“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1)
Matthew wrote an account of Jesus’ life and teaching. He starts his gospel with a genealogy to show that Jesus Christ is a descendant of David and Abraham. That is of crucial importance for Matthew’s main theme: he wants his readers to know that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah, who brought God’s Kingdom into our world. Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of so many of God’s promises – for example to Abraham and David. He is the ultimate Offspring of Abraham, in whom all the nations of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 22:18). He is the Son of David, and God will give Him the throne of His father David – He will reign forever (Luke 1:32).
Matthew wrote a Gospel to share his eyewitness account, so that others would also have the opportunity to learn the truth about Jesus. He was convinced that this was vitally important for his readers. Over the coming days, let’s see what Matthew wants to teach us.
Who is Jesus for you?