Matthew 1

Matthew 1 opens the New Testament by presenting the genealogy of Jesus Christ and the account of His miraculous birth. Matthew shows that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the Son of David and the Son of Abraham. Through Abraham, Jesus is connected to God’s covenant promises to bless all nations. Through David, He is connected to the royal line from which the Messiah would come. The chapter also shows that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary, fulfilling prophecy and revealing Him as Immanuel, “God with us.” This chapter lays the foundation for understanding Jesus as the promised King, Saviour, and the One through whom God’s presence and salvation come to His people.

Matthew 1:1-6 (NKJV)
1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2 Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
4 Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon.
5 Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse,
6 and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

Matthew begins by showing that Jesus is “the Son of David” and “the Son of Abraham.” This is important because Abraham received the promise that all nations would be blessed through his seed, and David received the promise that a king from his line would rule on the throne. The genealogy also includes people like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and “her who had been the wife of Uriah,” showing that God’s grace works through imperfect people, painful stories, and unexpected backgrounds. Rahab and Ruth were also Gentile women, which hints that God’s plan through Christ would reach beyond Israel to the nations. By connecting Jesus to Abraham and David, Matthew shows that Jesus is the promised Messiah who fulfills God’s covenant promises and royal purpose.

Matthew 1:7-11 (NKJV)
7 Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.
8 Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.
9 Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.
11 Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon.

This section lists the kings of Judah from Solomon down to the time of the Babylonian captivity. Some of these kings were faithful to God, while others were wicked and led the nation into sin. Yet even through human failure, corruption, judgment, and national disaster, God’s promise did not fail. The mention of Babylon reminds us that Israel’s history included suffering, exile, and discipline because of disobedience. But God was still preserving the line through which the Messiah would come. This shows that God’s plan of salvation was greater than Israel’s failures and continued moving forward even through dark times.

Matthew 1:12-16 (NKJV)
12 And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.
14 Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.
15 Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.
16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

After the exile in Babylon, the royal line continued, even though Israel no longer had the same visible glory or throne as in David’s day. This shows that God’s promise was still alive, even when outward circumstances looked weak. The genealogy reaches Joseph, who was the husband of Mary. Matthew carefully says that Jesus was born of Mary, not that Joseph begot Jesus, showing that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. Joseph was His legal father, which gave Jesus legal connection to David’s royal line, while the next verses explain that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. This prepares the reader to understand both Jesus’ true humanity through Mary and His divine origin through God’s miraculous work.

Matthew 1:17 (NKJV)
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

Matthew summarizes the genealogy in three groups of fourteen generations: from Abraham to David, from David to the Babylonian captivity, and from the captivity to Christ. This structure helps show that Israel’s history was not random, but moving according to God’s purpose. Abraham represents the covenant promise, David represents the royal kingdom, Babylon represents judgment and exile, and Christ represents the fulfillment of hope. Matthew is showing that Jesus is the goal and climax of Israel’s story. All the promises, failures, judgments, and hopes of the Old Testament find their answer in Him.

Matthew 1:18-21 (NKJV)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Matthew now explains the miraculous birth of Jesus. Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. This shows that Jesus did not come into the world through ordinary human generation, but by the direct work of God. Joseph, being a just and compassionate man, did not want to shame Mary publicly, so he planned to put her away quietly. But an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, because the child conceived in her was of the Holy Spirit. The angel also told Joseph to name Him Jesus, because “He will save His people from their sins.” The name Jesus means “Yahweh saves” or “the Lord saves,” showing that His mission was not merely to deliver Israel politically, but to save His people from sin itself.

Matthew 1:22-23 (NKJV)
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

Matthew explains that the virgin birth fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” meaning “God with us.” This shows that Jesus is not only a promised king in David’s line, but the One through whom God’s presence comes near to His people in a living and personal way. God was with His people in the sanctuary and temple in the Old Testament, but in Jesus, God’s presence was revealed in a far greater way. The Father was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19), and Jesus could say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9-10). In this sense, Jesus is the true and greater temple, the place where God’s presence is fully revealed among men. This also connects with the hope of greater glory in Haggai 2:9, because the true glory of God’s presence came in Christ Himself. Through Jesus, God came near to save, restore, and dwell with His people.

Matthew 1:24-25 (NKJV)
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Joseph responded in faith and obedience. When he woke from sleep, he did exactly as the angel commanded and took Mary as his wife. He also did not have marital relations with her until after Jesus was born, preserving the truth of the virgin birth. Then Joseph named the child Jesus, just as the angel had instructed. By naming Him, Joseph legally accepted Jesus into his household and Davidic line. Joseph’s obedience shows humility, faith, and submission to God’s plan, even when the situation was difficult to understand. Through Joseph and Mary’s obedience, God’s promise continued to unfold, and Jesus entered the world as the promised Saviour.