Matthew 1:18-25. A Statement of Truth: God was here
Son of David, v.1. He was from the Hebrew line of kings. Solomon had failed in his life in spite of his God-given wisdom and privilege. This Son of David never failed in any way. There were never any disappointments in Him. He lived in perfection, taught in truth, acted in grace, spoke in wisdom, and rules in love. He is the only one who has ever been born a king. Of all the names in the genealogy, Jesus was the only one who was always obedient to God. Solomon built a beautiful temple that has been destroyed. The temple Jesus is building cannot be destroyed. Peace and prosperity did not last when David’s sons in the flesh lived. Everlasting peace and spiritual prosperity flourish under the reign of David’s spiritual Son. He is the King who is truly, and always will be, “The Man after God’s own heart.” This King entered the world with all power and authority in heaven and on earth. Of His kingdom, there shall be no end.
Son of Abraham, v.1. He was from the Hebrew racial line. He was the promised Son who was to come and bring blessing, typified by Isaac, the promised son of Abraham. Isaac was promised twenty-five years before he was born. Isaac was a promised son but was a disappointment in physical weakness and in character. Jesus, the Son of Abraham, will fulfill perfectly, the promises of God to the nations through the seed of Abraham. He was always obedient to the principles and practices of faith. He was truly, the unfailing “Friend of God.” He is “The Author and Finisher of our faith.”
Jesus the Christ, v.16. Jesus is the Messiah (Hebrew), the Christ (Greek). His genealogy established Jesus as a legal descendant of David through his adoptive father, Joseph. The “Anointed One,” was the long-expected “King of the Jews” of whom Matthew was writing to affirm the faith of the believing Jews. “Christ” is a title, not a name, so when we say, “Lord Jesus Christ;” we are surrounding His name, “Jesus;” with the titles that identify Him as the Supreme Ruler first, and then the One who fulfilled God’s commission to “save His people from their sins.” The uniqueness of His Person and His ability to fulfill all righteousness; to save His people from their sins; to bring us to God and to deliver us from the wrath to come, has accomplished the purposes of God in sending Him.
Begotten of the Holy Spirit, v.18. The virgin-born Son of Mary was Deity because he was the Eternal Son of the Eternal God. He is the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the Ending. He was always God and never stopped being God. He was God who chose to be found in fashion as a man, and to become obedient unto death. Human nature is not obedient unto death. We die whether we want to or not, or whether we are afraid of it or not. His divine nature gave death no claim on Him. He could be obedient to death because He has the keys to life and death and can use those as He chooses. His deity in no way affected His humanity. He chose to become the Captain of our salvation. He chose to learn obedience through the things He suffered. His virgin birth set Him apart from all other humans, but did not mean He was not human. Rather, He was human without any in-born trace of human sin
Savior of His people, v.21. He came to save His people who cannot save themselves from sin and its consequences. It is impossible for any person to be able to rid themselves of the sinful nature with which we have been born. The Lord Jesus didn’t come to help us save ourselves. Even the meaning of His name, “Jesus,” means “The Lord is Salvation.” The name Joshua (Jehovah Salvation) was an ordinary name among the Jews and still is today a name commonly given to sons. This is one of the ways our Lord Jesus identified Himself with His people. He lived and worked with them. He ate with them and suffered with them. As Lord Jesus Christ, He was sent to deal with the fundamental problem of sin that every person has, not the peripheral issues of comfortable or uncomfortable living; success or failure; not even sickness or health. His healing powers were to give authority to His power to save people from their sins.
When our Lord Jesus Christ was here as the Savior of His people, He came to deal with sin at its core; not the side issues that sin brings into the lives of sinful people. He came in the likeness of men and for mankind He became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. It is “At the name of Jesus, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord.”
God with us (Immanuel), v.23. This fulfilled prophecy of Isaiah, meant that God was literally and physically among His people. He was “with us.” God had revealed Himself in the history of Israel and was still at work among His earthly people when “He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.” God protected His people in the past when Isaiah wrote the prophecy, and Matthew now writes that God had fulfilled that prophecy when the Lord Jesus Christ came. This assurance of the presence of God with His people would have given understanding, enlightenment, confidence, and strength to the scattered believers who need to be reminded that God is still with His people even in the far parts of the empire. Israel will be Immanuel’s land in the future because Immanuel will be there and will rule. He is the Mighty God, the Father of Eternity, and the Prince of Peace.