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We come now to the last part of the genealogy of Christ according to Matthew. In the previous message I said that this part of the Word is not milk or meat, but bones. All the points in this message will help us penetrate the bone and see what is inside it.
Matthew 1:6 says, “David begot Solomon.” Compare this statement with the record that says, “Nathan, the son of David” (Luke 3:31). Nathan also was the son of David. The genealogy in Matthew says that the son of David was Solomon, and the genealogy in Luke says that the son of David was Nathan. If we read 1 Chronicles 3:1 and 5, we see that these are two different persons. Luke’s record is the genealogy of David’s son Nathan, who was Mary’s forefather, whereas Matthew’s record is the genealogy of David’s son Solomon, who was Joseph’s forefather. One genealogy is the line of Mary, the wife’s line; the other genealogy is the line of Joseph, the husband’s line. Both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David, but they were from two families descended from the same grandfather. One family is the family of Solomon; the other is the family of Nathan. Under God’s sovereignty Mary and Joseph, descendants of these two families, were betrothed and brought forth Christ. Christ may be counted as the descendant of David through both Solomon and Nathan. This is the reason He has two genealogies.
Solomon’s relationship with Christ was not direct. Strictly speaking, Solomon was not a direct forefather of Christ. His relationship with Christ was indirect through his descendant Joseph’s marriage to Mary, of whom Christ was born (Matt. 1:16).
The Old Testament did not say that Christ would be Solomon’s descendant, but it prophesied repeatedly that Christ would be the descendant of David (2 Sam. 7:13-14, 16; Jer. 23:5). Although Christ was not a direct descendant of Solomon, the Old Testament prophecies concerning Christ were nevertheless fulfilled.
We proceed to Rehoboam, the son of Solomon (v. 7). With Rehoboam, the kingdom of David was divided (1 Kings 11:9-12; 12:1-17). Of the twelve tribes, one tribe was kept for David’s sake (1 Kings 11:13), that is, for Christ. Christ needed the kingdom that belonged to the house of David because Christ had to be born as the heir of David’s throne. If the whole kingdom had been dissolved, nothing would have remained to allow Christ to be born as David’s royal heir. Thus, God preserved one of the tribes for David. Apparently it was preserved for David; actually it was preserved for Christ.
After this division, the kingdom of David was in two parts: the northern part, called the kingdom of Israel, and the southern part, called the kingdom of Judah. The northern part was called the kingdom of Israel, a universal name, because it was made up of the ten tribes of Israel; the southern part was called the kingdom of Judah, a local name, because it was composed of the two tribes of Judah and Benjamin. As far as you are concerned, which title has the better meaning — the kingdom of Israel or the kingdom of Judah? I would surely favor the kingdom of Israel, for that is something universal, something for the majority. I would never favor Judah, because Judah is too local, too narrow. However, although the kingdom of Israel was more universal than that of Judah, in the genealogy of Christ, not one name of the kings of Israel is included. They were universal, but they were excluded from the generation of Christ. They were excluded because they were not associated with Christ.
This picture, like all other items in the Old Testament, was written for our learning, and it is a type of the occurrences in the New Testament age. We see the same thing today. In principle, at the beginning the church was one. But after a certain time, the church was divided, not into two parts, but perhaps into more than two thousand parts. Some may say, “Were not those in the kingdom of Israel still the people of God?” Certainly they were. They were the people of God, but they were outside of the line of Christ. What does this mean? To be outside of the line of Christ means that, although you are God’s people, you are not for Christ. You are for something other than Christ. Consider the situation today. We are all real Christians, and we are all God’s people. But are we solely, purely, fully, and ultimately for Christ or are we for something else? If you are for something other than Christ, then you are outside of the line of Christ. For this reason, none of the kings of the northern kingdom, the larger and more universal kingdom, is included in the genealogy of Christ.
Verse 8 says, “Joram begot Uzziah.” Compare this record with 1 Chronicles 3:11 and 12, which say, “Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah” (who is Ozias or Uzziah—2 Kings 15:1, 13). Matthew omitted three generations which are found in 1 Chronicles — Ahaziah, Joash, and Amaziah.
