1Start
Matthew begins the New Testament with a list of names. It is Jesus’s family tree, from Abraham down to Joseph (Matthew 1:1–16).
2Read Together
Many readers skip long lists of names. For Matthew’s first readers, this list showed that Jesus was the promised heir of King David and of Abraham (Matthew 1:1). Matthew traces the line through Joseph, Mary’s husband (Matthew 1:16).
Matthew 1:1 · King James Version
1The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 1:5–6 · King James Version
5And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;
Matthew 1:16 · King James Version
16And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
3What It Teaches
Matthew lists four women besides Mary. They are Thamar, Rachab, Ruth, and “her that had been the wife of Urias,” who was Bathsheba (Matthew 1:3; 1:5–6). Ruth came from Moab, and Rachab is usually taken to be Rahab of Jericho, who hid Israel’s spies (Ruth 1:4; Joshua 2:1–6).
Some of these women came from outside Israel, and some of their stories are hard ones. Matthew chose to name them. The Savior came through a real family with real troubles, and he came for every family.
The list is arranged in three groups of fourteen generations (Matthew 1:17). The first group ends with King David, the second with the captivity in Babylon from last fall’s reading, and the third with Christ.
Families today gather the names of their ancestors and take them to the temple, as Malachi foresaw (Malachi 4:6). Our own family lines are full of real people too, and the Lord’s sealing power can bind them together.
4Talk About It
Jesus’s family line includes people with hard stories. What do you know about someone in our own family history, and what would you like to learn?