Chapter 1

Chapter 1

THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

(Matthew 1:1-25)

Before we begin our study let us pray.

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come before you in the Name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Father, we ask that You would please bless our study of Your Word. Cause us to come to know You better and help us to better understand the wonderful Grace and Mercy You have extended to us through Your only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

Amen

For our study of the birth of Jesus Christ we will,

1. Review the physical genealogy of Jesus Christ and see how His lineage fulfilled the Old Testament Messianic prophecies.

2. Examine the spiritual lineage of Jesus Christ and discover that He was not and is not from the spiritual lineage of Adam but of God Himself.

3. Briefly touch upon the reasons why Jesus Christ came to physically sojourn upon this earth.

As we begin our study of the Gospel according to Matthew we find that it begins with the,

PHYSICAL GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST

Other than the fact that this would be a nice beginning of the Gospel, one might ask as to: "Why the genealogy?" Or perhaps put another way, "Was there a specific reason why the Gospel according to Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ?" The answer to these questions is that for us to be sure that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, His lineage must be in perfect harmony with what was foretold many, many years prior to His birth. To see that this is the case, let us review these prophecies and see how Jesus' physical genealogy fulfills them.

OLD TESTAMENT PROPHECIES

As we read the Old Testament we find that the Messiah was to come from,

The Seed of Abraham ~ 1911 BC

To see this let us read what God told Abraham after he was willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. This was the second time God promised Abraham that it would be through his offspring that He would bless all the nations of the earth. This second blessing is recorded for us in,

Genesis 22:15-18

"[15] The angel of the LORD called to Abraham from heaven a second time [16] and said, "I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, [17] I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, [18] and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.""

The Old Testament also tells us that the Messiah will also come,

Through Abraham's Son, Isaac ~ 1892 BC

To see this let us first read the promise God made to Abraham that he and his wife Sari would have a son. This promise to Abraham is recorded for us in,

Genesis 17:15-19

"[15] God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. [16] I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her." [17] Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, "Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?" [18] And Abraham said to God, "If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!" [19] Then God said, "Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him."

Let us notice the following verses,

17 … It is noted that at the age of 100 Abraham was well past the age of being physically able to father a child. It is also interesting to note that earlier in the Old Testament we learn that Sari was barren. Consequently, the birth of Isaac was to be a miraculous birth. Interestingly, this is also a foreshadowing of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ.

19 … God's covenant to Abraham will also pass on to his son, Isaac.

With this background let us now read what God told Isaac as He confirmed to Isaac the promise He made with Isaac's father Abraham. God's promise or covenant to Isaac is recorded for us in,

Genesis 26:1-4

"[1] Now there was a famine in the land--besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time--and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar. [2] The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. [3] Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. [4] I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed,"

The Old Testament also reveals to us that the Messiah will come from,

Isaac's Son, Jacob ~ 1786 BC

It is interesting to note that as Abraham's wife Sarah was barren so was Isaac's wife, Rebekah. To see this let us read from,

Genesis 25:20-21

"[20] … Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel the Aramean from Paddan Aram and sister of Laban the Aramean. [21] Isaac prayed to the LORD on behalf of his wife, because she was barren. The LORD answered his prayer, and his wife Rebekah became pregnant."

Hence, the birth of Isaac's two sons, Esau and Jacob, was also a foreshadowing of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ. However, God's covenant to Abraham and Isaac was to be carried on by Jacob. To confirm this let us read what God said to Jacob during his journey to Haran. It is recorded for us in,

Genesis 28:10-14

"[10] Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. [11] When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. [12] He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. [13] There above it stood the LORD, and he said: "I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. [14] Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring."

The book of Genesis also tells us that the Messiah will come from,

Jacob's Son, Judah ~ 1689 BC

We find this prophecy in,

Genesis 49:10

"[10] The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his."

THE FULFILLMENT OF ABOVE PROPHECIES

To see how Jesus' lineage is in harmony with the above prophecies let us now read the first verses of the Gospel according to Matthew.

