 Matthew Chapter 1 Distributed by: KJV Bible Studies Email: [email protected] Website: www.KjvBibleStudies.net Introduction: We begin a new study this week on the book of Matthew. The Gospel According to St. Matthew was written by the Apostle Matthew, also called Levi. The date of its writing is uncertain, though some have suggested it was as early as A.D. 37. Matthew was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples and was also a publican (a tax collector for the Romans) before coming to Christ. The Gospel of Matthew is unique among the four gospels in that it presents the ministry of Christ from the perspective of the Jewish nation. He writes from a Jewish point of view and provides numerous details to which a Jewish mind will readily relate. The prominent characterization of Christ in Matthew is that of the King and ultimately of His coming kingdom. You'll find that much of the book will be presented from the perspective of the kingdom of God. That kingdom is what Jews of that day longed for in throwing off the tyranny of the Roman yoke and reestablishing their own historical kingdom, long gone since the Babylon captivity. Jesus described and defined that coming kingdom in spiritual terms. The kingdom will be found in the person of its King. He presented Himself to His people throughout His ministry. However, official Israel rejected Him. Matthew is particularly the gospel for Israel. Notwithstanding that, as it flows from the death and resurrection of Christ, it is a gospel for the whole world When these men wrote these books of the bible, they were guided by the Holy Spirit to pen the very words of God. While the writings of course included their view and happenings that surrounded them, a greater writer (the Holy Spirit) guided the hands of each man as God allowed us to have four separate and unique accounts of the gospel. Some things are mentioned in all four accounts, while some are contained in only one of the accounts. God had a reason for every word that was penned. I. The Genealogy in Matthew Mat 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. The Apostle Matthew begins his gospel with the introduction, “the book of the generation of Jesus Christ.” The word translated as generation is (genesiv) genesis. What is recorded here is the lineage and genealogy (i.e., origins) of Jesus Christ. On the natural level, it is His human lineage. It should be noted that Matthew goes to great effort to establish the Jewish lineage of Jesus Christ through David and back to Abraham. Matthew notes that our Lord was “the son of David, the son of Abraham.” In as much as Matthew’s target audience is Jewish people, he goes to the heart of the lineage of Jesus Christ. He is ultimately the son of David and therefore a descendant of the Davidic Covenant which God made with Israel. He is of that royal dynasty and therefore heir to the throne of Israel. Moreover, Jesus is the son of Abraham and hence a descendant of the Abrahamic Covenant. As the seed of Abraham, He held a unity with all Jews who would someday hear of Him. He was one of them. Hence, He was not only a Jew, but of the royal lineage of Israel. Continue Reading in PDF: 
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