_Matthew Chapter 1: Overview & Notes

Overview on the Gospel of Matthew

This Gospel is traditionally known to be written by Matthew. Traditionally, because there isn’t any direct attribution of the Gospel to Matthew. In other words there are no explicit evidences of signs of direct authorship, like a signature of any sort. The Gospel was written to the familiarity of it’s audience wherein it needed no due introduction. And because of this fact, since there was no real need to state the name of the author, it seemed practical to understand the author to be someone in authority and/or popularity to the audience. And since Matthew is an apostle, wherein he was a tax collector, he should be more qualified to the task due to his scribal skills.

According the the ESV Study Bible:

The earliest and most important of these traditions comes from the second century in the writings of Papias, bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor (c. a.d. 135), and Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons in Gaul (c. 175). Because these early church leaders had either direct or indirect contact with the apostolic community, they would have been very familiar with the Gospels’ origins. Moreover, no competing traditions now exist (if they ever did) attributing Matthew’s Gospel to any other author. If Matthew did not write the book, it is hard to see why the false ascription would bear the name of a relatively obscure apostle when more well-known and popular figures could have been chosen (e.g., Philip, Thomas, or James).

Theme

The Gospel of Matthew is written primarily to the Jews in the early church. The Gospel was written with frequent references to the “Kingdom of God”, “Son of David” and other messianic references. The purpose of the Gospel is to make known the fulfillment of the prophecy of the coming of the Jewish Messiah. This can be seen on the onset of the genealogy in Matthew 1: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” While it is directed primarily to the Jewish believers, the Gospel also proclaims hope for the gentile hearers wherein as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness by Moses of old, Christ the Messiah is now lifted up that any, whether Jew or Gentile, who would look to Him would be saved.

Notes

Matthew 1

.v1-17

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ

—This written in order to show the Lord Christ Jesus’ legitimate connection to the Davidic line, to show that Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Jewish Messiah. In that, the main audience of this Gospel is the Jewish believers.

—Also, in the genealogy from traditionally just stating the men being the head of the family, there are times that Matthew includes females. But when he does he does not include those who are so note worthy because of superior morality or intellect, rather those with questionable character. The lineage is comprised of men, women, adulterers, prostitutes, heroes and Gentiles—all of which, whether wicked or pious, Jesus saves them all.

¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. (Mt 1:18).

—The hypo-static union. Fulfillment of the protoevangelion/protoeuangelion, the first telling of the Gospel in Genesis 3:14-15. The seed of the woman. Females don’t have seed. Yet in this case, as she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit, the seed was placed in her, hence “the seed of the woman” born of the Holy Spirit.

²⁰ But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (Mt 1:19-20).

—Such is a supernatural work of God unbound by physics and temporal restraints. God is sovereign, and in His sovereign will to make His purposes come to pass he took a Jew, a sinner like we are, an unprofitable servant, and placed the Son of God in her that she may conceive the Messiah from the Holy Spirit. To fulfill the prophecy of the Messiah coming from the Davidic line, God providentially declared Joseph from the line of David to take Mary, bearing the Christ, to be his wife.

²¹ She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” (Mt 1:21).

—This is one of the most emphatic declarations of the work of the Lord Jesus as Christ and Messiah. The angel of the Lord did not tell Joseph to name the Lord, Jesus, for He will “try to save” His people from their sins. Neither did the angel say “for He will make possible a way of salvation for His people from their sins.” But instead the angel of the Lord brought point to fact and absolute reality that will come to pass as the Lord Christ Jesus accomplishes the work of atonement for sin and justification of His elect by declaring: “…you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins”!

—This too is an evidence of the utter unfailing efficacy of Christ’s atonement. The very decree and purpose of Christ’s coming is inscribed here. He will save His people from their sins. He will make it so that it will come to pass.

—Also this is an evidence of the sovereignty of God in salvation, for if salvation is purchased for each and every single individual who ever lived, then as declared by this text of Scripture each and every single individual must be saved and not a one will go to Hell.

—This text gives the reader two options, either submit to Universalism or Particular Redemption. As testified by John 6, John 10, John 17, and texts like Ephesians 1 and 2, Christ died for His elect. And he fully and sufficiently saves His people from their sins. He will lose not a one of them.

²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (Mt 1:23).

—Fulfillment of God’s enduring promise to David’s line. Immanuel, God with us, in agreement to Christ promise of being with His people even to the end of the age (Matt 28:20).

²⁵ but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Mt 1:25).

—The word used here, “knew”, is not suggesting that Joseph doesn’t know who Mary is. Rather the word “know” used in this passage in the Greek text gives an idea of entering an intimate relationship in love. In this case it is in the matter of deep physical relations to bear Joseph’s own biological offspring. This allusion is used too in God’s “foreknowing” of people. In the golden chain of redemption (Romans 8:29-30), God foreknows people. That is God chooses to enter into an intimate relationship in love with these people.