Tuesday, September 13th, 2022

The Book of Matthew, and the New Testament as a whole, begins with a genealogy. While it is easy to gloss past it to get to “the meat” of the book, understanding of the Bible requires a hard look at it. Why would Matthew begin the Gospel this way? Aren’t we all taught by our high school teachers to grip the audience’s attention with a strong introduction? Matthew begins this way because it is a continuation of the entire Old Testament, bridging the gap between, in his time and for us now, what was and what now is. Secondly, it is prove to Israel and all who would read it that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham in Genesis. Luke 3 also includes a genealogy, his tracing Jesus’ pedigree from Adam and Eve, to whom God promised a savior would be born (Gen. 3:15). Thus, genealogies in the Bible are not merely introductory paragraphs, they are evidence of God’s fulfilled promises. Today, recognize that our God is a promise-keeper, and therefore, He can be trusted above all else.

Matthew 1:1-17