Matthew’s gospel is clearly written to an audience that was primarily Jewish, and with his opening statement, he jumps right in with an immediate connection between the life of Jesus and the much broader story of the descendants of Abraham. Throughout his book, Matthew will draw people to the conclusion over and over again that Jesus is the fulfillment to the promise made to Abraham long ago.

The first chapter of Matthew lists the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham, making the connection for the Jewish mind that Jesus is the Messiah. We will look at the three divisions of the genealogical list next week. Right now, I want to draw our attention just to the very first verse of Matthew 1:

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham…

In a sense, this is Matthew’s way of introducing his book, brief though it may be. In this very first sentence, Matthew does three things. First, he draws the Jewish mind to the very earliest of history by using terminology reminiscent of Genesis 2:4 and 5:1, the record of the creation of mankind and the first genealogical listing. Second, he connects Jesus to King David, establishing his right to the eternal throne promised to one of David’s heirs. And third, he connects Jesus to Abraham, equating him with the fulfillment of God’s original promise to Abram and his descendants.

That’s quite a lot of information from a single introductory statement! What Matthew has done here is to set up the mind of the Jewish reader to see just where he’s going, and the full impact of the point he will be making as he lists the genealogical records of Jesus. For the Jewish reader, this has been a long expectation. The coming of Jesus, the Messiah, has has been anticipated since the earliest days of Jewish history, and in fact, anticipated in eternity in heaven!

In the book of Genesis, God chose one family line, the line of Abraham. Later, he renewed that promise to King David, ensuring that David would always have a descendant upon the throne, one who would save his people.

In 2 Samuel 7:12 and 16, we can see the promise made to David:

When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. … Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.

What Matthew has done is show his readers the human side of Jesus, the Son of David, as the Messiah was supposed to be, and as a result of that relationship, the descendant of Abraham as well. Scripture makes this relationship quite clear:

In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice. – Genesis 22:18

Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ. – Galatians 3:16

Jesus is the heir of Abraham and David, but that stops short of the fullness of Matthew’s statement. Jesus was not simply just the heir of the promises, he was the promise made to Abraham, and to David.

Did you catch that? Jesus wasn’t just the promised heir…. He was the promise itself! He was the fulfillment of the promise for Abraham… For David… For the Jewish people… And for you and me!

That’s pretty extraordinary, but frankly, it can be a difficult concept to grasp for the non-Jewish mindset. We just don’t have the ability to think in such terms as easily with our linear, western thought processes. But it’s definitely worth taking this idea and ruminating on it for a while. Perhaps go back and read some of the promise passages in Genesis, and some of the history of David’s relationship with God. Examine those promises deeply, and then watch how Paul treats them in Romans and Galatians. Allow the weight of just who Jesus is to sink in deeply.

My guess is that you’ll be surprised at what you learn about him.

Question: How does Jesus, as the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham and David, impact our lives today? What are the implications for of that promise for the 21st century believer? You can leave a comment by clicking here.