"David" in Hebrew letters: Dalet + Vav + Dalet = 14

The Family History of Jesus Christ

(Matthew 1, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, December 16, 2012)

[1:1] The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

[2] Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, [3] and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, [4] and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, [5] and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, [6] and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, [7] and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, [8] and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, [9] and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, [10] and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, [11] and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

[12] And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, [13] and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, [14] and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, [15] and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, [16] and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

[17] So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.In the wake of horrifying events that have taken place recently in Newtown, Connecticut, as we pray for those who are grieving we are also marking the anniversary of the coming of a second Adam, a new man, the Lord Jesus Christ. The first Adam's world has become a place of death, and that world is swiftly fading away. The second Adam's world began in the womb of a virgin and in the discovery of an empty tomb. That new world is a kingdom of life that will never end.

Jesus of Nazareth had a family heritage. In this first chapter of Matthew's gospel, the apostle Matthew wants us to see that heritage from the vantage point of both natures of the Christ. In verses 1-17 we are introduced to the human descent of Jesus, and in verses 18-25 we begin to grapple with the mystery of the divine Son of God, who is “God with us.”

In terms of His human descent, there can be no doubt that Matthew expects us to see the family heritage of Jesus in light of two of His ancestors, Abraham and David. God gave a promise to Abraham that would encompass the entirety of a new creation. In a descendant of Abraham, who lived 4000 years ago, all the nations of the earth would be blessed.

1000 years after Abraham, David, the king of Israel lived. God made a promise to David that he would have a descendant who would have an eternal kingdom. The first 14 generations listed in Matthew cover the period between God's promise to bless the world through Abraham and God's promise to institute an eternal kingdom through a coming son of David.

1000 years after David, Jesus came. He suffered, died, and rose from the dead. This period from David to Jesus is covered in two lists, each containing 14 generations. The first of these is a list of the kings of Judah. The second takes us from the sad moment when Rachel was weeping for her children called here the deportation to Babylon up to the coming of the Messiah when baby boys in the village of Bethlehem were slaughtered. That event is recorded in Matthew 2, which we will read next week. In Matthew 1, that moment that moved us from BC to AD is marked by the coming of the Man of Life, Jesus, the Christ.

Matthew's genealogy contains the names of five women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba “the wife of Uriah,” and Mary. The story of these five women is the collective account of outsiders in deep distress who believed the Word and found a Savior. The final woman, Mary, gave birth to the baby who was her own Messiah. All these women experienced grave sorrow, summarized by a prophetic word to Mary, “a sword will pierce through your own soul also.” This is the story of Adam's world, a story of a dagger that cuts the hearts of men and women everywhere.

[18] Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. [19] And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. [20] But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
[23] “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, [25] but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

The full account of the family history of Jesus Christ required something beyond a well-formed genealogy. It came to us from a heavenly revelation. In Matthew we learn of the revelation given to Joseph. In Luke we have the Word of God to Mary. The essence of the message to Joseph is all about Jesus, the eternal Son of God.

Verse 20: That which is conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit.

Verse 21: You shall call His Name Jesus: “Yahweh saves!”

Verse 22: This baby is Isaiah's Immanuel: “God with us.”

How does Christmas help us through our present darkness? It does not help us by the creation of a happy myth. The world of Christmas in Bethlehem was a world where death seemed to reign through the madness of a man. The world of the first Christmas was a world where a sword pierced the hearts of anyone who was capable of feeling love and grief. The world of the first Christmas is the real world, but it is temporary. It is Adam's world, but it is fading away.

But Christmas is much more than that. It is about the fulfillment of ancient promises of life. It is a gift that can be received. It is a joy from heaven in the midst of sorrow. It is hope made sure through Jesus, the I-AM God, who saves His people from their sins through His suffering life.

We need to see the difference between death and life right now. Are you horrified by a world of death? Has a sword pierced your own heart? Are you lost and without a family? Find a new home where outcasts have found hope for thousands of years. Believe the Word of God. Receive the Son of Abraham, the Son of David, the Son of God, God with us who saves us from our sins.

OT Passages: Genesis 12:1-3, 2 Samuel 7:12-13