“Answers for a study in the Gospel of Matthew” is a weekly post in addition to the regular “apologetics” posts on the weekend where the original questions can be found at the bottom of the study, and then answers appear here mid-week. This gives you time to do your own research, and then check your answers. Keep in mind these will be basic answers with a little depth, but you can go much deeper for discussion if you’d like.

2023 Fall – A Case for the Gospels: A study in Matthew

The hermeneutics of Matthew and genealogy of Jesus

BASIC ANSWERS

Always remember to pray before you study and ask the Holy Spirit to teach you and lead you into the truth found in God’s Word – pray for protection from the evil one who will try to discourage, distract and deceive us when we commit to growing closer to the LORD.

Note: Questions are taken directly from the chapters, and answers should be found and cited from the Scripture text in order to be Biblically accurate (unless asked to summarize in your own words). Study Bibles, commentaries and your own thoughts can be used for Discussion or Going Deeper questions. If you use these kinds of sources share them with your group.

For the answers below, Scripture passages and quotations are taken from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.

1.  Review of Class Topic: Before getting into the Bible study questions, discuss today’s class presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

Answers will vary…

The Hermeneutics and Jesus’ genealogy

2.  Who was the author and what do we know about him?

Author:  Matthew (also known as Levi)

• A disciple and Apostle of Jesus, one of the first twelve
• A tax collector (a position despised by most people and regarded as unpatriotic; known to engage in extortion for personal gain)
• Charles Swindoll records one man’s saying about Matthew: “When Jesus called Matthew, as he sat in the office where he collected the customs duty, Matthew rose up and followed Him and left everything behind him except one thing—his pen.”
• Church history records Matthew’s death as a martyr, much like the other Apostles who followed Jesus’ command to go out and preach the Gospel to the world: “Matthew suffered martyrdom in Ethiopia, killed by the sword.”

3.  Who was the audience and what do we know about them?

• Matthew wrote specifically to the Jews during this specific time in history and began to circulate around the mid-60s AD
• The historical context of this audience includes:
  • The Jews had been under foreign control since the time of the Babylonian captivity some 600 years (586 BC) – even though they had come back to the land 70 years after that initial captivity they had not been a sovereign nation and were currently under the control and authority of Rome.
  • Even though they were under Roman authority, they had been allowed to keep and control their religious authority through the “Sanhedrin” (the religious council that included Pharisees, Sadducees, Priests and Scribes).
  • The Jews were eagerly awaiting the promise of Messiah who would become their new “King” in the line and manner of David (a waring king that would free them from foreign oppression).

4.  What is the main genre (Literary style) and purpose of this book?

• The main genre of this book is historical narrative; also known as Gospel Narrative. It is also considered a biography of Jesus’ life, and contains some of Jesus’ teachings in the form, or style of parables (def. A simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels).
• This Gospel specifically forms the connecting link between the Old and New Testaments because of its emphasis on the fulfillment of prophecy concerning the Messiah and the Nation of Israel.
• Matthew is filled with messianic language (for example: “Son of David”); and Old Testament references (53 specific quotes and 76 other references).
• This Gospel was not written as a chronological account; its purpose was to present the clear evidence that Jesus was the Messiah, the Savior.
• Matthew’s themes would have been important to the Jewish audience:
  • Jesus’ credentials (through his birth, baptism and temptation in the wilderness)
  • Jesus’ message (through miracles, discourses that would resonate because of the mountain theology of the Old Testament; and parables)
  • Jesus’ suffering (through opposition, rejection and the promise of a second coming)
  • Jesus’ Victory (through Passover and arrest, suffering and death, Resurrection and Ascension)

5.  Discuss: Why do you think it is important to understand the historical and cultural context in which the books of the Bible are written? What are some ways that we can do this (what resources can you share)?

Answers may vary but should include…

• Understanding the historical context of the original audience, and setting of the culture of that day, will help us understand God’s intention through the Biblical author to the people of that day, not our day and culture.
• If we know what was going on at that time, we can better make life application to our day (and not the other way around).
• We can make the mistake of putting the lens of our current culture and society over the Bible and thus misinterpret and misapply what is being taught in an ancient setting in light of modern settings; therefore, it is important to follow the hermeneutical method, and not simply look for self-application, otherwise we will miss the big picture of the Bible and ultimately God’s intention for our understand about life and eternity.