Matthew 1:1-2

"[1] A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: [2] Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,"

Let us now continue our reading of Jesus' genealogy by reading from,

Matthew 1:3-4

"[3] Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, [4] Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,"

SOME MORE PROPHECIES

In reading the Old Testament we find that the Messiah was also to come from,

The Family of Jesse ~ 742-735 BC

This prophecy was given through the prophet Isaiah and is recorded for us in,

Isaiah 11:1-2

"[1] A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. [2] The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--"

The Bible also tells us that the Messiah would come from,

The House of David ~ 995 BC

This prophecy was given through the prophet Jeremiah and recorded for us in,

Jeremiah 23:5-6

""[5] The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. [6] In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness."

In reading the Old Testament books of 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles we find that when King David wanted to build a Temple for God, God would not let him. Instead, God told David that Solomon, one of his sons, would build the Temple. Imbedded within this prophecy God also revealed to King David that through him that is through the house or seed of David, God would also bring forth a Son whose House and Kingdom would last forever. To see this let us read from,

1 Chronicles 17:11-14

"[11] When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. [12] He is the one who will build a house for me, and I will establish his throne forever. [13] I will be his father, and he will be my son. I will never take my love away from him, as I took it away from your predecessor. [14] I will set him over my house and my kingdom forever; his throne will be established forever.'""

THE FULFILLMENT

Let us now return to the reading of Jesus Christ's genealogy and see how His physical lineage fulfills these prophecies.

Matthew 1:5-6(a)

"[5] Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, [6] and Jesse the father of King David…,"

It is noted that up to this point in time both Joseph's and Mary's genealogies are the same (see Luke 3:23-34 for the lineage of Mary). In other words, from Abraham to King David both Joseph's and Mary's genealogies are identical. It is also noted that the prophecies of the Messiah to be a descendent of King David are the last of the genealogical prophecies. Consequently, the physical lineage of Jesus Christ completely fulfills the Old Testament prophecies for the ancestry of the promised Messiah.

It is noted that from King David, Mary's lineage continues from Nathan, one of David's sons. Whereas Joseph's lineage traces from King Solomon, another one of King David's sons, and is recorded as follows,

Matthew 1:6(b)-16

"[6] ... David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, [7] Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, [8] Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, [9] Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, [10] Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, [11] and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. [12] After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, [13] Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, [14] Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, [15] Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, [16] and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ."

To conclude this portion of our study, let us now read the following summary of Joseph's lineage up to the birth of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 1:17

"[17] Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ."

As we study the Bible we find that there is more to the lineage of Jesus Christ than what we have just covered. Specifically, we also discover that Jesus Christ was conceived, not by man, but by God the Holy Spirit. To see this and its implications let us now explore,

THE SPIRITUAL LINEAGE OF JESUS CHRIST

As with the physical lineage of Jesus Christ we also find that in the Old Testament the spiritual lineage of Jesus was also foretold. Specifically, it tells us that He was to be born of a virgin. To see this let us read the following prophecy by the prophet Isaiah,

Isaiah 7:13-14

"[13] Then Isaiah said, "Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God also? [14] Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel."

To see that the birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy for the promised Messiah, let us read about the circumstances surrounding His conception and birth as recorded in,

Matthew 1:18-25

"[18] This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. [19] Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. [20] But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." [22] All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: [23] "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel" --which means, "God with us." [24] When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. [25] But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus."

Let us notice the following verses,

18 … Before she and Joseph came together Mary was with child.

20 … An angel told Joseph that what was conceived in Mary was from God the Holy Spirit. In other words, the angel told Joseph that this was a miraculous conception.

21 … Note that Jesus' purpose for coming to earth was to save His people from their sins.

22 … The birth of Jesus Christ fulfilled the prophecy God gave through Isaiah.

23 … His name Immanuel means: “God with us.”

25 … Joseph and Mary had no union till after she gave birth to Jesus.

In addition to being miraculous, the significance of Jesus' virgin birth is that His birth came outside of the natural course of things. More specifically, the Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ was not from the spiritual lineage of Adam but was begotten of God not man. Thus,

JESUS CHRIST WAS/IS GOD MANIFESTED IN THE FLESH

To see and appreciate the truth of this statement let us read,

The Witness of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit through the writings of the Apostle John bears witness to the truth of the fact that Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh. To see this let us read about the birth of Jesus Christ as recorded in the Gospel according to John.

John 1:1-4

"[1] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. [2] He was with God in the beginning. [3] Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. [4] In him was life, and that life was the light of men."

