Initial Proof of Jesus the Son of God

Matthew 8:18-34

The Gospel of Matthew begins with two proofs of the deity of Jesus of Nazareth. First, his genealogy shows him to be the fulfilment of prophecies concerning His pedigree. Second, the unique and miraculous birth is further evidence.

Validation of Jesus by Genealogy, 1:1-17

Matthew introduces “Jesus Christ.” “Jesus” is from the Greek Iesous which is a translation of the Hebrew name Yehoshua being translated in English as “Joshua.” It means “Jehovah saves”. The title given Jesus by Matthew is “Christ” from the Greek Chrestos meaning “anointed one.” The Hebrew term is Masiah or Messiah. Jesus was of the seed of Abraham. God told Abraham, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice” (Gen. 22:18). He was also to be of the seed of David. “Your seed I will establish forever, and build up your throne to all generations” (Ps. 89:4). And He was the “Son of David” therefore in line to be king. “Son of David” was considered by the Jews of Matthew’s day to be a Messianic designation.

For a millennium, Jews have been awaiting the fulfillment of these promises. What right and proof did Jesus have to claim the Throne of David and bless mankind. Matthew begins with a genealogy to offer documented proof.

Matthew could have compiled his genealogies from public records kept by Jews to help determine who was qualified to be priests or marry a priest. Most Jews maintained family trees for the purpose of inheritance and tribal identity. Since the destruction of Jerusalem all such public records have been forever lost.

Matthew’s genealogy is different from that of Luke’s. Whereas Luke’s family tree for Jesus ranges from Adam to Jesus, Matthew begins with Abraham. Luke begins with Jesus and lists his genealogy in descending order. The biggest difference is Matthew is dealing with Joseph’s side of the family tree while Luke focuses on Mary’s side. “Matthew’s genealogy traced the line through Solomon, while Luke’s traced it through Nathan, another one of David’s sons” (Wiersbe).

Matthew arranges his imperfect genealogy into three groups of fourteen. This may have been used as a memory device. It was also for the purpose of organizing them into three distinct historical periods. The first fourteen were about patriarchs to the first King in the line of Judean kings related to Jesus, thus the mention of King David. The monarchy is the focus of the second set of fourteen. The third group of ancestors covers the period of history beginning with the captivity, exile, return and right up to the Roman period.

Matthew does not mention everyone in Jesus’ genealogy. He cites those of importance to his message. The mention of Judah is of prophetic importance. “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh comes; and to Him shall be the obedience of the people” (Gen. 49:10). David’s father, Jesse, also figures in Messianic prophecy (Is. 11:1,10).

In the first section of Jesus genealogy Matthew mentions some of his more famous or infamous grandmothers: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Tamar was guilty of prostitution and incest with Judah. Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute who lied. Bathsheba was an adulteress. Ruth was a Moabite widow and grandmother of David.

In the second grouping of fourteen generations Matthew leaves out four kings: Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, and Jehoiakim. The list of the many known ancestors of Jesus with hard to pronounce names are by no means listed here for the Bible student to explore the lives of them one by one. However, an argument could be made that this list represents not just proof of Jesus claim to royalty but a genealogy of grace. Abraham did not trust in God when he left for Egypt or took Hagar as a second wife in hopes of helping God fulfill his promises. David was not a stellar father, committed adultery with Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, and a gave into the Devil’s temptation to number the people. Solomon married many forbidden foreign wives who turned his heart from God to idolatry. All the men and women in the list where sinners on need of a Savior. Even Mary (Luke 1:46-48) and Joseph needed a Savior. Jesus came from a long line of sinners and came for the purpose of saving them from their sin.

Joseph did not “begat” Jesus Christ. The term “begat” (Greek, gennao) means “fathered” or “fathering”. Joseph is not said to have fathered Jesus. But to have been married to Mary who gave birth to Jesus. Joseph is therefore not listed as a biological father of Jesus. This is in keeping with the prophecy that Jesus was to be born of the seed of woman. “And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Gen. 3:15). Biologically, it takes the seed of a man and a woman to produce a baby. Jesus was born without male seed. “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Gal. 4:4).

