The Lineage of the Newborn King – Matthew 1:1-17

So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:17 ESV) This Christmas Sunday we will take a look at the genealogy of Jesus Christ as given in The Book of Matthew. To many, a study of a genealogy may not sound very exciting. Even though we tend to be nostalgic and curious people, and even though DNA tests and websites like Ancestry.com and 23 and Me have become popular, the genealogies of scripture – all the lists of who begat whom – sometimes seem overwhelming or too technical, and thus, we tend to skip over them. However, if we truly confess that the scriptures are inspired by God, and truly believe these are God’s words, then we do well to take heed to every word. And that includes lists of names like Matthew 1:1-17! Matthew’s genealogy is meant to serve its readers with a historical