The Long-Awaited King (Matthew 1:1-17)
Below is the manuscript from my sermon Sunday. It’s honestly the most fun I’ve had in a passage in some time - and in a genealogy! You can catch the audio and video here. This was also a great Sunday, as we celebrated five years of partnership with the Glossons in Japan.
Now some of you young ones here could be a bit confused, so here’s some help. Our rival in sports is NOT ArKANSAS. No. It’s kansas. A few weeks back, ku - which is uncapitalized in my manuscript - of course - was leading Oklahoma in football. That hapless team somehow found themselves ahead at halftime. And some Tiger fans on a message board were debating. Nobody likes Oklahoma. Should we root for kansas? Well, the old-school folks, replied back, quite sternly, “Of course not. You never root for ku.” And I’d add - not if they’re playing against Darth Vader and his stormtroopers, not if they’re going up against the Orcs of Mordor - nobody. Never. You never - ever - root for kansas.
Growing up south of Kansas City, a kid of a diehard Missourah fan, enduring the ku - I mean KC media market, I grew up believing there was nothing good in kansas. You drove over the state-line, and the lush greens turned to nasty browns. Kind of like Narnia - always winter, but never Christmas. But anyway, a few years back, we were heading out west on our sabbatical trip, and we ended up cutting through southern kansas. And it was then that I first drove through what are called the Flint Hills. I remember thinking, “There is actually some beauty here.” But then I think I went back to scanning through PowerMizzou.com. But I was caught off guard. I was surprised by the beauty.
I think that’s how we sometimes approach the genealogies of the Bible - like what we see here in the first few verses of Matthew. These are the ads on Netflix. Where you press and hold to skip. These are the pages at the book’s front that you always flip past. Ancestry.com? Not really interested. And I’ve often looked at these verses in the same way. They seem confusing. And, if we’re honest, boring.
We may get excited at times to open our Bibles, and then we end up starting here. And soon we think, “Oh yeah, watching Ted Lasso for the third time sounds good.” But if we do, we’ll certainly miss out, because there’s a surprising amount of glory to be found right here - if we’ll only keep an open mind and truly look.
Last week, we kicked off our new series here in Karis called “Our King. His Kingdom.” We’ll spend the next multiple months - or years - walking verse by verse through this amazing gospel, that of Matthew. We’ll hold up these pages like a fine diamond, turning it in the light, seeing glory from multiple angles. We’ll see the glory of Jesus, our King. And we’ll pray that God would make us less and less about us and more and more about His Kingdom.
We start out with the introduction, chapters 1 and 2. We go into these five cycles of stories about Jesus and sermons from Him. And then, the last three chapters, 26 through 28, close with His death and resurrection. But today and the coming weeks, we’re in that prologue - where we consider “Who Is Jesus?” and “Where is He from?”
We’ll get to the birth of Jesus in a couple of weeks. But here, today, we look at this genealogy. And we’ll look at it today from two angles - the people of the genealogy and the purpose of the genealogy.
The People in Christ’s Genealogy
Let’s first get to the people in Christ’s genealogy. Now you see some big dogs, you could say, in verse 1, right off the bat. And we’ll get to them soon. But first, you can’t miss three groups of overlapping people in this genealogy. These are the ancestors of our Lord Jesus Christ.
First, notice that women are included. Now people rush to argue today that the Bible represses women. Sure, there are some teachings that may challenge how we think. But the reality is that the Bible is a document that was way ahead of its time. The fact that women are included in this genealogy - and normal women and not matriarchs - is really remarkable.
We see “Tamar” in verse 3, “Rahab” and “Ruth” in verse 5, the woman known as “the wife of Uriah” in verse 6, and, of course, “Mary” mentioned in verse 16, the mother of Jesus. Now, we might think today, “Of course women should be listed. Why wouldn’t they be?” But this was progressive for back then. Christ’s Kingdom shook the status quo. It gave a picture of what the King’s ministry would look like. Matthew - and Jesus - communicate clearly: women are worthy. To be a key part of the Kingdom. Even to be listed as ancestors of the King.
They were a part of Christ’s group of followers. They were among the first witnesses of the resurrection. They were some of Christ’s closest relationships. They were some of his best laborers.
As Rebecca McLaughlin puts it, “Jesus’s valuing of women is unmistakable. In a culture in which women were devalued and often exploited, it underscores their equal status before God and his desire for personal relationship with them.” Now the Kingdom of Jesus hasn’t fully come. Most of us would acknowledge that we still have a long way to go. Here’s a question. We who follow Jesus. Are we, like our Lord, leading the way of honoring and empowering women? We should be.