This must have been due to the evil marriage of Joram to the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, which corrupted his descendants (2 Chron. 21:5-6; 22:1-4). Ahab was the king of the northern kingdom, and his wife Jezebel was a wicked woman who was fully related to idols. Because she was one with the Devil, she corrupted her husband. They brought forth a daughter, and Joram, one of the kings of Judah, married her. This woman taught Joram to worship idols, to be one with the idols. Thus their family was corrupted. According to Exodus 20:5, three generations of Joram’s descendants were cut off from the generation of Christ. Exodus 20:5 says that anyone who forsakes God and worships idols corrupts himself and will suffer God’s curse for three or four generations. Therefore, three generations of King Joram were cut off from the genealogy of Christ. Here we must learn a lesson. If we would be associated with Christ, we should never be involved with anything related to idols. God is a jealous God and He will never tolerate idolatry.
Verse 11 says, “Josiah begot Jeconiah.” Compare this record with “the sons of Josiah...the second Jehoiakim...and the sons of Jehoiakim; Jeconiah his son” (1 Chron. 3:15-16). One generation — Jehoiakim — was omitted from the genealogy of Christ. This must have been because he was made king by Pharaoh of Egypt and collected tax for Pharaoh (2 Kings 23:34-35). Because he was so closely related to Egypt, he was excluded from the genealogy of Christ. Egypt represents the world. From these two records we see that anyone who is related to idols or associated with the world will be excluded from the generation of Christ.
Those who were carried away to Babylon as captives (vv. 11-12) were indirectly related to Christ through their descendant Joseph’s marriage with Mary. Even these captives are included in this sacred record of Christ’s genealogy because they had an indirect relationship through Mary, the mother of Jesus.
Jeconiah was not reckoned as a king in this genealogy because he was born during the captivity and was carried away as a captive (2 Chron. 36:9-10, Jehoiachin is Jeconiah). According to the prophecy of Jeremiah 22:28-30, none of Jeconiah’s descendants would inherit the throne of David. All of his descendants were cut off from David’s throne. If Christ had been a direct descendant of Jeconiah, He would not have been entitled to the throne of David. Although Jeremiah 22:28-30 says that all the descendants of Jeconiah are excluded from the throne of David, the next chapter, verse 5, says that God will raise up a branch to David, a King who will reign and prosper. This Branch is Christ. This prophecy confirms that Christ will be the descendant of David, although not a direct descendant of Jeconiah, and will inherit the throne of David.
Verse 12 says, “Jeconiah begot Salathiel; and Salathiel begot Zerubbabel.” Compare this record with that in 1 Chronicles 3:17-19, “the sons of Jeconiah...Salathiel...and Pedaiah...and the sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel...,” showing that Zerubbabel was the son of Pedaiah, Salathiel’s brother. Zerubbabel was not Salathiel’s son, but his nephew, who became his heir. Perhaps this was a case in accordance with Deuteronomy 25:5 and 6, which say that if a man dies without a son as his heir, his brother must marry his wife in order to produce a son to be his heir. Without this case, we cannot understand why there is such a regulation in Deuteronomy 25. Even that word in Deuteronomy is related to the genealogy of Christ.
Ezra 5:1 and 2 say that Zerubbabel was one of the leaders who returned to Jerusalem from the captivity at Babylon. This means that he was a leader in the Lord’s recovery. This is a great thing. He was also a leader in the rebuilding of God’s temple (Zech. 4:7-10).
Without this return from captivity, it would have been impossible for Christ to be born at Bethlehem. The Old Testament definitely predicted that Christ, as the descendant of David, would be born in Bethlehem (Matt. 2:4-6; Micah 5:2). Suppose none of the people of Israel had returned to Judah, and the time came for Christ to be born at Bethlehem. No one would have been there. Now we can understand why God commanded the captives to return. God’s commandment that the captives return was not only for the rebuilding of the temple but also the preparation for Christ to be born in Bethlehem.