Virgin Birth of Jesus by the Holy Spirit, 1:18-25

Several awesome births are found in the Bible. Isaac being born to ninety-year-old barren mother, Sarah. Manoah’s barren wife gave birth to Samson. Hannah having Samuel. John the Baptist being born to Elizabeth. Yet all fail to come close to the spectacular virgin birth of Jesus.

Matthew has shown the biological lineage of Jesus. “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows…” (1:18b). The term “birth” is from the same Greek term used for genealogy. Now he shows the divine/supernatural lineage of Jesus by way of the virgin birth.

Joseph was betrothed to Mary when it was discovered she was with child. He was in a quandary in that he knew it was not his child. He would have suffered from a broken heart and devastated by the idea of painful betrayal. However, he must have respected and loved Mary and did not wish to publicly humiliate her or have her stoned to death for adultery (Deut. 22:23-25).

One must understand that betrothal was a phase between engagement and marriage. Couples were engaged, that is, had the marriage arranged by parents. Once a dowry was paid to the bride to bride’s parents a betrothal period was set for one year. During this time, they were as good as married, but no sexual relations occurred. If she turned up pregnant or either proved to be unfaithful, the marriage was off, and the betrothal ended with a divorce. If all went well the couple would be married in a public ceremony. While Joseph was contemplating whether to put her away (Greek apoluo, divorce) quietly, an angel appears to him. In a dream the angel tells him what is really going on with his bride. Mary was not pregnant or fathered by the Holy Spirit in a carnal like since. “Mary’s conception was not a divine seduction, but a miraculous conception” (Pope 44).

This is not just a random miracle but a fulfillment of prophecy. The phrase “that it might be fulfilled” introduces the first of many prophecies fulfilled in Matthew giving proof to the King-Messiahship of Jesus. Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14 concerning the virgin birth of Jesus. It is a prophecy with a dual fulfillment. The first fulfillment was in the days of King Ahaz when Isaiah assured him with a sign of a virgin giving birth to a son. This was to prophesy that the Kingdom of Judah and David’s royal lineage would not be wiped out by the enemies of the day. Matthew uses this to explain the virgin Mary is pregnant.

There has been some question whether or not the Hebrew world alma means “virgin”. “Alma (Hebrew) is a more general term which refers to a young unmarried woman, while parthenos (Greek) speaks more directly to the virginity of the one in question. The fact that the original Septuagint translated alma with parthenos (in Isaiah 7:14) shows that the ancients understood an alma to be a ‘virgin’” (Pope 48,49).

We do not know a great deal about the character of Joseph except that he is called a “just” or “righteous” man. But notice when he is commanded by an angel, his response is immediate obedience. He marries Mary. And he also protects her and God’s son. Joseph will have to endure the criticism of others by not putting Mary away, tolerate the judgmental comments about his and/or Mary’s premarital sexual relations, forego sexual relations with his new bride, and support and protect a child that is not his.

Joseph follows the angel’s command to name Mary’s son, “Jesus.” By doing so, he was publicly and legally accepting Jesus as his own son.  Jesus was also to be known as “Emmanuel” meaning “God with us”. With the incarnation of Jesus, God is literally and physically with them in the first century.

The Bible does not support the Catholic doctrine of the Perpetual Virginity of Mary. Joseph and Mary began sexual relations after the birth of Jesus. Furthermore, sex between a husband and wife is honorable (Heb. 13:4) and no child can inherit sin from their parents. Mary went on to have children after the birth of Jesus (Matt. 12:46; 13:55-56; Mark. 6:3).

Jesus was most likely not born on December 25th. Since Mary was six months pregnant when she visited her cousin Elizabeth. And Elizabeth’s husband, Zechariah was taking his turn as a priest to serve in the Temple, it is most likely that Jesus was born in September or between mid-March and the first week of May. This is further supported by the fact that the shepherds were out in the fields with their sheep at that time of Jesus’ birth.

– Daniel R. Vess