Second, notice that outsiders are welcomed. There’s no doubt an anti-outsider sentiment in our culture today. And there certainly was in old-school Israel. But those women, listed in this genealogy, are also Gentiles, non-Jews. They are included here in the lineage of Christ the King. “Rahab” is a Canaanite who helps Israel defeat Jericho, while “Ruth” is a Moabite who latches herself to Naomi and the people of God. Bathsheba is also counted as a Gentile. We see her, in verse 6, as “the wife of Uriah,” having married a Hittite. And, there is also a Jewish tradition that “Tamar” was a Syrian, a Canaanite, who also came to worship the one true God.
And listed second here in verse 1 is “Abraham.” Yes, he is the Father of Israel. But he’s also the one to whom the Lord said, in Genesis 12, “…in you, all the families of the earth will be blessed.” The hope of God’s reign would extend to outsiders - even to the very ends of the earth. To places like Japan, like we’re talking about and praying about today. But also to where we stand and live right here and now. We are Gentiles, too. Enfolded into this promise.
But it’s more than that. The true Israel, the Son of God, had Gentile in His blood. And then He poured it out for the nations. Here at the start we see the gospel writer show how the good news of Jesus is meant for all. And the book culminates in what we call the “Great Commission,” where our Lord tells us to “go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
There is this thought that Christianity is western and works against diversity. But as McLaughlin puts it, “Contrary to popular conceptions, the Christian movement was multicultural and multiethnic from the outset.” We may not want to accept that, but it’s true. She goes on:
“But, ironically, our habit of equating Christianity with Western culture is itself an act of Western bias. The last book of the Bible paints a picture of the end of time, when ‘a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages’ will worship Jesus (Rev. 7:9). This was the multicultural vision of Christianity from the beginning. For all the wrong turns made by Western Christians in the last two thousand years, when we look at church growth globally today, it is not crazy to think that this vision could ultimately be realized. So, if you care about diversity, don't dismiss Christianity: it is the most diverse, multiethnic, and multicultural movement in all of history.” (Rebecca McLaughlin)
Here’s something we have to wrestle with, especially in today’s world. If our Lord is about incorporating all nations - into His saving plan and even the making of His Messiah - are we with Him? On His team? We sure should be.
Third, notice that sinners are acknowledged. I think if you asked most people today, they’d say that the people close to God are the really holy people. Or more likely, the people who think they are or act like it, at least. But if you look at Jesus, who was He most often hanging out with? The tax collectors and sinners. Right? The people shunned by the religious leaders of that day. Those who saw their need and saw that met in Jesus. Some of those same people - really people like us - are found here in this list of names. First, those Gentile women that we’ve already talked about. “Tamar” disguises herself as a prostitute and sleeps with her father-in-law. “Rahab,” though she helps out the armies of Israel, is a prostitute by trade. Bathsheba, Uriah’s wife, sleeps with David the King, as he offs her husband. These women had sinful pasts, sexual histories. You and I can read the gospels and see people Jesus redeems. But we can also see them here even in Christ’s line. You may have a past, but you can also have a future.
But if you know these stories, you may say, “Wait a minute.” “Tamar” ended up in that place due to abuse from men. Like almost all who sell their bodies, “Rahab” was doubtfully there completely by choice. And there’s Bathsheba. What happened to her was almost certainly not her decision - given the power dynamics at play. David was the king. We’re not just sinners, but sufferers. That’s all of us. We’ve sinned against others. And we’ve been sinned against. But we have the hope that Christ redeems our past - as well as our pain.
But that leads to another group of sinners we see here. Some really bad kings. The nation was messed up. Their leaders were messed up. And it starts with King David. Yeah, he’s at one point called a man after God’s heart. But at another, he’s a jerk after another man’s wife. In the rest of these names, we have some good kings, for sure. But also some who were bad in many ways - like “Solomon” and “Rehoboam” and “Abijah” and “Joram” and “Uzziah” and “Ahaz” and “Manasseh” - and, of course, “Jeconiah,” who was cuffed and taken to Babylon, when God had said, “Enough is enough,” and made clear what He thought of His people and her leaders.
Now you had some better kings in there, for sure. But they, like us, were all still sinners. It was a matter of degree and not of kind. And that should give us hope.
