Matthew Introduction
The gospel of Matthew was written by a Jew, under the inspiration of God, for the Jewish people. The gospel shows Jesus as the fulfillment of many Jewish prophecies. Matthew listed 16 fulfillments of the prophecies of the Old Testiment. Jesus is the King, son of David and the Messiah of the Jews, the son of Abraham.
The gospel begins with a genealogy going back to Abraham. Joseph, Mary's husband was the stepfather to Jesus, God was his father, but legally the geneology goes through Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus. There are two genealogies, one in Matthew and one in the gospel of Luke. The genealogy in Luke starts with Joseph and goes back to Adam.
Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Mat 1:2 Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren;
Mat 1:3 And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;
Mat 1:4 And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon;
Mat 1:5 And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;
Mat 1:6 And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
Mat 1:7 And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa;
Mat 1:8 And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias;
Mat 1:9 And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias;
Mat 1:10 And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias;
Mat 1:11 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
Mat 1:12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
Mat 1:13 And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor;
Mat 1:14 And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud;
Mat 1:15 And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;
Mat 1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Mat 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
Unlike most genealogies, four women were mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus, five counting Mary the birth mother.
Tamar was a Jewish prostitute.
Rahab was a Gentile prostitute.
Ruth was a Moabite, a Gentile
Bathsheba, Her who had been the wife of Uriah: (Mat 1:5) , who committed adultery with David.
Jesus was the son of God with no sin, yet as the legal adopted son of Joseph, he had many sinners in his ancestry. All flesh has sinned, only Jesus has no sin.
Isa 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
Isa 64:7 And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.
1 John 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
1 Pet 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Conception
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of Mary, a virgin. Luke tells this story.
Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
Luke 1:27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
Luke 1:28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
Luke 1:29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
Luke 1:30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
Luke 1:31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.
Luke 1:34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
Luke 1:35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.
Paul, in Philippians 2, explains that Jesus is the eternal son of God, who put aside his glory and was made in the likeness of a man; God's Son was Spirit.
Phil 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
Phil 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
So the conception in Mary was miraculous. The new life was both God and man, the God-man, Jesus.
Mat 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
Joseph hearing that Mary was pregnant could have publicly disgraced her and put her away from him, seemingly she had broken her vow to him to be faithful. In their culture the marriage vow lasted a year, somewhat like an engagement time, before the actually coming together. The couple was in preparation for the day when the bridegroom would come.
Mat 1:20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
Mary had not been unfaithful, she was blessed to be the mother of the promised Messiah. Now Joseph understood; he would raise God's son. Joseph the carpenter who made things of wood, would have a helper; his son, who also had been with God the Father creating the worlds.
Heb 1:2 (God) Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
A big responsibility for Joseph, from the family line of King David and a big honor for Mary, also a descendent of King David, to be parents of God's son, the King of Kings and the living word of God. The one who would save his people from their sins.
Jesus our saviour is born
Mat 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
The name Jesus, means, "Jehovah is the Savior." Isaiah prophesied;
Isa 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.
The angel of the Lord described Jesus as God's son, and the son of king David, to be an everlasting king;
Luke 1:32 He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
Luke 1:33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
Mat 1:22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
Mat 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Isa 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Mat 1:24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
Mat 1:25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.
He took Mary to Bethlehem, the city of David, where they were to register to pay taxes.
Luke 2:4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
Luke 2:5 To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
Luke 2:6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
Luke 2:7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
The king of kings was born in a lowly stable, a barn and laid in a manger, a feeding container for the animals. Jesus the Lamb of God and the bread of life had a humble beginning. He would identify with those of a humble heart.
He would later say;
Mat 11:28 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Mat 11:29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
Mat 11:30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Jesus came to save his people; he is the savior to save us from our sins and death. (vs 21) Those who receive him shall never be separated from God. We shall be sons and daughters in God's family forever. What a glorious savior!
Matthew Table of Contents
Matthew 1 Jesus the King
Matthew 2
Matthew 3
Matthew 4
Matthew 5 Sermon on the mount
Matthew 6
Matthew 7
Matthew 8 Miracles&Rejection
Matthew 9
Matthew 10
Matthew 11
Matthew 12
Matthew 13
Matthew 14 Kingdom Mysteries
Matthew 15
Matthew 16
Matthew 17
Matthew 18
Matthew 19
Matthew 20
Matthew 21
Matthew 22
Matthew 23
Matthew 24 Olivet Discourse
Matthew 25
Matthew 26 Death/Resurrection
Matthew 27
Matthew 28
Eaglewings Bible Commentary
Eaglewings Topical Bible Studies
Eaglewings Testimonies