Sermon Notes
Matthew’s Themes
- Jesus is the King
- We are part of Jesus’ new kingdom
- Jesus teaches us how to live in this kingdom
Matthew is writing for people who are
- Geographically removed from Jesus
- Chronologically removed from Jesus
- Interested in the life of Jesus
Key Question: How does Matthew convince people that Jesus is actually the Messiah?
- Matthew is drawing a direct line from the Jewish Scriptures to the Jewish Carpenter.
a. βιβλος – Book
b. γενεσεως – Genesis (not the word for Genealogy)
c. ιησου χριστου – God Saves, The Chosen One
d. υιου δαυιδ υιου αβρααμ- Son of David, Son of Abraham - Matthew connects David’s temporary kingship with Jesus’ eternal Kingship (Matthew 1:17, see also, Acts 2:29-36 2 Samuel 7:13)
Gematria – a literary device that assigns a number value to letters.
(דָּוִיד David)
דָּ = 6
ו = 4
דָּ = 6
14
How did the disciples and the early church understand Jesus’ kingly role? - Matthew records unsavory people into Jesus’ genealogy.
The four matriarchs of the Jewish Scriptures (Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachel) are missing.
They are replaced by these four
1) Tamar played a harlot
2) Rahab was a harlot
3) Bathsheba was an adulteress
4) Ruth, though morally sweet and noble, was a Moabite
Even if you’ve got a past, even still Jesus has got you a future.
Big Takeaway: Jesus is the one true King, and you are invited to be a part of His kingdom.
Discussion Questions
MAIN TEXT
Matthew 1:1-17, Acts 2:29-36, 2 Samuel 7:13
TALK IT OUT
- Read Matthew 1:1. In the very first verse of the book of Matthew, Matthew identifies Jesus as “the Messiah, the son of David.” In the next few verses, Matthew then proceeds to document that lineage. Now read Isaiah 9:6-7, Jeremiah 23:5-6, and 2 Samuel 7:8-13. Why was it important for Matthew to be able to connect Jesus to the line of David?
- Read Acts 2:29-36. What are some things that King David and King Jesus have in common? In what ways do they differ?
- Read Psalm 119:89 and Isaiah 46:9-10. Matthew repeatedly quotes the Old Testament throughout his book. We also see frequent statements such as “and so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet.” What do you think were some of Matthew’s reasons for continually making these references?
- Read Matthew 1:1-6. It is highly unusual for the names of even Jewish women to appear in Jewish genealogies, yet in this passage we find the names of three Gentile (non-Jewish) women, as well as the mention of one Jewish woman who was married to a Gentile (Uriah). Read Acts 13:47, Galatians 3:26-28 and Ephesians 2:11-13,19-22. In light of these passages, what does it mean to you that Gentiles were included in the lineage of Jesus?
- Besides the Gentile factor, the women mentioned by Matthew in the above passage were notable in other ways: Tamar seduced her father-in-law and became pregnant by him, Rahab was a prostitute, Ruth was an idol-worshiper from Moab and Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba) committed adultery with King David. Read Colossians 2:13-14, Psalm 103:11-12, Isaiah 1:18 and Isaiah 43:25. In light of these passages, what does it mean to you that these particular women were included in the lineage of Jesus?
LIVE IT OUT
- Have you ever had anyone “write you off” because of poor choices you had made? Take a few moments right now to thank God for loving you in spite of your sins and for including you in His invitation to follow Him.
- Do you know someone who has been written off by most people (possibly even by you) as being “too far gone” to ever change or not interested in the things of God? Ask God to give you an opportunity to share His love with that person in some practical way this week.