Jesus is for people like us. While He is sinless, He came from a line of sinners. People like you and me. Do we see that in ourselves and bow humbly before Him? Do we bring Him our problems and also our pain? And do we open up our arms and welcome sinners and sufferers into our lives - and into His life? Or are we more like the Pharisees - that Jesus will light up just a few pages ahead? Wagging our fingers? Shaking our heads?
The family and I are heading back to one of my favorite places over the holidays - the Big Apple. You can stand in Battery Park there, in southern Manhattan and look out in the bay. There you see the Statue of Liberty with Ellis Island in the background. There on that island you can visit the National Museum of Immigration and learn about those who came before us, about many of our ancestors - those who came to make America what she’s come to be. And there in the foreground is Lady Liberty, holding up her torch, extending her welcome.
Here in this gospel, we’ll see Jesus opening up His arms, to sinners and sufferers, then and now, and into our future. And these opening verses list names of the same, laying out clearly our past and His. We learn a lot looking at the people of this genealogy. They read like a big sign that reads, “Everyone is welcome.” And that should fill our hearts with gladness and hope. And leave us living lives that are hospitable and kind.
The Purpose of Christ’s Genealogy
Let’s turn, second, to the purpose of Christ’s genealogy. Now if I come home from a film - let’s say the new Marvel movie - and you ask me about it, it’s doubtful that I’m going to just rattle off a list of characters. If I do, you’re going to protest. You’re going to say, “Come on, man. What was the movie about?”
In the same way, these names - in this list of Jesus’s ancestors - make a point. There’s a purpose to them. And, once again, this is obviously the introduction to the story. These are the opening credits. But there are some spoilers in them, too. Right? Here, at the very beginning, even in the opening verse, we learn what this book, what this story, is all about.
We just looked at the people of the genealogy. We saw that women are included. We saw that outsiders are welcomed. We saw that sinners are acknowledged. Here I also want you to see three things that point to the purpose of this genealogy. We see the beauty of God’s plan. We see the salvation of God’s King. We see the center of God’s story.
First, see the beauty of God’s plan. A word that we’re not afraid of here in Karis, one that we even cherish, is this: providence. That’s that street over there. But what does it mean? Yes, God provides for His creation, for all He’s made, and especially His people. But when we really get to explaining what providence means, we usually mention two angles. God sustaining His creation - holding it together, keeping it going. And God ruling His creation - guiding it and directing it to fulfill all His purposes. Ephesians 1:11 - God “works all things according to the counsel of his will.”
And our Lord is about restoring all He’s made, about bringing salvation to His fallen creation. And in His plan, that involved sending His Son, a Savior, into the world, to die for sin and be raised to life. In this genealogy, we see God working over thousands of years - providentially - to see all things summed up in Christ.
Think about what was going on here. There God’s people are in their land, but under Roman occupation. Life is difficult. Hope’s hard to come by. And they’d not heard from the Lord for four hundred years. A thick darkness hangs over that land. And then that star shines over Bethlehem that night. Christ has descended to earth, and with Him, hope. This list of names reminds us that God’s plan did come about. His providence has been seen. Even through evil people.
And not just evil people - normal people. Not even all the kings are listed here. Most of the citizens of those nations aren’t. They weren’t supposed to be. Matthew is making a point. Millions lived and died. They lived normal lives. They lived fallen lives. And God was quietly, faithfully working - in His way, in His timing. He wouldn’t abandon His creation. Like back in the garden, when God came to Adam and Eve saying, “Where are you?” after they’d sinned, He’s doing the same thing here. His Son comes on the scene, calling out, drawing near, coming to us in love.
As Galatians 4:4 and 5 put it, “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.” Here we see the beauty of God’s plan. He rules over His world. He keeps His promises.
Here in Karis, we like to hold on to these truths. God is in control. But not just that. God is also good. But going further still, He’s not just good and in control. He’s also with us.
In this genealogy, we are reminded - on this side of Christ’s birth, as well as His death, that - no matter how things may seem - His plan - His beautiful plan - is still being worked out. Back then, His plan to get them to the first Advent. Right now, to get us to the second. Do you believe this? For you and me? Even in hard days like today?
