1:1-17
Matthew dives right in with the genealogy of Jesus. There are some differences to the one found in Luke. He starts off by stating that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of David and the son of Abraham. Jesus is the fulfilment of all the Old Testament promises. God had promised David that he would always have a descendant on the throne, Jesus is the fulfilment of that promise. He also goes right back to Abraham. Luke takes his ancestry back to Adam.
We find it rather strange that the gospel should begin with a genealogy, but to the Jews it was important, and Matthew was aimed at a Jewish audience. In the Old Testament we often find that when someone is introduced, their father is mentioned. Several women are mentioned.
Critics are keen to point out that there are differences between the genealogies in Matthew and Luke. Yes there are, but that is because they were not intending to give the complete genealogy in “register of births and deaths” sense. They were highlighting a point. Luke starts with Joseph and works back to Adam, and then to God. Matthew starts with Abraham and works forward to Joseph.
Matthew also begins by declaring that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of David, and the Son of Abraham. That Jesus is the fulfilment of all the promises in the Old Testament is a key theme in Matthew.
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