Matthew 1.1-17, Promise Fulfilled King

Ever wonder why Matthew opens his Gospel with a genealogy? Forty-two names. Centuries of history. Many people skim it. Matthew slows us down. He begins with roots.

We live in a world shaped by questions of identity. People search ancestry records and DNA results, hoping to discover who they are and where they belong. First-century Jews asked similar questions about Jesus. Who is He? Does He belong to the right family? Can He truly be the Messiah? Matthew answers by placing Jesus inside the long story of God’s promises.

Matthew starts with Abraham. God promised him that through his family, all nations would be blessed. That promise shapes everything that follows. This is not only Israel’s story. It reaches outward. Matthew reinforces this by naming women often left out of genealogies. Tamar. Rahab. Ruth. Each carried a complicated past. Their presence reminds us that God works through broken stories. Grace has always been part of the plan. If parts of your story feel unworthy, this genealogy speaks hope. Jesus is not ashamed to claim flawed people as family.

The genealogy then moves to David and the kings. This section tells a story of rise and collapse. David the king. Solomon in glory. Then failure, compromise, exile. Matthew refuses to clean up the record. He names sin. He names loss. He names exile. Still, the promise stays. God did not abandon the covenant when the kings failed. Every crown fell short. Each one pointed ahead to a King who would not fail.

The final movement feels quiet. Names we barely recognize. Generations passing in silence. Faith carried forward without fanfare. Then the pattern breaks. Joseph is named as the husband of Mary. Jesus is born of her. He is called Christ. The waiting ends. God keeps His word.

This genealogy tells us more than where Jesus came from. It tells us who He is. He is the promised King. He belongs to real history. His kingdom makes room for sinners, outsiders, and the forgotten. God’s promises move slowly, yet they never fail.

Matthew begins his Gospel here to remind us that our faith rests on God’s faithfulness. Jesus is the center of the story. The question left for us is simple. Will we trust this King? Will we live under His reign?

The promise has been fulfilled. The King has come.

~PW 🌮🛶

Check out the full sermon and transcript here: Matthew 1.1-17, Promise Fulfilled King