I said God keeps His promises. One of the most relevant ones here is the one He made and kept to David the King back in 2 Samuel 7. In that critical chapter of the Bible, David tells the Lord, “Hey, I’ve got a house now - a pretty good one, at that. I feel the need to build you one - and one better than mine.” And, of course, he was talking there about a temple. But the Lord responds, and He responds in a surprising way. He says, “You want to build me a house? Guess what. I’m going to build YOU a house.” And the Lord says these words to David:
2Sam. 7:12 When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
2Sam. 7:13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2Sam. 7:14 I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men,
2Sam. 7:15 but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you.
2Sam. 7:16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’”
And there, of course, God is talking about Jesus. God keeps that promise - the most important one of all. And that leads to my next point.
Second, we see the salvation of God’s King. Hear verse one again: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” We’ve already talked about Abraham. But David is the main point of this verse. And it’s a theme through Matthew - that Jesus is the “son of David.” We’ll see that title over and over again. And with it, the reminder of Christ’s identity.
He’s the heir to that throne, the one promised so long ago, that would reign forever and ever. It’s the theme of this passage - starting out in the first verse, and serving as the hinges on which these verses turn. David is emphasized here. And Jesus is the heir to His throne. The fulfillment of God’s promises. As Isaiah once put it, a passage we hear every Christmas season:
Is. 9:6 For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Is. 9:7 Of the increase of his government and of peace
there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness
from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.
Jesus is the “Christ.” This isn’t his last name. It’s a name that means “anointed One.” Just as David was anointed with oil - a custom in that day - to lead the people of God, so is Jesus - with the Spirit. He is the Messiah. The long-awaited King who would come and usher in His Kingdom. And bring salvation.
Now we also jump over the word Jesus. But that name - even fairly common in that day - really more like Yeshua - it’s a variation of the name Joshua, which means “God saves.” This child, born in that manger, who would hang on that cross, who will come again in glory - He is the Christ. And He is the Savior. He’s a man. This genealogy labors to make that point. But He’s also God.
Notice the wording of verse 16 - “and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born.” It’s not hard to read between the lines there and get the point. Mary’s spoken of in the passive here, and having a baby is a pretty active endeavor. Normally. But He has another Father, the Lord of the universe. And as both God of heaven and man of earth, He alone can provide salvation, bringing heaven and earth together once again.
Now you might say, people are left out of this genealogy, and you’d be right. But this was common in that day - to help with memorization, to help with style, and to help make a point. The repetition of the word “fourteen” in verse 17 is actually quite significant. Hebrew characters also had numeric values given to them. The word David just has three letters. The Hebrew letter D is worth 4. The letter V counts for 6. D plus V plus D equals what? 14 - his jersey number. It seems like Matthew here, as a Jew writing to Jews, is screaming out, again and again, “This is David! He is the King. The one you’ve been waiting for! 1-4! This is the One!”
Do you and I see this? That He is our hope for saving us. But also for restoring this world. Again, no earthly king or kingdom will give us what we want. Only Jesus and His Kingdom of heaven.
Third, see the center of God’s story. Now there’s something really significant about starting with this list of names. And it’s so easy to overlook. Matthew is telling us that this is real history. Scholar Patrick Schreiner points out how important genealogies are in the Old Testament. Genesis has 10 of them. Chronicles have 9. The Lord there - and here - tells us this. This isn’t make believe. These are real people and real kings. Living over real kingdoms. Kings who had kids who had more kids who eventually, in God’s plan, gave birth to Jesus the King. Matthew describes the climax of God’s story. These first verses detail everything that has come before - the backstory. And it’s all true.
That story also has a center, a focus. Schreiner also points out how the sixteen words in verse 1 “summarize the entire story of the Bible so far.” Jesus is the son of David. He’s the son of Abraham. But the scholar also points out how those words, “the book of the genealogy,” could also just as easily be translated “the book of the Genesis.” Those same words are used in the Greek version of the Old Testament - back in Genesis 2:4 and 5:1 - where God describes the beginning of heaven and earth and the creation of His people. Verse one reminds us also of the beginning. Adam. Abraham. David. It encompasses all of history. But it also encapsulates the point. It’s all about Jesus.
Now I spent a decent time talking about the people of this genealogy. But it’s not primarily about people. It’s first and foremost about God. The point of history, the focus of all time, is Jesus. This passage reminds us of that. And shows us our place in the picture, as well. Patrick Schreiner again puts it this way:
“Matthew’s genealogy has a past, a present, and future. In Jesus Christ we’re now brought into this family; Abraham and David become our fathers. It becomes our genealogy, our family tree. Though this world seeks historical rooting and future life in various ways, only one child establishes the new creation. Jesus is the point of this genealogy, for Jesus is the point of the Bible.” (Patrick Schreiner)
There is so much unrest in our day. People hurting, going through a year of massive struggle, are changing up jobs, homes, churches, friends. They’re numbing themselves with alcohol and entertainment, with sex and food - wanting some hope. It’s found in Jesus the King. And in the Kingdom He brings. Do you see that, my friend? And are you sharing that with your friends? It’s all about Him.
