MATTHEW Chapters 1 & 2 - Read the chapters out loud at the beginning of the discussion time.

OVERVIEW: The genealogy of Christ is presented. The Virgin Mary miraculously conceives, and her fiancé, Joseph, receives a visit from an . Mary and Joseph are married, the baby is born, the magi arrive in (causing quite a stir) and Joseph takes his family and flees to Egypt.

MATTHEW Chapters 1 & 2 Outline Outline by Harold L. Willmington

I. THE RECORD OF THE (1:1-17): Matthew traces the genealogy leading to Jesus Christ, beginning with and concluding with Joseph, husband of Mary, Jesus' mother. A. The preview (1:1): The account begins with a reference to two all-important individuals: 1. , Israel's royal father (1:1a) 2. Abraham, Israel's racial father (1:1b) B. The overview (1:2-16) 1. From Abraham to David (1:2-6) 2. From to Jehoiachin () (1:7-11) 3. From to Jesus (1:12-16) C. The review (1:17): Each phase of the threefold genealogical account encompasses fourteen generations.

II. THE REVELATION CONCERNING THE MESSIAH (1:18-25) A. Joseph's distress (1:18): He is heartbroken, assuming his pregnant wife-to-be has been unfaithful. B. Joseph's decision (1:19): Not wanting to disgrace Mary, he determines to break their engagement secretly. C. Joseph's dream (1:20-25) 1. The message in the dream (1:20-23) a. Concerning the purity of Mary (1:20): Joseph is reassured that Mary's pregnancy is caused by the Holy Spirit. b. Concerning the person within Mary (1:21): The Angel of the Lord tells Joseph that Mary will bare a son and that he shall be named Jesus. c. Concerning the prophecy about Mary (1:22-23): This son, conceived without the aid of a human father, is the fulfillment of 's prophecy (Isa. 7:14). 2. The marriage following the dream (1:24-25): Joseph takes Mary to be his wife.

III. THE REQUEST TO SEE THE MESSIAH (2:1-12) A. The wise men's journey (2:1-8): They travel to Jerusalem. 1. Their public meeting with King Herod (2:1-6) a. The magi's request (2:1-2): "Where is the newborn King of the ?" b. The monarch's reaction (2:3-4) i. His concern (2:3): Herod is greatly troubled! ii. His command (2:4): Herod demands that the Jewish priests tell him where the Messiah will be born. c. The ministers' reply (2:5-6) i. The place (2:5): In ! ii. The prophecy (2:6): This was the prediction of Micah the prophet (Micah 5:2). 2. Their private meeting with King Herod (2:7-8) a. Herod's demand (2:7): He asks them when they first saw the star. b. Herod's deception (2:8): He says, "When you find the child, tell me, so that I can worship him, too." B. The wise men's joy (2:9-12): They rejoice when they find the child. 1. The witness of the star (2:9): It leads them to the very house where Jesus is living. 2. The worship by the wise men (2:10-11): They present him with gifts of , , and . 3. The warning from the Lord (2:12): They are told to bypass Herod en route to their home.

IV. THE ESCAPE ROUTE OF THE MESSIAH (2:13-23): Joseph takes Mary and the young Jesus to Egypt. A. The reasons for the trip (2:13-15) 1. To flee the wrath of Herod (2:13-14): Joseph is warned by God in a dream that Herod will try to kill Jesus. 2. To fulfill the words of Hosea (2:15): This prophet foretold the trip to Egypt (Hos. 11:1) B. The retaliation during the trip (2:16-18) 1. The purge of Herod (2:16): He kills all the male babies in Bethlehem in an attempt to eliminate Jesus. 2. The prophecy of (2:17-18): This Old Testament prophet predicted the Bethlehem massacre (Jer. 31:15). C. The return from the trip (2:19-23): Joseph receives two more dreams. 1. First dream (2:19-21): Joseph is told that Herod is now dead and that he should depart from Egypt with his family. 2. Second dream (2:22-23): Joseph is told that he should dwell in Nazareth.

Verses and Thoughts to Ponder:

Matthew 1:1 1 The record of the the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:

The book of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience and in the very first words of this account, we can see that emphasis in Matthew’s description of Jesus—“the Messiah”, “the son of David”, “the son of Abraham”.

Matthew 1:18-20 18 Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew’s introduction to Jesus’ story jumps right into the miraculous. A Jewish virgin girl pledged in marriage is found to be pregnant—but not by any unfaithfulness to God’s commands or to her soon- to-be husband. Rather, as these verses tell us two separate times, she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit! We see Joseph come up with his righteous response and then we see the Lord instruct him to take a very different response. Lord, make us ready for the unexpected plans you have for us!

Matthew 2: 1-2 1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”

The Jews were not just awaiting a spiritual savior, but a king who would deliver them. Although Jesus proved to be a different kind of king, Matthew makes sure to let his Jewish audience know that Jesus was indeed a king—and one that the heavens themselves declared!

Matthew 2: 16-17 16 Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent men and killed all the boys who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. 17 Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:

“And I will make enemies of you and the woman, and of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise Him on the heel.” (Gen. 3: 15). Since the beginning, Satan has violently tried to snuff out the one who would ultimately bring about his demise. Here, his puppet Herod is more than happy to oblige that bloodthirsty direction. Matthew again reminds his audience that even this grim reality was a fulfillment of that which was foretold by the prophets. QUESTIONS to Consider:

1. In the first 17 verses of chapter 1, Matthew lays out the genealogy of Jesus. To most of us living in our culture today, genealogies are tiresome and seem to “get in the way” of the story. Why do you think this long list of fathers and sons was included? What might the significance, in general, be? More specifically, did you notice any familiar names in the list? What do you think the significance is of some of the famous parents listed (Abraham, Issac, , , David, Solomon, )? What about the more infamous names (, , )? Why do you think God placed these parents in his Son’s history?

2. In verse 23 of chapter 1, we see that Jesus is to be called , which means “God with us”. This, of course, was physically true—God came down to earth to live among us. That in itself is an amazing truth, but do you think there is even more to that phrase then the physical reality?

3. In chapter 2, we are introduced to the magi—wise men, and possibly kings—from the east. In Matthew’s gospel account, these are the first people (other than Mary and Joseph) to whom the Lord reveals that His Son has come to earth. Remember, Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience. What do you think is the significance of Matthew showing this revelation coming to Gentiles first?

4. Throughout this section, the Lord speaks to people in dreams. What do you think about this kind of divine communication? Do you think God will still speak to people through dreams? Why or why not?