Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Prologue:

Jesus Christ and John the Baptist are cousins because their mothers, Mary and Elizabeth, were related. But even before he was born, John the Baptist knew that Jesus was the Messiah. When Mary was pregnant with Jesus and Elizabeth pregnant with John, the Bible says

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. (Luke 1:41).

Verses 1-2

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

Commentary:

At the beginning of Matthew chapter three, Jesus and John are now adults and we see that John the Baptist has begun his ministry, preaching “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near”.

But what a coincidence, that’s the exact same thing that Jesus is going to say at the start of his own ministry. As a matter of fact, the very first words that Jesus preaches after returning from fasting in the desert, are “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”

So what do we make of that? When both the greatest profit who has ever lived and Jesus the Messiah are telling people to repent, it’s probably something very important, So let’s examine this and understand what they’re talking about.

But before we do, let me give you a reminder; how do we get into the kingdom of heaven? Is it by being a good person? No; because we can not earn salvation. If salvation could be earned, people would have something to brag about. They would be inclined to stand before God and say, “Look at how wonderful I was”.

But Ephesians chapter two states;

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

So we can not earn our salvation by being a good person or by doing good works. Salvation is by faith. Then what is the purpose of repentance? Why are both Jesus and John telling everyone to repent?

First of all, what does repent even mean?

I don’t like arguing with strangers on the internet, but sometimes I find myself doing so over the doctrines of Christianity. It was just recently that a Christian made a post stating that Jesus never said “Repent”. I entered into the conversation with my disagreement and the discourse quickly devolved into this person arguing with me over the meaning of the word repentance.

This commentary is very intentionally, not meant to be scholarly in nature. Its purpose is to be read by ordinary, regular people. It was not my intent to dive head first into Greek words, or Hebrew root words or various forms of verbs which often make bible commentaries a burden to read. However, on this occasion I think it’s necessary if we want to understand what Jesus and John are proclaiming.

When we look up the word Repent, we find the Greek word μετανοέω, which means To think differently. To reconsider. To morally feel guilt after doing something bad. As we proceed further into the book of Matthew, we’re going to see that Jesus wants us to love God and to love other people. In John 14 Jesus says;

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot receive Him (The Holy Spirit), because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. (John 14:15-17a)

If Jesus Christ, asks you to do something, you can not just give him the big middle finger. You can’t reject Christ, and love Christ at the same time. Now we all stumble into sin, we all make mistakes and errors, but to look to Jesus and say, “I’m not going to do what you say!” is a rejection of Jesus.

Again, if Jesus asks you to do something and you refuse, that is an act of rejecting Christ. We can not reject Christ and enter into the kingdom of heaven. Fortunately, however, as long as you are alive, Jesus’s instruction, and John’s instruction, are still relevant. repent. In other words, as long as you are still living, you are still under God’s grace and there is still time available for you to accept Christ and to put your faith and trust in Jesus. But the moment you depart from your body, that’s the cut off. Time’s up.

What Jesus wants us to do is to turn from, that is, to think differently about our sins. He wants us instead to follow him and put our trust and reliance upon him. That is, in and of itself, the very definition of faith. You are putting your trust in Jesus Christ, Thus, when Jesus Christ says, “don’t do that, instead do this”, you are able to trust him and are willing to do what he has asked of you.

If Jesus asks you to do something, and you don’t do it, you are rejecting what he asked you to do. You are rejecting Christ.

Again, I want to emphasize, that I’m not referring to the stumbling into sin. We live in a dark and fallen world, and stumbles, trips and falls are unavoidable. But I’m talking about the very deliberate and intentional rejection of Christ’s commands and teachings which in and of itself, is a rejection of Christ.

Verses 3-6

This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”

John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

Commentary:

John ate grasshoppers. To me, that’s disgusting. Why does the bible mention this? I think it may be to show John’s humbleness and to compare him to Elijah. John doesn’t wear fancy clothes and eat fine foods. He’s like a homeless person. He’s out in the wilderness, rather than in the city. He wears camel hair clothing and eats insects. I suspect that if you and I encountered john the Baptist today, we might be inclined to avoid him, a man at the river wearing rags and eating bugs. But many people in Israel heard about what he was doing, and went out there to see him and be baptized by him.

Verses 7-10

But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Commentary:

Many people today, both Christians and non-Christian alike, view Jesus as only the meek, mild, loving, compassionate person that came 2,000 years ago. But they never consider the Jesus that is coming back.

