Read Matthew Chapter 1
Good News! Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior of the World.
Chapter one starts off with the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah. The genealogy goes back as far as Abraham. They start with Abraham because it was Abraham who God spoke to and gave the promise of the coming Savior of the world. There were a total of 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus who is called the Messiah meaning the Anointed One, meaning the one chosen to be the Savior of the World. Evidence of this is going to be seen throughout Matthew as it mentions Jesus fulfilling many of the Old Testament prophecies that speak of the coming Messiah.
The genealogy itself is a huge evidence mentioning people who are in secular history books which give validity of their existence.
Matthew mentions Jesus as the Messiah three times in the first chapter.
1. Verse 23 is the fulfillment of the first prophecy telling of a virgin birth and giving the baby the name Jesus meaning the Lord’s Salvation.
2. He is called Emmanuel, as mentioned in Isaiah 7:14, which means God is with us. This helps us understand that he’s not just the Savior but he is God himself in a human form.
2 Thoughts:
1. JESUS IS OUR SAVIOR: As we read Matthew it will give several pieces of evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one, the one who saves us from our sins offering forgiveness.
2. THERE IS HOPE: As we go through the genealogy of Jesus, many of his relatives of the past were evil people. Despite Jesus’s past relatives, he became the Savior of the World. Think of your genealogy, or better yet, think of your past specifically. The same concept is true, your family does not define who you are. And your past, along with all your mistakes and failures, don’t define who you are either. So quit leaning on the past. Look to today. Today forgiveness of sin is available for all who have failed in life choices. Repent, or turn from your sin, then turn to Jesus who can transform your life regardless of one’s past genealogy or past mistakes. I’m excited to read the book of Matthew.