It is exactly the same today. Some may ask, “What is the difference between remaining at Babylon and returning to Jerusalem? Isn’t it the same, as long as we worship God and walk in the spirit?” It may be all right with you, but it is not all right with Christ. Christ needs some people to bring Him to Bethlehem. You may worship God and you may walk in the spirit in Babylon, but be assured that Christ could never be born into humanity through you. This requires a specific place. You must return from Babylon to Judah. When the time came for the Lord Jesus to be born, some Israelites, descendants of the returned captives, were waiting in Judah. At that time, Joseph and Mary were not in Babylon; they were in Judah. For Christ to come to earth, some of His captured people had to return. For His second coming, Christ also needs some of His captured people to return from their captivity to the proper church life.
The genealogy here says, “Jacob begot Joseph” (v. 16), but Luke 3:23 says, “Joseph, the son of Heli.” Whose son was Joseph? Luke’s record says “as was supposed.” A literal translation would be “as to the law.” This indicates that Joseph was not actually the son of Heli, but was reckoned as his son according to the law. Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli, Mary’s father. This might have been a case according to Numbers 27:1-8 and 36:1-12, in which a regulation was made by God that if any parents had only daughters as heirs, their inheritance should go to the daughters; the daughters then must marry a man of their own tribe in order to keep their inheritance within that tribe. If we did not have Matthew chapter one we may wonder why such a record exists. Now we see that this is not merely the record of a certain regulation; it is a matter related to Christ, because the virgin daughter who brought forth Christ was such a case. We believe that Mary’s parents had no sons and that she inherited her parent’s heritage and married Joseph, a man of the same tribe, the tribe of Judah. Even the regulation in Numbers 27 and 36 is related to the genealogy of Christ. Either directly or indirectly the whole Bible is a record of Christ.
At this point, the record of this genealogy does not say “Joseph begot Jesus,” as mentioned of all the foregoing persons; it says, “Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus” (v. 16). Jesus was born of Mary, not of Joseph, since it was prophesied that Christ would be the seed of a woman and born of a virgin (Gen. 3:15; Isa. 7:14). Christ could not have been born of Joseph, because Joseph was a man and a descendant of Jeconiah, of whose descendants none could inherit the throne of David (Jer. 22:28-30). If Christ had been born of Joseph, he would have been excluded from the throne of David. However, Mary was a virgin (Luke 1:27) and a descendant of David (Luke 1:31-32), the right person of whom Christ should be born. The marriage of Joseph with Mary brought him into relationship with Christ and united into one the two lines of Christ’s genealogy for the bringing forth of Christ.
Now we need to examine the chart (p. 52) which shows that the generation of Christ begins from God and continues until it reaches Jesus. The first name is God, and the last name is Jesus. It proceeds from God to Adam, from Adam to Abraham, from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob and on to David. After David, it is divided into two lines, the first running from Nathan to Mary and the second from Solomon to Joseph. Eventually, in God’s sovereignty, these two lines are brought together by the marriage of Mary to Joseph to bring forth Christ. If we spend time to consider this chart, we shall realize how wonderful is God’s sovereignty.
All marriages are under God’s sovereignty, especially marriages related to Christ. From God to David the genealogy was one line, and from David to Jesus it was two lines; yet these two lines were united through the marriage of Joseph and Mary. The Jesus who was brought forth by Mary fulfills the prophecies: the prophecy concerning the seed of woman (Gen. 3:15); the prophecy of a virgin bringing forth a son (Isa. 7:14); the prophecy of Abraham having a seed who would bring blessing to all the nations (Gen. 22:18); the prophecy to Isaac and Jacob, which was the same as the prophecy made to Abraham (Gen. 26:4; 28:14); the prophecy made to Judah that Judah would be the royal tribe (Gen. 49:10); and the prophecy made to David (2 Sam. 7:12-13). Although the birth of Jesus fulfilled many prophecies in the Old Testament, He was not the descendant of Jeconiah. Seemingly, the descendants of Jeconiah were still in the royal line. But according to God’s sovereignty, Mary, the mother of Jesus, married Joseph, a descendant of Jeconiah, who seemed to be in the line of the royal family. Apparently, Jesus was the descendant of Jeconiah; actually, He was not. He was the descendant of David. Only God can arrange such a thing. Praise Him!