Our all loving Jesus is a God of Justice. And when He comes back, that period of Grace will be over. That’s when he will pour out justice and wrath.

The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness. (Romans 1:18)

Jesus put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was asleep, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and slipped away. When the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared.

The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

‘An enemy did this,’ he replied. So the servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

‘No,’ he said, ‘if you pull the weeds now, you might uproot the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’ (Matthew 13:24-30)

And when Jesus explained this parable to his disciples he said;

“The One who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed represents the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear. (Matthew 13:37-43)

Verse 11

I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.

Commentary:

John says that the one who is coming is more powerful than he is. John is referring to Jesus, the Messiah. John has been described in the bible (Luke 7:24-35), as the greatest of all prophets, but John says he’s not worthy to even untie the sandals of Jesus. This tells us that Jesus is more than a profit, he’s more than a good teacher, and as we continue into this New Testament Commentary, we’re going to see that Jesus is not only a mighty man, but that he is God himself.

Verse 12

His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Commentary:

This is exactly what was just discussed a moment ago from the parable of the weeds and the wheat. But first notice that John says the winnowing fork is already in his hand. That was spoken 2,000 years ago. How much closer are we today to that moment when Jesus clears the threshing floor?

Verses 13-15

At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

“Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.

Commentary:

Jesus came to the Jordan to be baptized. Regarding his baptism, Jesus said “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness”.

Jesus is saying that him being baptized fulfills all righteousness. It sound like baptism is pretty important and that without it, righteousness would not be fulfilled.

Is baptism required for salvation?

The Christian walk takes an entire lifetime. It’s not necessary for us to know every answer before we can follow Jesus Christ in Faith. I myself, am 53 years old and have been following Jesus a long time, yet I still don’t have all the answers.

Here’s what I do know. Salvation is by faith. The thief on the cross was not baptized. However, Peter said, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:38)

Again I say! It’s not necessary for you to be a theologian in order to follow Jesus! Just go get baptized, follow Jesus and then don’t worry about it. I’m not going to have consternation over a theological debate. Just get baptized, and afterwards give praise to Jesus. It’s not necessary to fully understand every theological discussion before you can have faith.

So then what’s the answer? Is baptism required for salvation? The answer is, “I don’t know.” But I’m not going to worry about it because I’ve already been baptized and I’ve put my faith in Jesus. You should do the same. Fulfill righteousness.

Verses 16-17

As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

Commentary:

What is that about? That’s the Holy Spirit. As we proceed through the gospels and The New Testament as a whole, we’re going to see the value and importance of having the Holy Spirit in you. So if you have never received the Holy Spirit before, know this:

Matthew chapter seven says;

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8)

So if you ask for the Holy Spirit, if you seek the Holy Spirit, If you knock he will answer. Because what did it say there in verse 8? “For everyone who asks receives”.

What then does that look like? How does one ask? Very Simple….”Lord, may I have the Holy Spirit.”

Ask that, and keep asking until you receive the Holy Spirit. Remember that verse said that the person who seeks, finds. The Holy Spirit will be given to you if you ask, seek and knock.

View the group Bible Study resource for Matthew chapter 3

Listen to the audio podcast episode for this Matthew chapter 3 commentary

Watch the video for this commentary on Matthew chapter 3

Commentary Matthew 2

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

Verses 1-3

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the One who has been born King of the Jews? We saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.

Commentary:

The king James, the ESV and the NLT versions of the Bible describe these as Wise Men, However, it seems, at least from our position of hindsight, that they may have been displaying a bit of naivete in the fact that when they arrived in Jerusalem they were asking about the “New King”.

When King Herod heard about this, is it any wonder that he was upset? Did the magi not consider that their inquiries about the New King, might perhaps make the current king jealous? Did they not consider that he might be unwilling to give up his power, and might be inclined to do harm to a political rival?

Verses 4-8

And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah, for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of My people Israel.’

Then Herod called the Magi secretly and learned from them the exact time the star had appeared. And sending them to Bethlehem, he said: “Go and search carefully for the Child, and when you find Him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship Him.”

Commentary:

“For out of Bethlehem will come a ruler”… King Herod didn’t like the sound of that at all. Herod didn’t want to give up even one inch of his power to a new ruler. So we’re going to see that Herod is lying to the Magi about wanting to go and worship the Christ.

