Family History

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,

the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.

Matthew 1:1

More than any of the other evangelists, Matthew's account of the greatest story ever told really makes the connection between the Old Covenant and New. Matthew was a Jewish apostle writing to a Jewish audience about the Jewish Messiah, so of course he would pay more attention to the fulfillment of prophecy. Of course he would focus on connecting Jesus to the Law and the Prophets. Of course he would lay out his message like an Old Testament narrative. But if you're not familiar with the history contained in the Bible, you might not notice it.

For instance, do you realize that the Bible could be considered the family history of Jesus and His ancestry? All 39 books of the Old Testament deal in one way or another with the Jewish people, Jesus' people, or with their near cousins. Many of the main characters portrayed in the narrative accounts of the Old Testament are in Jesus' direct lineage, and have a major impact on the events laying the foundation for and leading up to the birth of Christ.

Matthew's introduction mirrors the divinely inspired transitional device used in the book of Genesis to tell the story of man's beginnings and Israel's origins. Whereas John paralleled Genesis 1:1 with "In the beginning..." Matthew moves past the Genesis prologue to the unfolding story that begins with "This is the history (generations) of the heavens and the earth when they were created..." found in Genesis 2:4. Consider these other passage headings:

Genesis 5:1--This is the book of the genealogy of Adam.

Genesis 10:1--This is the genealogy of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Genesis 11:10--This is the genealogy of Shem.

Genesis 25:12--Now this is the genealogy of Ishmael, Abraham's son.

Genesis 25:19--This is the genealogy of Isaac, Abraham's son.

Genesis 36:1--Now this is the genealogy of Esau, who is Edom.

Genesis 37:2--This is the history of Jacob.

Continuing to use that transitional literary form, Matthew bridges the gap from Genesis to Jesus with his simple statement: The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham. In fact, I believe if one has an understanding of Matthew 1 and the genealogical list of Jesus' ancestors, one will also have an understanding of the entire Old Testament and also of the Gospel. And when Matthew identifies Jesus as the Son of David and of Abraham, he is tying the arrival of the Messiah back to two of the foundational Messianic prophecies--one being that in Abraham, all the nations of the earth would be blessed; and the other being that David would always have an heir to sit upon his throne.

Jesus was the fulfillment of all those Old Testament prophecies and promises, and the crowning achievement of 4000 years of human history and genealogy. This is His story.