If you consider your history, the history of your salvation, you will see that the principle is the same. Do not think that the marriage of Joseph and Mary was an accident. It was no accident; rather it was planned by the sovereign hand of God. Likewise, your association with Christ — your salvation — was not an accident; it also was planned by the divine hand. Sometimes I have thanked the Lord and said to Him, “I am so happy that You did not put me on earth in 20 B.C., but in the twentieth century. You put me on this earth in a place where the missionaries came with the Bible. One day I was born of a Christian mother. Later, I was given the opportunity to hear the gospel, and I was saved. Hallelujah!” This was no accident. Neither was your association with Christ an accident. God carefully planned it all. God has arranged all this for little people like us. This is not an insignificant matter. When we enter eternity, we may be very surprised. We may shout, “Praise the Lord!”
We come now to Mary, the virgin (1:16). Being a virgin, she was different from the other four women mentioned in this genealogy. Mary was pure and unique. She conceived of the Holy Spirit, not of man, to bring forth Christ (Luke 1:34-35; Matt. 1:18b, 20b). This account of the four remarried women and the one virgin proves that all the persons recorded in this genealogy were born of sin, except Christ, who was born in holiness.
Matthew uses the phrase, “Who is called Christ” (v. 16). In Luke’s genealogy, the title Christ is not mentioned. Luke mentions the name Jesus because Luke proves that the Lord came to be a man, not to be the Anointed One, the King, the Messiah. Matthew, on the contrary, proves that Jesus is the King, the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. Hence, he added the word, “Who is called Christ.”
Abraham, David, and Mary are three pleasant names in the Bible, names sweet to the ears of God (vv. 2, 6, 16). Abraham represents a life by faith, David represents a life under the dealing of the cross, and Mary represents a life of absolute surrender to the Lord. It was through these three kinds of lives that Christ was brought forth into humanity.
The principle is the same today. Consider the matter of preaching the gospel. The purpose of preaching the gospel is to bring Christ into humanity. This requires a great deal of faith, a life under the dealing of the cross, and a life of absolute surrender to the Lord. If we have these kinds of lives, we shall surely bring Christ into humanity.
David is the end of the generations of the fathers and the beginning of the generations of the kings (v. 17). He was the one person used by God as a landmark both to conclude the section of the fathers and to begin the section of the kings.
At the time of degradation, there was no person as a landmark to divide the generations as did Abraham and David. So, the carrying away itself became a landmark, a landmark of shame. At that time, the landmark was not a person; it was the carrying away to Babylon. The Bible is careful to show us that no person prevailed as the landmark for that generation. This was a shame.
Verse 17 mentions three groups of fourteen generations. The number fourteen is composed of ten plus four. Four signifies the creatures. In Revelation 4:6 we have the four living creatures, and in Revelation 7:1 we have “the four corners of the earth” and “the four winds.” The number ten signifies fullness. We often speak of one tenth, meaning the tenth part of fullness (see Gen. 14:20). Therefore, in Matthew 25:1 we have ten virgins. Look at your two hands and your feet: you have ten fingers and ten toes. Thus, the number ten denotes fullness, and the number fourteen signifies the creatures in full.
Three times of fourteen generations indicates that the Triune God mingles Himself with the creatures in full. This is very meaningful. The Persons of the Triune God are the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. This genealogy is of three sections: the section of the fathers, the section of the kings, and the section of the civilians, including the captured ones and the recovered ones. God the Father fits into the section of the fathers, God the Son fits into the section of the kings, and God the Spirit fits into the section of the civilians. This is wonderful! Therefore, three times fourteen means the mingling of the Triune God with His creatures. This record of the generation of Christ indicates the mingling of the Triune God with these human creatures.