I believe King Herod, was acting as Satan’s puppet to carry out Lucifer’s plan. From the day Satan was kicked out of heaven, until he is cast into the Lake of Fire in the book of Revelation, we see Satan continuously trying to foil God’s plans. Satan knows these prophecies better than the Chief Priests and Scribes. He knows very well that the Christ will come from Bethlehem. So if Satan can kill the Messiah as an infant, God’s plans will be ruined. But Satan is a perpetual failure and God, on the other hand, is Omnipresent, already knowing the end from the beginning.

Remember what happened long ago, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me. I declare the end from the beginning, and from ancient times what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and all My good pleasure I will accomplish.’ (Isaiah 46:9-10)

In a game of chess, if you knew ahead of time every move your opponent was going to make and you knew every possible chess move to counter your opponent, there is no possible way you could lose. That is how God is with Satan. Satan is not omniscient nor omnipresent. Satan is in one place at one time roaming about the earth, “and walking back and forth in it” (Job 1:7). God is going to win no matter what. As a matter of fact, we’re going to see Satan get defeated right here in the book of Matthew.

Verses 9-10

After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with great delight.

Commentary:

I find the story of the Magi from the east following a star until it stood over the place where Jesus had been born to be fascinating. Were they the only ones who could see this star? One would think that such a sight would bring out all of Jerusalem if everyone was able to see this traveling star. And the fact that the star “stood” over the place where Jesus was, causes me to suspect that this star was something far greater than a distant twinkling object in outer space. I suspect that this star was actually an angel which they described as appearing like a star in the night sky. This angel led the magi to Jesus and finally stood directly on top of the location where Jesus was.

Verse 11

On coming to the house, they saw the Child with His mother Mary, and they fell down and worshiped Him. Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Commentary:

I’d like to make a few observations. First, the magi fell down and worshipped Jesus, not Mary. Second, what does it mean that they fell down and worshiped him? The magi are not merely bringing birthday gifts to a child. They are worshipping Jesus. The magi correctly understand that Jesus is divine. Throughout the entire Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, we are shown the divine nature of Jesus, (Genesis 3:15), (Revelation 22:13). Anyone who claims the bible never says that Jesus is God is like someone putting their fingers in their ears and saying “la, la, la, la, I can’t hear you”.

Verse 12

And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they withdrew to their country by another route.

Commentary:

This is apparently the first time these wise men come to understand that Herod was not sincere in what he had previously told them. Notice that God spoke to them in their dreams. Throughout the text of the Bible, God spoke to 16 different people through their dreams.

Abimelech – Genesis 20, Jacob – Genesis 28 & 31, Laban – Genesis 31, Joseph – Genesis 37, The Cupbearer and the Baker – Genesis 40, Pharaoh – Genesis 41, Midianite Soldier – Judges 7, Solomon – 1 Kings 3, Nebuchadnezzar – Daniel 2 & 4, Daniel – Daniel 7–8 & 10, Joseph – Matthew 1–2, The three Wise Men – Matthew 2, Pilate’s Wife – Matthew 27.

Verses 13-15

When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”

So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Commentary:

Joseph knew the Lord was speaking to him, and he obeyed immediately—in the middle of the night. He didn’t wait until morning. He didn’t pray about it for a few days. He didn’t consult with anyone—not even the kind of spiritual advisors we might turn to today, like a pastor or church elders. He simply obeyed. And by doing so, he saved Jesus’s life.

God equals life. As we proceed further into this New Testament commentary, we will soon see that faith in Jesus Christ is the key to life. How do we gain eternal life? It is through Jesus Christ. He is the one who conquered death.

Verses 16-18

When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was filled with rage. Sending orders, he put to death all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

“A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Commentary:

Herod was so fearful of losing his power that he was willing to send orders that every boy under the age of two in Bethlehem be killed.

What perplexes me about this story is that the soldiers under King Herod’s command were willing to obey the king’s orders to kill the babies and toddlers in Bethlehem. What sort of cowardice, barbaric, heathen would obey such an order? But yet they did.

But this is a familiar story. Remember what happened in Exodus Chapter 1?

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people: “Every son born to the Hebrews you must throw into the Nile…(Exodus 1:22a)

Pharaoh ordered that all Hebrew baby boys be thrown into the Nile River where they were presumably eaten by crocodiles.

Remember, Moses was the one who, through God’s intervention, led the Israelites out of the bondage of slavery. Moses represents Jesus bringing us out of the bondage of sin.

So when Moses was born, Satan persuaded the government (meaning pharaoh), to kill babies. This was Satan, trying in vain to thwart God’s plans. Then when the Messiah was coming into the world, Satan again persuaded the government, (this time King Herod), to kill the babies in Bethlehem.

