Matthew 1: Studies
For those who may wish to ‘study’ this chapter, the following simple resources are provided for you. Each chapter is divided into a number of studies and each study or passage has a simple four-Part approach to help you take in and think further about what you have read.
Passage: Matthew 1:1-6
A. Find Out:
1. To whom is Jesus first linked? v.1
A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David
2. How far back does the genealogy go? v.2
Abraham was the father of Isaac
3. How many women are mentioned? v.3,5,6
Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar
Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth
Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife
4. How is David described? v.6
and Jesse the father of King David.
B. Think:
- Why should a genealogy of the Son of God be included and important?
- What do you think is the significance of Abraham and David being included in Jesus’ family tree?
C. Comment:
We may be tempted to write off genealogies, but we need to remember that ALL Scripture is inspired and profitable for teaching (2 Timothy 3:16). Jewish writers (Old Testament especially) weren’t concerned to ensure that every person in the family tree were included, only that the flow of the tree was clear.
Jesus is referred to as the son of the greatest king of Israel, David, and son of Abraham, the man of faith, the father of the Jewish race. Matthew identifies Jesus’ family with a Jewish royal line, and the line that goes back to the father of the race. Jesus’ home is within the race chosen and raised and blessed by God.
Next observe the women, who are important to God, who are included in this traditionally male family tree. There was:
- Tamar (v.3) who brought about her pregnancy to continue the family tree through strange ways (see Genesis 38),
- Rahab, a Gentile prostitute who, by faith, earned her place with Israel (see Joshua 2),
- Ruth, a Gentile who married into the Israelite fold and remained in faith (see book of Ruth), and
- Uriah’s wife stolen by David (see 2 Samuel 11 & 12), a reminder of the shame of man and grace of God.
Each of these women tell us something about the God of grace and mercy who sent His Son to save sinners. This is either a tree of shame…. … or of grace!
D. Application:
- People are important to God. His Son came in the form of a person.
- All humanity is imperfect, but God comes to redeem who He will.
Passage: Matthew 1:7-11
A. Find Out:
The following verses refer to the kings: 1 Kings 11:4-9, 14:21-24, 15:1-3, 15:11, 2 Chron 17:3, 19:1-3, 20:35, 21:4-7, 26:3-5,16, 27:1,2, 28:1-5, 29:1,2, 31:20,21, 33:1-17, 33:21-23, 34:1,2, 36:9
To see the good or bad kings, go to the Notes at the very bottom of this ‘Studies Page’.
B. Think:
- If these kings were representative of mankind, what do they teach us?
- Why do you think they are shown by Matthew in this family tree?
C. Comment:
Yet again, and perhaps even more so, our temptation might be to write off these verses in Scripture and we need to remind ourselves yet again that ALL Scripture is inspired etc. (2 Timothy 3:16). What do a bunch of kings teach us? Well, you really must look up the verses above to get a feel for this, so if you haven’t done that, please DO go back and look them up. (or go to the note at the bottom of the page) What do we find?
First, this IS a family tree where son follows father and so humanly speaking the family can be traced right back to king David. Jesus was again and again called the son of David.
Second, this is a tree of failure: the vast majority of these kings failed in their spiritual and moral leadership of the nation. (You may now look at the table that follows below). Even kings who started off well, failed in later life.
Yet this is the family tree that is associated with the coming of the Son of God. This is the family into which God placed divine seed so that with a human egg a divinely human being would come forth, the Son of God.
Israel knew great glory in the reigns of both David and Solomon, but both of them failed the Lord. Yet He is not ashamed to be associated with them! May we hear the same message again: God is a God of redemption who comes to sinners to redeem them.
D. Application:
- All men sin and fall short of the glory of God.
- Yet God comes and lives in the midst of fallen mankind to redeem it. He comes to redeem you and me. We need it!
Passage: Matthew 1:12-17
A. Find Out:
1. From where does this part start? v.12
After the exile to Babylon
2. Read Haggai 1:1 Who was Zerubbabel?
the word of the LORD came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah
3. With whom does the tree finish? v.16
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
4. Compare Luke 3:23-27
5. What three phases does Matthew see? v.17
Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.
B. Think:
- What clue in these verses indicates Joseph was not the physical father of Jesus?
- If that was so, why might this family tree be so important?
- Why, within this, should the inter-testament period be so important?
C. Comment:
Let’s deal with the difficulty first: why is Matthew’s family tree different from Luke’s? Well first of all Matthew finishes with Joseph while Luke starts with words that could indicate that his tree isn’t Joseph’s but perhaps Mary’s instead.
Second, as we have previously noted, Matthew like many Old Testament writers, isn’t concerned to include every person, just those significant people providing the link.
Third, the word “generation” can quite possibly mean “period” which can include more than one person. Matthew is simply saying there are three ordered, significant periods of history in the family tree.
Now why would Matthew bother with this form of tree anyway? Well, often in Jesus’ ministry the Jews sneered at him and said, “You can’t be the Messiah because you don’t come from a royal family!” Matthew seeks to show that Jesus’ family name was a good name with a royal pedigree. The post exile period links the royal dynasty to Joseph and thus gives Jesus a royal family title.
Now who are all of these unknown men, men mostly not referred to elsewhere in Scripture? Just ordinary individuals, but they are each significant, as they tie Jesus to the royal family.