The Triune God has been traveling through Abraham and Isaac, Jacob and Judah, Boaz and Obed, Jesse and David, and then through many other generations to Mary and Joseph. Finally, Jesus came. Who is Jesus? Jesus is the Triune God traveling through all the generations and coming forth as the mingling of divinity with humanity.
Three times fourteen is forty-two. Forty is the number of trials, temptations, and sufferings (Heb. 3:9; Matt. 4:2; 1 Kings 19:8). Christ is the forty-second generation. Forty-two signifies rest and satisfaction after trials. Numbers 33:5-48 shows us that the children of Israel traveled through forty-two stations before they came into Canaan. According to the record of the Old Testament, the Israelites suffered all the way through these forty-two stations. They were tried, they were tempted, and they were tested. They had no rest. However, after passing through these forty-two stations, they entered into rest. This not only happened in the past, but will happen again in the future. In Revelation 13, we see that there will be forty-two months, three and one-half years. These forty-two months will be the concluding part of the final seven years, the last week mentioned in Daniel 9:24-27. There are seventy weeks: the first seven weeks, then sixty-two weeks, and then the last week, each week representing seven years. The second half of these last seven years, a period of forty-two months, will be the great tribulation, and it will be awful. There will be many trials, testings, temptations, and sufferings. But, when these forty-two months have been completed, the kingdom will come and there will be rest. From Abraham through Mary was a time of sufferings, tests, and temptations. After all the generations of trials, temptations, and sufferings, Christ came as the forty-second generation to be our rest and satisfaction. With Him we have complete rest and full satisfaction.
If we read the history in Chronicles, we shall discover that the generations from Abraham to Christ were actually forty-five generations. Why then does Matthew have only forty-two? By deducting from the forty-five generations the three cursed generations and the one improper generation, and by making David two generations (one of the fathers and one of the kings), the generations become forty-two, which are divided into three ages of fourteen generations each.
Remember: this is not only a life-study, but also a Bible study. Hence, we need some knowledge. We need to see that the record of Matthew is not a record according to history, but a record according to doctrine. The record of John, on the contrary, is according to history, for John wrote his Gospel according to the events of history. According to history, it was forty-five generations, but according to Matthew’s doctrinal purpose, it was forty-two generations. Matthew must have had a doctrinal purpose in saying that from Abraham to David was fourteen generations, from David to the carrying away was another fourteen generations, and from the carrying away to Christ was still another fourteen generations. It was not inaccurate for Matthew to say this. Three generations were omitted because they were not qualified, and a fourth generation was disqualified and cut off. But there was a wonderful person, David the king, who was doubly qualified. He became two generations, closing one section and opening another. He brought in the kingship, for through him the kingdom was established. Therefore, by David’s being counted as two generations, this genealogy of Christ can consist of forty-two generations in three sections, each with fourteen generations.
Let us now consider the words “to the Christ” (v. 17). Luke’s record begins with Jesus and traces back to God, a total of seventy-seven generations. Matthew’s record proceeds from Abraham to Christ. Luke goes back and up to God; Matthew comes forward and down to Christ. All the generations were directed toward Christ and brought forth Christ. Without Christ, there are just forty-one generations; there is no goal, no consummation, and no conclusion. Forty-one is not a good number; we must have the number forty-two. Christ is the goal, the consummation, the conclusion, the completion, and the perfection of all the generations, fulfilling their prophecies, solving their problems, and meeting their needs. Christ came to fulfill all the prophecies, the prophecies of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David. Without the coming of Christ, all these prophecies would have been in vain. When Christ comes, light, life, salvation, satisfaction, healing, freedom, rest, comfort, peace, and joy all come with Him. From this point on, the whole New Testament is the full expounding of this wonderful Christ. The twenty-seven books of the New Testament — the Gospels, the Acts, the Epistles, and Revelation — tell us how this Christ fulfills all the prophecies, solves all our problems, and meets all our needs and how He is everything to us. Hallelujah, Christ has come!
[see Geneology chart: The Generation of Jesus Christ]