Where do we see today, a government passing laws to kill babies? Why is that happening? Satan is trying, still to this day, to thwart God’s plans. In the United States of America today, one million babies a year die in abortion. Why? What’s going on?

Acts 2:17 says:

In the last days, God says, I will pour out My Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. (Acts 2:17)

Did you see that? Sons and daughters will prophesy and young men will see visions when God pours out his spirit in the last days. These are the last days; and so we see Satan doing the same thing again. When God wants to do a work through someone who was prophesied about in scripture, Satan comes along and tries to kill them when they’re a baby.

Verses 19-23

After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead.”

So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And having been warned in a dream, he withdrew to the district of Galilee, and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophets: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Commentary:

It’s interesting to note that within just two years of killing all those babies in Bethlehem, Herod died. My strong suspicion is that his death may have been an act of God’s wrath exerting a small bit of justice.

And again, when the Lord spoke to Joseph, he acted immediately without question. However, I would like to point out that these interactions between God and Joseph are a rare occasion in which God explains the reasons for his instructions. God told Joseph to Go to Egypt because Herod was going to search for the Child to kill Him. And later God told Joseph to go back to Israel, because those seeking the Child’s life were dead.

In most cases, however, God does not explain himself. For example, Philip was in Samaria preaching the good news and crowds of people all paid close attention to Philip’s message. But then, seemingly out of nowhere and for no apparent reason God told Philip to,

“Get up and go south to the desert road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (Acts 8:26)

No reason why; no explanation given. Just get up and go. Today, when God issues an instruction to someone, this is very often how he does it, without offering any explanation whatsoever. So then, we must ask ourselves, “Do we trust God?”

If God told you to get up and go to a certain location in your town, or to get up and move your family to another state, or to get up and become a missionary, but offered zero explanation as to why he wanted you to do those things, would you be willing to obey? Would you be willing to walk in the faith of believing that God knows what he’s doing?

Verse 22 of our text states that when Joseph learned that Archelaus was reigning in Judea, he was afraid to go there. Keep in mind that Joseph’s instructions were very broad, “go to the land of Israel”. Joseph is being obedient while simultaneously exercising his free will. He is doing what the Lord said by going back to the nation of Israel, but decides on his own that he doesn’t want to return to Bethlehem.

Afterward, he is yet again warned in a dream, confirming his concerns about returning to Bethlehem. Notice, however, that the Lord didn’t tell him to go to Nazareth. Joseph is exercising his free will again and makes that decision because that’s where he and Mary are both originally from. My advice to Christians today is to present every care and concern to the Lord and then afterward use your free will to make a decision. Let the Lord be your guide, then move forward and see what happens.

I have heard some Christians say that they are not going to make any move until God tells them to do so. I feel this is not how God operates. How can God open a door for you, a mile away, if you’re still at home sitting on your couch watching Netflix? To me, it’s an excuse to not do anything and is based either in fear or in laziness. God already told you to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). Therefore, ask God for opportunities and then make a free-will decision to get out there.

Regarding Joseph’s decision to go to Nazareth, he is fulfilling prophecy that Jesus would be called a Nazarene. This again demonstrates God’s omniscience. Before the world began, God knew that Joseph would make that decision and was thus able to have Isaiah write about it 700 years before Joseph was even born.

And later when Jesus is grown and begins his ministry, Nathanael, one of the twelve disciples is going to ask, “Can anything good come from Nazareth?” which further reveals to us Jesus’s humble origins.

View Matthew 2 bible study resource

Watch the video format of this commentary

Listen to the audio podcast format of this commentary

Commentary Matthew 1

Gary Eugene Howell uses the Berean Standard Bible. The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible, BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee. The Text of the Berean Standard Bible was dedicated to the public domain as of April 30, 2023.

View Matthew 1 bible study resource

Verse 1

This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

Commentary

Jesus Christ is a direct descendant of King David and of Abraham. This, of course, fulfilled the prophecies that the Messiah would come from Abraham as well as from the line of David.

And through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” (Genesis 22:18)

You said, “I have made a covenant with My chosen one, I have sworn to David My servant: ‘I will establish your offspring forever and build up your throne for all generations.’” (Psalm 89:3-4)

Key Takeaway:

Jesus is the only person in human history who could have possibly been the Messiah.

Many of the Jewish people today are still waiting for a coming messiah. However, because the Jewish people were scattered across the globe for more than a thousand years up until the 20th century and in the Holocaust, nearly 40% of the world’s Jewish population perished, the Jewish people today have lost the ability to trace their ancestry back to the original 12 tribes of Israel.

