Matthew 1:1-17

Summary: Genealogies are a very Jewish way of helping to identify someone. And so that’s where Matthew begins in his account of Jesus. Being a son of Joseph entails, of course, an important connection to Abraham, and more specifically to David. However, closer inspection reveals this, perhaps above all, to be a family tree littered with scandal and dysfunction (further highlighted by the unexpected mention of four of Jesus’ mothers; each of whose stories point to some form of scandal). Joseph’s family tree is a striking picture of God’s unrelenting power and resolve to move human history toward his own salvific purposes…no matter how dark and hopeless that history may appear.