“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name of Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
– Matthew 1:21
Hi James and Ellen,
Are you intrigued with history? Are you collectors of information? Are you sticklers for details? Why do you think that Levi was interested in his mentor’s family tree? How do you think that Levi was able to track down his coach’s lineage? Who do you think told Levi about his teacher’s family’s history? What do you know about Levi’s heritage, about Levi’s hometown, about Levi’s profession, about Levi’s dad, about Levi’s bro, about Levi’s call and about Levi’s mentor/coach/teacher? Levi is from Levi tribal clan. Levi lives in the town of Capernaum. Levi is a tax collector. Levi’s dad’s name is Alphaeus. Levi’s bro’s name is James the Less. When Levi does what Jesus tells him to do – which is to follow Him, Jesus changes Levi’s name to Matthew. At least twenty years after Jesus was cruelly tied to and nailed on a cross on which He unspeakably suffered before ultimately dying, Matthew is led to write a narrative about Jesus’ life and teachings. Matthew begins his Matthew Book – in Matthew 1, documenting to his Jewish compatriots Jesus’ genealogy. Matthew determines that in Jesus’ lineage that there are fourteen generations between Abraham – who is the patriarch of Israel or the Jew people group of guys and gals, and David, then another fourteen generations between David and Isreal or the Jew people group of guys and gal being taken as exiles to the country of Babylonia by Nebuchadnezzar and his Babylonian army and then another fourteen generations between Israel or the Jew people group guys and gals being given permission by Cyrus – who was Persia’s king, to return to the land that God gave them to always to have to live in as their very own land if . . . and to Joseph – who became Jesus’ ma’s husband, and when Jesus was born. Your grandpaa thinks that Matthew did some serious research to be able to put together Jesus’ extended family tree through his ma’s husband’s side of Jesus’ family. Jesus’ genealogy through his ma’s husband’s side of Jesus’ family includes the names of guys and gals who did not have the same ancestry as Israel or the Jew people group guys and gals. Tamar, Rahab and Ruth are gals who Matthew included in the list of names in Jesus’ genealogy who do not have Isreal or the Jew people group heritage.
Matthew went from systematically summarizing the three sets of the fourteen ancestral generations of the family tree of his coach/mentor/teacher – Jesus, through his ‘dad’ Joseph, to explaining to his Jew familial readers how Jesus’ birth came about. Even though Matthew does not mention the town of Nazareth in his account of Jesus’ birth, the town of Nazareth is the backdrop town for a planned marriage between Mary – a 15 year old or so gal, and Joseph – probably a much older dude. A planned marriage or a betrothal in the town of Nazareth – which was an Israel or Jew people group community of guys and gals, over 2000 years ago was akin to being already married. When Mary told Joseph – the guy who she had been pledged to to marry that God – as God the Father, had her be pregnant, Joseph – being a righteous guy and because he did not want Mary to be publicly humiliated, began to per Matthew think about how he could quietly divorce Mary. An alternative that Joseph had was to have Mary stoned to death for Mary becoming pregnant before the formal marriage ceremony had taken place because he knew that he was not to have and that he had not had a physical relationship with her. As Matthew profiles Joseph’s story in his recounting of Jesus’ birth, your grandpaa thinks that there is a probability that Matthew may have met Joseph and that Matthew may be quoting exactly what Joseph told him when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream to tell him what is now verse 21, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name of Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”” Matthew immediately backs up what he just wrote in his Matthew Book with prophetic promise that Isaiah made that Isaiah recorded about 700 years earlier in his Isaiah Book, that a gal – who would be a virgin, would have a kid who would be named Immanuel. The name Immanuel means God with us. The name Jesus means Lord (God) is salvation.
Matthew – in his Matthew Book, references twelve promises that God made about Jesus through His prophet spokesmen before He had Jesus be born. Your grandpaa thinks that God hardwired Matthew to be a scholar and an historian, that Matthew was an educated guy and that Matthew’s occupation – albeit not a friend making vocation, had him in a place where he could keep up on what was happening. Because he was a Jew, Matthew had access to the Torah and to other Jewish literature that reflected on Jesus’ heritage. Jesus’ teaching probably answered burning questions that Matthew may have had about a pending Messiah. Even though Matthew is not mentioned as one of the guys who was in Jesus’ inner circle of disciples, your grandpaa thinks that Matthew was an excellent listener who – when he had the opportunities to do so, asked Jesus – and Jesus’ family, questions regarding His family tree. Your grandpaa also believes that Matthew took copious notes as he went where Jesus went which he incorporated into his Matthew Book. As one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, Matthew was an eyewitness to and an adherent of a new Jesus centered belief paradigm. Matthew writes a book as his way of telling his Israel or Jew people group of guys and gals of Jesus’ anticipated arrival, Jesus’ family, Jesus’ life and Jesus’ teachings. What do you know about Jesus
Matthew 1 (1134)