This means that no person claiming to be a messiah today could fulfil the prophecy of being from the line of David because no Jewish person today knows their ancestry that far back. Again, Jesus Christ is the only person who fulfills all the prophecies about a coming Messiah.

Verses 2-16

Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
and Hezron the father of Ram.
Ram was the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
and Nahshon the father of Salmon.
Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
and Jesse the father of David the king.

Next:

David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
and Abijah the father of Asa.
Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
and Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah was the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers
at the time of the exile to Babylon.
After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud,
Abiud the father of Eliakim,
and Eliakim the father of Azor.
Azor was the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Achim,
and Achim the father of Eliud.
Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Commentary:

Verses two through sixteen identify the names of each person in Jesus’s genealogy from Abraham all the way to Joseph and Mary, a span of approximately 2,000 years.

Key Takeaway:

When you study the Old Testament accounts connected to this genealogy, you’ll see that many of those in Jesus’s lineage were troubled, sinful, and broken people. Some were liars, idolaters, adulterers, and even murderers. Jesus did not come from a line of perfect or noble people. He came through a long list of ordinary men and women, some of whom had burdened pasts; perhaps in some ways similar to the background you may have come from. Yet this genealogy shows God’s grace and the way He can work through imperfect people.

It’s a common misbelief that a person has to clean up their life before coming to God. That is an error. You cannot make yourself right with God on your own. It is God who restores you. It is through faith in Jesus Christ that you are made right before God.

Verse 17

In all, then, there were fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

Commentary:

Matthew’s purpose is to demonstrate that Jesus is the rightful heir to David’s throne. The number 14 was likely intended as a memory aid for the Jewish readers of Matthew’s time.

Seeming Contradiction:

The genealogy of Jesus appears in both the books of Matthew and Luke. But the names differ in each account. One might be inclined to conclude there is some sort of error, however, we must recall what is written in 2 Timothy chapter 3 in which it states,

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

If we are to live by faith, we cannot approach the Word of God with a critical attitude, searching for faults or claiming it contains errors. The moment you conclude that something in the Bible is an error, you open the door to dismissing anything in scripture you don’t like.

Some people have referred to the differences in these two accounts of Jesus’s genealogy as a contradiction. However, whenever we encounter something in Scripture that appears to be a contradiction, we should first assume that the error lies in our own understanding, not in God’s Word. We can also be confident that, over the centuries, careful and capable scholars have already examined these concerns. In most cases, a brief online search will reveal thoughtful explanations that address every issue. But even if we don’t immediately find a satisfying answer, we can continue in faith, trusting that the error must be our own, rather than God’s. In time, further study may bring clarity. Not having an immediate answer should never weaken one’s faith.

The answer, however, is simply that Matthew wanted to highlight Jesus’s ancestry by tracing it through Joseph, connecting him to both Abraham and King David to show his fulfillment of prophecy regarding his identity as the Messiah. Luke, on the other hand, traces Jesus’s lineage through Mary, going all the way back to Adam.

Verses 18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged in marriage to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and was unwilling to disgrace her publicly, he resolved to divorce her quietly.

But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

“Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us”).

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and embraced Mary as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.

Commentary:

When Joseph first learned of Mary’s pregnancy, he assumed she had been unfaithful. Yet after receiving God’s message, he accepted her. Notice that Joseph didn’t question, argue, or ask for further confirmation. He simply obeyed in faith.

The angel instructed Joseph, “you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” The purpose of Jesus’s coming is salvation. This is significant because sin is the true problem separating humanity from God. While many in Israel were longing for deliverance from Roman oppression and the restoration of their nation, these verses show that the deeper need was for the forgiveness of sin.

The Gospel points to the condition of the human heart. Throughout the Gospel, Jesus calls people to repentance and He ultimately gives His life as a sacrifice for sin. The message of the Gospel is that reconciliation with God is found through Jesus Christ, for sin is what separates us from Him, and it is through Christ alone that we are restored.

Practical Truth:

Matthew also emphasizes that these events fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet Isaiah. God keeps His word. What He promised, even generations earlier, He brings to pass.

You will find throughout your life that God’s timeline is never like your own. God may tell you something today about your future, and you may assume it will happen next week, next month, or even next year, but often it may not come to pass for ten, twenty, or even thirty plus years.

Watch the video format of this commentary

Listen to the audio podcast format of this commentary