Matthew 1:1-17

Genesis 49:2, 8-10

Psalm 72:1-2, 3-4ab, 7-8, 17

Matthew 1:1-17

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,

the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham became the father of Isaac,

Isaac the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 

Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,

whose mother was Tamar. 

Perez became the father of Hezron,

Hezron the father of Ram,

Ram the father of Amminadab. 

Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,

Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Salmon the father of Boaz,

whose mother was Rahab. 

Boaz became the father of Obed,

whose mother was Ruth. 

Obed became the father of Jesse,

Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon,

whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 

Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,

Rehoboam the father of Abijah,

Abijah the father of Asaph. 

Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,

Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,

Joram the father of Uzziah. 

Uzziah became the father of Jotham,

Jotham the father of Ahaz,

Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 

Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,

Manasseh the father of Amos,

Amos the father of Josiah.

Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers

at the time of the Babylonian exile.

After the Babylonian exile,

Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,

Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,

Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. 

Abiud became the father of Eliakim,

Eliakim the father of Azor,

Azor the father of Zadok. 

Zadok became the father of Achim,

Achim the father of Eliud,

Eliud the father of Eleazar. 

Eleazar became the father of Matthan,

Matthan the father of Jacob,

Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. 

Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.

Thus the total number of generations

from Abraham to David

is fourteen generations;

from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations;

from the Babylonian exile to the Christ,

fourteen generations.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you are always faithful and never waiver in your commitment to humanity. Although we have sinned against you, you do not give up on us. You have not given up on me and welcome me back with open arms when I repent, with your grace, from my sin.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Lion of Judah: Matthew opens his Gospel with the Book of the Genealogy of Jesus Christ. He organizes the list of names into three sets of fourteen. In doing so, he emphasizes the royal pedigree of Jesus. David’s name in Hebrew is “dvd,” and, added up, the three letters total 14. This means that Jesus is the culmination of the three sets of 14 and that he is the “thrice-David” or the New David par excellence. In the first set, from Abraham to David, it is shown that Jesus’ ancestry is from Judah. And the First Reading brings this out. It narrates how Jacob blessed his fourth son, Judah, and foretold that the scepter shall never depart from Judah’s line. Judah is compared by Jacob to a recumbent lion, the king of beasts. And we know from the New Testament, especially the Book of Revelation, that Jesus is the fulfillment of this prophecy from Jacob: Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Revelation 5:5). The Kingdom that Jesus establishes is everlasting.

2. The Son of David: The second set of generations goes from King David to Jeconiah. It covers the often-sad story of how the royal sons of David sinned against God and led the people into idolatry. Of the fourteen names, only three stand out as good kings: David, Hezekiah, and Josiah. The stories of the royal sons of David are contained in the First and Second Book of the Kings. Despite the infidelity of David’s sons, the Lord God remains faithful to his covenant oath that David’s Kingdom would last forever. When the Kingdom of Judah was defeated, Jerusalem destroyed, and the Judeans exiled to Babylon, it was challenging to see how God’s oath would be fulfilled. Matthew’s genealogy shows how God is eternally faithful to his promises!

3. The Son of Mary: The third set of fourteen generations goes from the Babylonian exile to Jesus, the Son of Mary. The last name of Jesus’ genealogy, recorded in the Old Testament, was Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel was the grandson of King Jeconiah and led the people back to Judah after the Persians defeated the Babylonians. He did not reign as a king but was only the governor of Judah, which had become a vassal of the Babylonians. If this part of the genealogy is not found in the books of the Old Testament, then where did Matthew find this part of the genealogy of Jesus? The answer is likely as follows. In the second century B.C., either during the persecution of Antiochus IV or the Hasmonean Dynasty that followed, some of the descendants of the royal family of David left Jerusalem and settled in a northern Galilean town that they named “Nazareth.” This name meant “branch” and reflected their hope in the prophets who foretold that a branch or shoot would come forth from the fallen tree of David’s royal line. These descendants of David carried with them their private record of their genealogy. When King Herod the Great came to power after the Hasmoneans, he destroyed the public genealogies of the Judeans to make sure that no one could challenge his kingship and claim royal descent from David. The private genealogies of the line of David in Nazareth survived, and Matthew, the tax collector from Capernaum, was able to record it. Although the list of names can seem boring and repetitive, it is a record of God’s faithful and merciful salvation despite the infidelity of his children. God is always faithful and ready to welcome us when we turn from our sin and embrace his mercy.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, as I reflect on the stories of your ancestors, I am confronted with both good and evil. Even the great ones, like Abraham, Jacob, and David, were not perfect. This comforts me as I fight the good fight and strive to finish the race. Empower me with your grace that I may be holy as your heavenly Father is holy.

Living the Word of God: As I hear the genealogy of Jesus, do I find myself indifferent to the history of salvation narrated in the Old Testament? If so, why? Is it boring or unintelligible? Do I need to ask God to enkindle in my heart a burning desire to encounter him in his revealed Word? Can I make time this upcoming year to read the Bible, read a good book about the Old Testament, or listen to The Bible in a Year podcast on my way to work?