6.  How can we make proper application of the Gospels to our lives today?

• The idea of descriptive vs. prescriptive is an important concept when we study the Bible and look for application to our lives and culture.
• The Bible is mainly an historical narrative that is descriptive of events, people and places, but it does have prescriptive
• God gives prescriptive commands in the Old Testament that are specifically for the people of Israel (not for us); and Jesus (who is God) gives prescriptive commands in the New Testament that are for us (some of which overlap, like in the Ten Commandments).
• Recognizing when something is descriptive vs. prescriptive will help us with proper interpretation and application of the Bible.
• In addition, understanding the Big Picture of the Bible, its themes and overarching narrative will give us a framework with which to work from.
• Interpretation of what is in the narrative (who wrote, who it was written to, and why) will then help us to properly apply what is said to our lives today, either by example or direct command.

7.  Start by reading chapter one, verses 1 through 17. This is a genealogy of Jesus through his human step father, Joseph. What do you think is the importance of this genealogy?

• From Charles Swindoll’s living Insights Commentary on Matthew:
  • “What appears to us to be of little interest and, frankly, rather boring information is, in fact, the most fundamental starting point for a Jewish reader. To a Jewish audience, if a man were to claim that he was the Messiah but didn’t have the royal pedigree, it would be all over.”
  • “To qualify as the long-awaited Messiah, or anointed king, a person would have to be an heir of the promise of Abraham and a legal descendant of King David.”
  • “This is why. Matthew begins his Gospel account with a straight-forward and simple-but vitally important – thesis for his Jewish readers: “This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham.” The list of names that follows becomes Exhibit A-proof that Jesus really does have the pedigree to be the long-awaited Messiah.”
  • “It is clear that Matthew did not give an exhaustive list, rather he was demonstrating legal right and teaching them some very important things about Jesus.”
• The main importance of any of the genealogies in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, is to point to Jesus. Everything in Scripture is pointing, picturing and foreshadowing Jesus as the ultimate fulfillment of the Genesis 3:15 Promise.
• Jewish people, up to the time of Jesus, could also account for their tribal identity through protected records like the Biblical one, but after the time of Jesus, and the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D., Jews no longer had access to these kinds of records, and today can no longer identify with a specific Jewish Tribe.
• All the genealogies help to show God’s sovereign hand in the keeping of the records over the history of the Israelite Nation that would help them to know what they were looking for in the coming of Messiah, and believers now to know that Jesus is the Messiah, and promised Savior of the world from the beginning, based not only on the genealogical records, but also the fulfillment of hundreds of prophecies about Him as the ultimate fulfillment of God’s Covenant Promise from Genesis 3:15.

8.  Going Deeper: Cross-reference this genealogy with the one in Luke chapter 3:23-38. What can you find out (research) about the differences seen in the Luke genealogy, and why are these differences important?

• We find two genealogies in the New Testament for Jesus: One in Matthew that traces His human line from his “step-father” Joseph in order to show His legal right to the Messiahship/Throne; and the other in Luke that traces His promised “Covenantal” line from Mary all the way back to Adam.
• From gotquestions.org
  • “Most conservative Bible scholars today take a different view, namely, that Luke is recording Mary’s genealogy and Matthew is recording Joseph’s. Matthew is following the line of Joseph (Jesus’ legal father), through David’s son Solomon, while Luke is following the line of Mary (Jesus’ blood relative), through David’s son Nathan. Since there was no specific Koine Greek word for “son-in-law,” Joseph was called the “son of Heli” by marriage to Mary, Heli’s daughter. Through either Mary’s or Joseph’s line, Jesus is a descendant of David and therefore eligible to be the Messiah. Tracing a genealogy through the mother’s side is unusual, but so was the virgin birth. Luke’s explanation is that Jesus was the son of Joseph, “so it was thought” (Luke 3:23).”
  • “Mary’s lineage, as recorded by Luke, does not mention Mary, but that’s to be expected—including women’s names in genealogies was not standard practice. It begins this way: “[Jesus] was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli” (Luke 3:23). This comment affirms the truth of Jesus’ virgin birth (see Luke 1:29–38). Joseph was a “son” of Heli by virtue of his marriage to Mary, who would have been the daughter of Heli (Matthew 1:16lists Joseph’s biological father as Jacob).”
  • “Some notable points in Mary’s lineage are that she was a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Luke 3:34); she was specifically of the tribe of Judah (verse 33). She was also a descendant of Boaz (verse 32) and David (verse 31). Significantly, Luke traces Mary’s lineage all the way back to Adam (verse 38). This fits with Luke’s purpose as he wrote to Gentiles and emphasized that Jesus is the Son of God who came to save all people (cf. Luke 2:10–11).”

“When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,  the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,  the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,  the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,  the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,  the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,  the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”  Luke 3:23-38

Note: I bolded and underlined some of the important Biblical names that we read about, and that are specifically related to Covenants in the Old Testament.

Please join us each week as we continue our case for the Gospels, and a study in the book of Matthew!

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15