“The Hopes and Fears of All the Years” (Matthew 1:1-17)

What this episode covers

The Hopes and Fears of All the Years The Hopes and Fears of All the Years Brad Mills / General Advent: Now But Not Yet / Hope; Fear / Matthew 1:1–17 “Advent: Now But Not Yet” points to the reality that Jesus appeared 2,000 years ago, but he will appear again to usher us into the new heavens and new earth. Just as the OT saints waited for Jesus’ first coming, we anticipate his second coming. Christ’s birth marked the beginning of fulfillment that will culminate upon his return. There is joy and tension in the waiting. Christmas is a time of celebration as well as unwanted pressure. There are a variety of highs and lows that all of us encounter during the holiday season. For many of us, Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of fellowship around an incredible meal. But, for others, it is filled with social anxieties and family tensions that we fear will only escalate around the table. Every generation experiences different hopes and fears. As we enter the Advent season, we want to reflect on “the hopes and fears of all the years” that were met in Bethlehem the night of the Savior’s birth. That phrase nicely sums up the opening genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew. And it relates to our own hopes and fears as well. Matthew was one of the first disciples of Jesus, called out of his profession as a tax collector (Mt. 9:9). He was a Jew who wrote his account for fellow Jews probably just prior to AD 70. This is important because prior to the destruction of the temple in AD 70, records of important family lines were kept in the temple. Any claim that Jesus was in the line of David could have been confirmed or denied by the records. Matthew assumes a knowledge of the Old Testament and continually informs the reader how Jesus fulfills messianic promises. In these first two chapters Matthew quotes five OT prophecies that were fulfilled at Christ’s birth. He attempts to convince his audience that Jesus is the Christ. The opening prologue divides into six parts including the miraculous birth of Jesus Christ, as well as episodes of conflict and suffering. Several of these accounts are exclusively found in Matthew. He is the only one who records the dream that Joseph had (1:20-24), the journey of the magi (2:1-12), the flight into Egypt (2:13-15), and Herod’s slaughter of boys two and under in Bethlehem and the surrounding region (2:16-18). These accounts are filled with exciting tension. But, maybe the most mundane element is the genealogy that opens the book. The opening line is supposed to be the hook to capture the reader’s attention. Could anyone come up with a more uninteresting hook? These are the passages that we skip in order to get to the exciting stuff. This is probably why most, if not all of you, have never heard a sermon on this passage. It is uninteresting to us. The genealogy of Jesus seems like good material for an appendix, not the introduction to Matthew’s Gospel. Of course, that was not the case for the Jewish audience. They had a keen interest in the lineage, especially the lineage of the Messiah. The opening words “The book of the genealogy…” relate to a phrase found in the Septuagint version of Genesis 2:4; 5:1. This is another book of “origins” or “beginnings”. Matthew makes it clear that this is the beginning of a new era in covenant history. Matthew also reveals his purpose by referring to the title “Christ” (the Greek translation of the Hebrew “Messiah”) in verses 1, 16, and 17. It means “Anointed One”. The rest of the book is his attempt to prove that Jesus is indeed the Christ. Read Matt 1:1-17. The arrival of Jesus Christ marked the culmination of centuries of hopes and fears. › Matthew shows this in a very Jewish way, by recording the Messiah’s heritage. We begin with… I. An Important Heritage Luke also provides a genealogy of Jesus (Lk 3:23-38). Whereas Matthew works from Abraham to Jesus, Luke begins with Jesus and traces 77 generations, all the way back to Adam. Matthew could have easily done this as well. He h

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