The Birth of Jesus [Mat.1 & 2]
Matthew starts his book by tracing the genealogy of Jesus. He ends with Abraham. This signifies that Jesus came for Israelites. He mentions some funny characters not found in other genealogies and these are:
- Tamar - she slept with Judah her father in-law.
- Rahab - a non- Israelite and prostitute
- Uriah’s wife [Bathsheba] - Slept with David.
- Ruth - a Moabite [resulted from Lot sexing with his own daughter].
This is not accidental. He wants to make it plain that God uses even the downtrodden. Likewise, the writer himself belongs to the despised social class [tax collectors].He also wants to show that the ancestry of Jesus is not by blood, but by adherence to the covenant.
“Jesus” means “he who saves people from their sins’. Its Hebrew form is “Yeshua”.
Matthew has additional details on the birth of Jesus which Luke does not have .These are:
- Joseph plans to divorce Mary in secrete.
- Wise men [magi] from the East.
- Murder of infants by Herod the Great