Let us notice the following verses,

1 … The Word was God.

3 …Through Him all things were made.

4 … In Him was life.

Let us now skip a few verses and read from,

John 1:14

"[14] The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Now some skeptics have said that Jesus never claimed to be God. However, the New Testament reveals to us that Jesus made it very clear to the Jews and now us on exactly who He was and is. With this in mind let us now read,

The Witness of Jesus Christ

To see that Jesus made it clear on who He was let us read what happened between Jesus and the Jews during one of the feasts of Dedication. We find it in,

John 10:22-30

"[22] Then came the Feast of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, [23] and Jesus was in the temple area walking in Solomon's Colonnade. [24] The Jews gathered around him, saying, "How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ, tell us plainly." [25] Jesus answered, "I did tell you, but you do not believe. The miracles I do in my Father's name speak for me, [26] but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. [27] My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. [28] I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. [29] My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. [30] I and the Father are one.""

Given the above discourse, the following question comes to mind: "Did the Jews really understand what Jesus was telling them?" To find out let us continue our reading with,

John 10:31-33

"[31] Again the Jews picked up stones to stone him, [32] but Jesus said to them, "I have shown you many great miracles from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?" [33] "We are not stoning you for any of these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.""

In other words, the Jews knew exactly what Jesus had said. Notice the reason they went to stone Him was that He claimed to be God.

Finally, and most important of all we find that God the Father also bore witness to His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. And so let us now read an example of,

The Witness of God the Father

To do this let us read what occurred after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. To do this let us read from,

Matthew 3:13-17

"[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. [14] But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" [15] Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented. [16] As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. [17] And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.""

Let us notice the following verse,

17 … God the Father proclaimed Jesus to be His Son.

This was not the only time God the Father specifically bore witness to the fact that Jesus Christ was His only begotten Son. He also bore witness to Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration. This is recorded for us in,

Mark 9:2-8

"[2] After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. [3] His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. [4] And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus. [5] Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." [6] (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.) [7] Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!" [8] Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus."

Let us notice the following verses,

3 … Jesus became dazzling white. In other words Jesus' true nature was revealed.

7 … God the Father bore witness to Peter, James and John that Jesus is His Son.

SUMMARY

As we reflect upon all we have covered thus far we come to realize that it is only the physical lineage of Jesus Christ that traces back to King David and Abraham; whereas, His spiritual lineage comes directly from God. In other words He was and is the only begotten Son of God.

With the above genealogical background in mind we come to the question of: "Why?" Why did Jesus come? Why did God come in the flesh of man to live and dwell with us? As we read the Scriptures we find many reasons why Jesus came. However, for this study let us touch upon,

TWO MAIN REASONS WHY JESUS CAME TO LIVE AND DWELL AMONG US

One reason Jesus came to this earth was

TO REVEAL GOD THE FATHER TO US

To see this let us read the following excerpt of Jesus' prayer just before He was arrested and ultimately crucified. In His prayer, Jesus reveals to us that His work upon earth was finished and He was faithful in revealing the Father to those that are His.

John 17:1-8

"[1] … he looked toward heaven and prayed: "Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. [2] For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. [3] Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. [4] I have brought you glory on earth by completing the work you gave me to do. [5] And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. [6] "I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. [7] Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. [8] For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me."

Let us notice the following verses,

1 … Jesus is praying to God the Father.

2-3 … One facet of eternal life is to know God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.

5 … Jesus Christ was with the Father before the world began.

6 … Jesus revealed and still reveals God the Father to those who are His.

8 … Jesus gave and still gives God's Words to those who are His disciples.

However, the most important reason Jesus came to this earth was,

TO SAVE US FROM OUR SINS

This reason was clearly revealed to us by the angel of the Lord when He appeared to Joseph to tell him that Mary was with child by God the Holy Spirit. To refresh our memories let us read again from,

Matthew 1:19-21

"[19] Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. [20] But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. [21] She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.""

THE MESSAGE

Thus, we find that the whole point or message of this study is summarized in the following Scriptures.

John 3:16-17

""[16] For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. [17] For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."

Let us now close our study by reading the following excerpt from the first letter of the Apostle John.

1 John 5:13

"[13] I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."

Blessed be the Lord forever!

AMEN and AMEN

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