The Gospel Of Matthew Class 1 (Part 1)
Who Is This Jesus? (Matthew Chapters 1-4)
Who is this Jesus? That is the question we are asking as we explore the Gospel of Matthew. By meditating on His words and actions as recorded by the apostles, we can come to know the one we call Savior a little bit better.
The book of Matthew begins with a genealogy. Not exactly the riveting "hook" that they teach you to start with in creative writing class. In fact, the very first line of Matthew introduces the book as "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." What does this tell us about Jesus?
Tim Mackie in one of his Bible Project videos points out how Matthew paints a picture of Jesus fulfilling three distinct roles in these first few chapters: Messiah, son of David; Immanuel; and the new Moses. I want to do two things here. First, we will put on our detective hats and see if we can find the clues that point to each of these roles. Then, we will bring it home by asking how we can relate to Jesus in each of these roles.
King (David)
The genealogy in Matthew chapter 1 ties Jesus to two important figures: Abraham and David. The first verse makes this explicit. Then, again, to add a little bit of flair to his point Matthew uses gematria[1] by calling attention to the number 14--the numerical value of the name David.
Matthew makes the point explicit again later in the chapter, when the angel calls to Joseph, "Joseph, son of David." Then, in the next chapter we see this point expanded upon as the wise men seek out he who is "born king of the Jews." Over and over again, Matthew is telling us that this Jesus is the promised son of David, the Messianic figure who will reign on David's throne forever.
Side note: One could argue for another role here as well, as chapter 1 makes the connection to Abraham. To this we can add the parallel between the two miraculous births. Jesus is the promised seed of Abraham.
Redeemer (Moses)
The second role that Jesus fulfills comes across initially in his name--Yeshua. Savior. The angel comes to Joseph saying, "you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."
This statement does not come out of the blue, but rather is a reflection of the role Moses played in saving his people from Egypt. This becomes more apparent as we start noting the parallels between the life of Moses and the life of Jesus in chapters 2-4. Both had to flee their homeland as a wicked king sought to kill all the baby boys. Both return after said ruler dies. Both are associated with Egypt (the quoted verse "Out of Egypt, I have called my son" establishes a direct link to the Exodus story). Both are identified as shepherds. Both pass through the waters of baptism (for Moses, this is the Red Sea), followed by a journey into the wilderness. Both fast for 40 days and 40 nights.
Matthew is establishing Jesus as the New Moses (c.f. Deut. 18:15), this time redeeming Israel not from some foreign power, but from the sin that dwells inside us. This makes him the one greater than Moses. Pay attention as you will notice more parallels further on in the story (for example, when Jesus gives the law in Matt. 5-7).
God with us (Immanuel)
Finally, Matthew points us to the incarnation, citing a prophecy from Isaiah about a child named Immanuel (Isa. 7:14)--God with us. David and Moses were both human. Jesus was so much more. He is God incarnate. The infinite, thrice holy, all powerful Creator of the universe...come down to us as a lowly baby putting on our skin, walking in our shoes, feeling our pain (c.f. Heb. 2:17; 4:14-15). Matthew spells this out for us. Jesus is Immanuel--God with us.
Who is this Jesus?
King, Redeemer, God with us. These are the names that our Messiah enters our story under.
One part of this is telling us where Jesus fits into the story so far. Here after Israel's long exile, Jesus has come as the fulfillment of God's many promises. He is the son of David who will sit on the throne forever. He is the prophet like Moses, greater than Moses. He is the God who seemed so distant, so far during these years of exile, now drawing near to His people. Take a moment to ponder this. The whole of the Old Testament finds its culmination in the person of Jesus Christ.
We can also apply this personally. Jesus is my King, my Redeemer, my God walking by my side. Take some time to meditate on each of these ways of relating to Jesus.
Jesus is your King. That means you are His subject. What kind of King is He? What does it mean to live under His rule?
Jesus is your Redeemer. How has He redeemed you? How does He continue to work His saving power in your life?
Jesus is God with you. The God of the universe, by your side. Just how close is He? Ask Him. And how does that transform the way you walk through life? Again, ask Him.
Next time we will begin to take a look at how Jesus takes on these roles as He starts His public ministry. And we will discover the mission that Jesus came to accomplish.
Legitimate uses of gematria in the Bible are actually quite rare and usually made quite obvious by the Biblical authors. Seeking hidden meaning via gematria is considered bad hermeneutics.
(This article can also be found on Ordinary Disciple)