D. Application:
- People are important to God. His Son came in the form of a person.
- All humanity is imperfect, but God comes to redeem who He will.
Passage: Matthew 1:18-21
A. Find Out:
1. What was Mary & Joseph’s relationship? v.18a
His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph
2. How did she become pregnant? v.18b, 20b
she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit
3. What sort of person was Joseph? v.19a
19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace,
4. So what did he decide to do? v.19b
he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
5. What happened to change his mind? v.20
20 But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit
6. Why was the son to be named Jesus? v.21
you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
B. Think:
- Why did Joseph want to divorce Mary?
- How does that indicate a virgin-birth?
- What else in this passage indicates that?
C. Comment:
We now move from the family tree background to Matthew’s account of what happened prior to the birth of Jesus, particularly as it affected Joseph. From the Jewish viewpoint men were the more important and so Matthew deals with Joseph’s side of the story.
First, he establishes that Joseph is NOT the father of Jesus. In fact when Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant, he believes there must be another man involved and decides to quietly divorce her (when a couple were betrothed there was already a legal tie).
Second, Matthew establishes that there was NO other man involved! A divine messenger tells Joseph that it is the Holy Spirit who has produced a miracle within Mary. No man was involved.
Third, Matthew establishes that the son to be born is to be special and his name, Jesus (a fairly common one in those days), was to have significance. Jesus, or its other form, Joshua, means deliverer, and the angel tells Joseph that this child will in fact deliver people from their sins.
From the outset this child is set apart as different! Different in the way he was conceived and different in respect of his purpose in life, and not because Matthew thinks that was how it ought to be but because that was how God had revealed it to Joseph.
D. Application:
- Jesus’ arrival on earth was by supernatural means.
- He is worthy of our worship, for His is the Son of God.
Passage: Matthew 1:22-25
A. Find Out:
1. Why was this happening? v.22
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet
2. Who had he said would give birth to what? v.23a
“The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son
3. What was he to be called and what did it mean? v.23b
they will call him Immanuel”–which means, “God with us.”
4. What did Joseph do when he woke up? v.24
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife
5. Yet what didn’t he do? v.25
25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.
B. Think:
- What is the significance of what is happening according to Matthew?
- What does Joseph obviously feel about his dream?
- What is the significance of the prophetic name to be given?
C. Comment:
Joseph has been dreaming and has seen the angel come and speak to him to tell him that what is happening is of God, so this is the first indication of divine intervention. However, says Matthew, all that was happening was exactly in accordance with what God had already declared through the prophet Isaiah centuries before.
Again and again in the Old Testament, we find the heart and purpose of God breaking through, as the prophets caught something of it. Isaiah had prophesied that a young woman, almost certainly an unmarried young woman, a virgin, would have a child who would be a son and she would call him Immanuel, as an indication of her belief that God was with them.
When Joseph wakes up, he responds to the dream and does not proceed with his prior intention to divorce Mary. Note here therefore, the faith of two men: first of Joseph who simply believes what he has dreamt and proceeds on the basis of what he has heard, and second, Matthew as he applies the Isaiah prophecy to what is happening. For him it is obvious that this was simply the fulfilment of what God had already said. Both these two men are examples to us of simple faith that responds to the simple revelation of God.
D. Application:
- When God speaks, through whatever form, do I hear and accept it as His word and respond to it?
- God is with us! That is the most wonderful news. Rejoice in it!
SPECIAL NOTE: Kings of Judah
In Matthew 1:7-11 we read of the kings of Judah who followed David up to the Exile. The following is what Scripture says of them:
| 1 Kings 11:4-9 | Solomon: his wives turned his heart to other gods |
| 14:21-24 | Rehoboam: Judah did evil in the eyes of the Lord |
| 15:1-3 | Abijah: committed all the sins his father had done |
| 15:11 | Asa: did what was right in the eyes of the Lord |
| 2 Chron 17:3 | Jehoshaphat: in his early years he walked in the ways of David |
| 20:35 | Jehoshaphat: made an alliance with evil Israel |
| 21:4-7 | Jehoram: did evil in the eyes of the Lord |
| 22:1-4* | Ahaziah: did evil in the eyes of the Lord |
| 24:1-3* | Joash: did right in the eyes of the Lord all the years of Jehoida the priest |
| 24:24* | Joash: because Judah had forsaken the Lord, judgement was executed on Joash |
| 25:1-3* | Amaziah: did what was right in the eyes of the Lord but not whole heartedly |
| 26:3-5,16 | Uzziah: did what was right in the eyes of the Lord… His pride led to his downfall. He was unfaithful to the Lord |
| 27:1,2 | Jotham: did what was right in the eyes of the Lord |
| 28:1-5 | Ahaz: did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord |
| 29:1,2 | Hezekiah: did what was right in the eyes of the Lord |
| 33:1-17 | Manasseh: did evil in the eyes of the Lord |
| 33:21-23 | Amon: did evil in the eyes of the Lord |
| 34:1,2 | Josiah: did what was right in the eyes of the Lord |
| 36:1,2* | Jehoahaz: reigned for three months |
| 36:3-5* | Jehoiakim: did evil in the eyes of the Lord |
| 36:9,10 | Jehoiachin: did evil in the eyes of the Lord |
| 36:11,12* | Zedekiah: did evil in the eyes of the Lord |
* = not mentioned in Matthew’s listing