I mentioned with that first point - that sign that says, “Everyone is welcome.” For this second point, think about another. I think of another great city I’ve visited - where Jesus is very much at work today - through some of our friends here. In Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the great Christ the Redeemer statue hovers over that metropolis, welcoming people in, reminding them that He alone can save. Remember that sign on the cross. That the Jewish leaders resisted. And that we resist also in our sin. “Jesus is King!” He alone can redeem!
But it’s what we all deeply want. His Kingdom of peace. The people and purpose of Matthew’s genealogy reveal that Jesus is the long awaited Son of David. Embrace Him. He’s what you and I so desperately want.
Maybe you’ve heard the name Susan Boyle. In April 2009, she sheepishly, awkwardly introduced herself to a TV show audience. She was 47 years old. She was unemployed and unmarried. She spent her life in solitude - just her and her cat. A Canadian newspaper explained the scene this way. "They saw a thick-waisted, middle-aged woman with Freida Kahlo eyebrows and Brillo pad hair, and the members of the audience could be seen rolling their eyes and smirking. They could not conceive that so plain and postdated a package could contain so lovely a voice.”
Susan opened her mouth. And began to sing. And Simon Cowell, the other judges, and all the Britain’s Got Talent audience began to freak out. Now she’s sung before the Queen and the Pope. There’s a musical that chronicles her life. That audience - in person and on TV - was surprised by beauty. Let’s not forget. Beauty comes in surprising places. And even sometimes when we’re reading the Bible. And we get to a long list of names.
When We Don’t See Beauty
Going back to where I began, sometimes, when we open up our Bibles, things can seem stale. It can strike us as boring. Then we start to get confused, and we too often don’t push through. Well, what do we do about that?
The first thing is to just push through. No digging, no diamonds. Too much of the time, we don’t keep at it. We give up too soon. We’re hiking, looking for a view, and we turn back one bend too early. Stick with it.
The second thing is to see the big picture. Your food last night might not have been exciting, but hopefully it was semi-healthy and nourished your body. I don’t want you to think it’s only like eating your vegetables. But it’s not completely unlike that either. God feeds and grows our souls through His Word.
The third thing is to ask for God’s grace. In Psalm 119:18, David prays, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things in your law.” Plead with God. Keep reading. And sometimes what most often tastes like vegetables will hit you like a great steak or even cheesecake.
The fourth thing is to be on the look out for Christ. Remember, He’s the point of everything. And certainly this thing. Search for Him and expect good things to happen. Expect to see some glory - the glory of Jesus - even on a page like this.
Michael Reeves puts it this way:
“We can open our Bible for all sorts of odd reasons—as a religious duty, an attempt to earn God’s favor, or thinking that it serves as a moral self-help guide, a manual of handy tips for effective religious lives. That idea is actually one main reason so many feel discouraged in their Bible-reading. Hoping to find quick lessons for how they should spend today, people find instead a genealogy, or a list of various sacrifices. And how could page after page of histories, descriptions of the temple, instructions to priests, affect how I rest, work, and pray today?
But when you see that Christ is the subject of all the Scriptures, that He is the Word, the Lord, the Son who reveals His Father, the promised Hope, the true Temple, the true Sacrifice, the great High Priest, the ultimate King, then you can read, not so much asking, 'What does this mean for me, right now?’ But ‘What do I learn here of Christ?’ Knowing that the Bible is about him and not me means that, instead of reading the Bible obsessing about me, I can gaze on him. And as through the pages you get caught up in the wonder of his story, you find your heart strangely pounding for him in a way you would never have if you had treated the Bible as a book about you.” (Michael Reeves, Delighting in the Trinity)
These few verses, this gospel of Matthew, the grand sweep of human history, as well as these short, humble lives of ours - they’re all meant to be about one thing, one man - Jesus the King. He is the great diamond, the Beautiful One. And only in realizing that will our lives reflect His glory and with it, experience the beauty we were intended for. He invites us to come to Him. Let’s pray.