NIV

Messiah, Son of David, and Son of Abraham. Okay, clearly a big deal. But what is Matthew drawing our attention to by leading off with these guys? Well, If you remember back to the Israel portion of this journey, both of these men were incredibly formative figures in the nation’s history, and there were specific prophecies attached to their stories. 

First, Abraham was the person God chose to build His family from. In his old age, Abraham was without an heir, and yet God promised:

“I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.” Genesis 22:17-18 NIV

God established a covenant with Abraham, promising that through this man’s offspring, ALL the nations of the earth would be blessed. What Matthew is showing us is that this promise was played out in Jesus, because through Him we’re all invited into the family of God.  

In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. Ephesians 2:12-14 NLT

 The promise of blessing through Abraham is fulfilled in Jesus. Now, anyone can be part of God’s family. 

David also had a promise tied to his story. This guy was the greatest king in Israel’s history. Though not unaffected by the corrupting nature of sin, David modeled what it truly looks like to love God with all our hearts. To seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God.

“‘But my favor will not be taken from him as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from your sight. Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.’” 2 Samuel 7:15-16 NLT

Even through years of terrible kings after David’s death, the kingdom fracturing in two, and the citizens being conquered and taken into captivity, God did not forget His promise. With this genealogy, Matthew is showing us Jesus’ legal right to the throne of David. When Joseph named Jesus as God told him to, he was “adopting” Jesus as his kid. This is beautiful on multiple levels. Yes, Jesus came so that God would once again be our King and to bring His Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven—but also so that we could be adopted into God’s family. Jesus paved the way for this adoption process. 

And this is really good news! For the people then and for us now. The time they had waited so long for had come. Redemption was drawing near. The God revealed through Jesus is the same as He’s always been—faithful, full of mercy and compassion, moving toward us, and now, here with us. And through Him, we who were once far off and outside of the family can come home.  

Journaling Questions

• What verse stands out to you the most in today’s reading? Write it in your journal.
• In your own words, explain why Matthew highlights Abraham. Why David?
• What does this genealogy tell you about God? What does it tell you about people?