Most readers of the Bible find genealogies to be rather dull and flat reading. The first one appears in Genesis 5, the second in Genesis 10. It may be true that many who begin to read the Bible fall asleep in either Genesis 5, or Genesis 10, and lose interest. But genealogies are like family trees and your family tree should not be not boring. It is exciting to put the pieces of family history together. One uncle in my family tree invented the ripcord parachute. This was one piece of history that our Nana enjoyed keeping alive. Here is the wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Floyd_Smith. That’s our uncle Floyd. Similar to our family trees are the genealogies we find in Scripture; they give family lineage and in so doing tell a family history. King David is in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus, which tells us that Jesus Christ is King.
Revealing Jesus Christ as King is part of Matthew’s theme. One way to discover the theme of a book of the Bible is to study the tip and the tail. That is, the first verses or chapters of the book and the last. But don’t just read it. Look it over closely and highlight any similarities. Be sure to mark down any repeated words, phrases, or ideas. For instance, in verse one of Matthew it says, “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Verse one is part of the tip. And then we look at the tail. Matthew 28:18, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.’” Now, do you notice anything similar in Matt 1:1 and in 28:18? (Are there similarities that would make you think “king”?)
Lets look at it from another angle. Who is Jesus? Or, who does Matthew describe Jesus as in the tip and in the tail of his gospel? In verse one Matthew’s Jesus is the Messiah, the son of David, and the son of Abraham. Then in 28:18 Matthew’s Jesus is One who has been given “all authority,” that is, Jesus Christ has total rule. His authority is over all of heaven and all of earth.
Thus, we ask again; what word, phrase, or idea in verse 1 is repeated in 28:18? What about royalty or rule? To be sure, in those days kings had authority, unlike the current British royalty. In my humble opinion, British royalty exists to look pretty, and to exude national honor among the English. Further, it gives Americans a laugh. But the ancient kings of the Near East were much different (not to be snickered at); they exuded total authority over their domain. Furthermore, many demanded to be worshipped.
Regarding kingship, several weeks ago (on Easter Sunday) we looked at Matthew chapter 28. It teaches that Jesus was raised from the dead. Now, Matthew doesn’t just hint at kingship, he envelopes his book about Jesus in it. We see it in the first verse of Matthew. Then he begins his narrative of who Christ is by stating that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of David (v. 1). “Messiah” is an interesting term, the NASB decided to translate the Greek word “Christos” by transliterating a word from the Hebrew Bible into English, which was smart. That is to say, “Christos” is Greek for “Messiah.” Both words mean “anointed one.” But the fact that they borrowed a word from Hebrew to put in Matt 1:1 aids the reader in understanding just exactly who Jesus Christ is. He is Messiah. But how do we define “Messiah”? Well, we look it up. One source states, “While it may designate an office such as the high priest (Lev 4:3), . . . [Messiah] is almost exclusively reserved as a synonym for “king.”1
Thus, Matthew 1:1 portrays Jesus as King. Furthermore, the inclusion of the phrase “Son of David” is reminiscent of Nathan’s prophecy of an eternal king. He spoke these words to David:
2Sam. 7:12 “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.
2Sam. 7:13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
2Sam. 7:14 “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men,
2Sam. 7:15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took [it] away from Saul, whom I removed from before you.
2Sam. 7:16 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’”
Jesus Christ is the eternal Ruler over all things in heaven and earth. Though it will not be fully realized until Christ returns, this is a truth that Matthew is not shy about. He is not just dropping hints at Jesus’ worldwide authority, but with the genealogy he shows specifically how Jesus came through David’s line. In America our family trees exist to give us information of interest about our past, not necessarily to determine who we are. If so, I’d be jumping from airplanes. But what if I told you that I had 15 kings in my family tree? I do have British royal blood from my paternal grandmother, which amounts to nothing. But the point is that if one has much royalty in their family tree, it must be a big deal, big enough to mean that one is royal. Therefore, we ask, once again, who is Jesus? So far we’ve learned that in many places and with many words Matthew indicates that Jesus is King. But one of his greatest proofs is found right in his genealogy, a place most of us don’t want to read. However, genealogies are amazing, and Jesus’ genealogy is loaded with kings. What if I told you that His genealogy had 15 kings in it? Well, it does. Matthew includes a lineup of 15 kings (Read Matthew 1:6-11 to see the list). This links Jesus Christ to King David. And remember, in the Hebrew Bible kings father kings.
In ancient times kings wanted their fame spread abroad. The same is true of Jesus Christ, our King. When He rose from the dead He proclaimed that He was the King over all the earth. Then He commanded his followers to go and to make more followers of Him. To help all people in the world realize that there is only one King. His name is Jesus Christ, and He is the only One who gives life eternal. Let us work together to make Him famous by boldly proclaiming the King’s name so as to make more followers.
1 Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (Chicago: Moody, 1980), ed. R. Laird Harris, Gleason Archer and Bruce K. Waltke, Accordance, Vers. 10.1.5, Oak Tree Software, 2013.
