Matthew 1-2
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Chapter 1
See Rev 4:6-7
3…whose mother was Tamar, .. 5… Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, … Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6….David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife – Tamar and Rahab were prostitutes (Gen. 38:24; Josh. 2:1). Ruth was also a foreigner, a Moabitess (Ruth 1:4; Deut. 23:3). Bathsheba committed adultery (2 Sam. 11:2-5).
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah – From Joram to Uzziah, there are 3 guys omitted: Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah! Ahaziah was called the son-in-law to the House of Jacob (2 Kgs 8 ) and slain by Jehu (2 Kgs 9). Joash was slain by the servants in 2 Kings 12 and Amaziah was slain by the people of Jerusalem in 2 Kings 14 because of idolatry. Deuteronomy 29 instructs that their names be blotted out! While you will find their records in the Old Testament, they are blotted out of this genealogy!
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon – Cf. Jeremiah 22:28-30. Mathew follows the royal line, Luke follows blood line (Cf. Luke 3). Matthew traced Joseph’s line from Jeconiah through the latter’s son Shealtiel and grandson Zerubbabel (Matt. 1:12). Luke (3:27) also refers to Shealtiel, the father of Zerubbabel, in Mary’s line. Does Luke’s account, then, mean that Jesus was a physical descendant of Jeconiah, after all? No, because Luke’s Shealtiel and Zerubbabel were probably different persons from those two in Matthew. In Luke Shealtiel was the son of Neri, but Matthew’s Shealtiel was the son of Jeconiah.
17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ – Matthew did not list every individual in the genealogy between these groups. Instead he listed only 14 generations in each of these time periods. Jewish reckoning did not require every name in order to satisfy a genealogy.
23 The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” – Cf. Isaiah 7:14. Liberal scholars dispute Isaiah 7:14 as to whether or not the Hebrew word almâh means virgin or young woman. And yet here, Matthew uses the Greek word for virgin, parthenos – this word can only mean virgin and nothing else.
Chapter 2
1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” – Some say this had to do with Balaam’s prophesy (Num 24:17). Others say it was a conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn at that time. But what about the Shekinah Glory (Ex 13).
Magi - is the Latinized form of Magoi, ancient Greek transliteration of the Persian original [Herodotus, 1:101]. Rab-Mag, is used as Chief of the Magi in Nebuchadnezzar’s Court (Jer 39:3,13) and it was also Daniel the prophet’s Title (cf. Dan 4:9; 5:11-12). Interpreting dreams (oneiromancy), not astrology, was their key skill [Herodotus I.107, 120; VII.19]. King makers, not kings.
10 10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh – Not to the stable like our quaint Nativity Scenes and Christmas cards. Gold speaks of the deity, the royalty of Jesus. Incense or frankincense speaks of His priesthood. Myrrh speaks of His death as the ultimate Prophet. In the Millennium, 1 gift myrrh, is left out (cf. Isaiah 60:6)
15 And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” – Cf. Hosea 11:1
18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” – Cf. Jeremiah 31:15
23 and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.” - Isaiah said the Messiah would be “from [Jesse’s] roots” like “a Branch” (Isa. 11:1). “Branch” is the Hebrew word netzer, which has consonants like those in the word “Nazarene.”
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