Mateus 1

Mateus 1

Charts from Jensen's Survey of the NT - used by permission Another Chart from Charles Swindoll THE LIFE OF JESUS AS COVERED BY MATTHEW (shaded area) Matthew 1:1 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: NET Matthew 1:1 This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. GNT Matthew 1:1 Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ υἱοῦ Δαυὶδ υἱοῦ Ἀβραάμ. NLT Matthew 1:1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: KJV Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. ESV Matthew 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. NIV Matthew 1:1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: ASV Matthew 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. CSB Matthew 1:1 The historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah: Ge 2:4 5:1 Isa 53:8 Lu 3:23-38 Ro 9:5 the son of David: Mt 9:27 15:22 22:42-45 2Sa 7:13,16 Ps 89:36 132:11 Isa 9:6,7 Isa 11:1 Jer 23:5 33:15-17,26 Am 9:11 Zec 12:8 Lu 1:31,32 Lu 1:69,70 Joh 7:42 Ac 2:30 13:22 Ro 1:3 Rev 22:16 the son of Abraham: Ge 12:3 22:18 26:3-5 28:13,14 Ro 4:13 Ga 3:16 Source: Ryrie Study Bible "BIBLOS GENESEOS" BOOK OF THE BEGINNING OF JESUS CHRIST Listen to the words of Jewish songwriter-musician Marty Goetz as he gives his testimony of how he met the Messiah. This link is in the middle of his testimony, but I think you will be intrigued at what happened next! "Biblios geneseos" are the very first words of the New Testament and those words changed the life of Marty Goetz. Than listen to what Yeshua did to his heart as you listen to Marty and his daughter Misha sing "Yeshua" live in Jerusalem (you will be blessed!) E. Schuyler English writes "Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Ex. 3:5). It is in such an attitude as this that we must contemplate the birth of the Lord Jesus." (Studies) D A Carson notes that "The first two words of Matthew, biblos geneseos, may be translated "record of the genealogy" (NIV), "record of the origins," or "record of the history." (Expositor's Bible Commentary) ESV has "The book of the genealogy." Constable on Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ - This verse is obviously a title, but is it a title of the whole Gospel, a title for the prologue (chs. 1-2), or a title for the genealogy that follows (1:1-17)? Probably it refers to the genealogy. There is no other ancient Near Eastern book-length document extant that uses the expression biblos geneseos (book or record of the generation) as its title.While the noun genesis (birth) occurs again in verse 18, there it introduces the birth narrative of Jesus. In the Septuagint the same phrase, biblos geneseos (Βίβλος γενέσεως), occurs in Genesis 2:4 and Ge 5:1 where in each case a narrative follows it, as here. " (Matthew 1 Commentary) HCSB - The phrase the historical record of Jesus is unusual. OT genealogies are consistently named after the earliest ancestor in the lineage because the Jews considered that person to be most significant since everyone else derived from them. That Matthew names his genealogy after Jesus, the final descendant in the lineage, implies that Jesus is more important than anyone who preceded Him. (HCSB Study Bible) Some have called Matthew chapter 1, the "forgotten chapter of the Christmas story!" Why? Obviously because of the long list of names many of whom most Christians have little knowledge of and many they cannot even pronounce correctly! How many Christmas services have you been to when this list of names was read as part of the Christmas service? I don't hear any "yea and amen's" out there! Even more convicting, how many Christians even read this list in private, genuinely pondering the names? Let's be honest -- not many of us! Oh, we might speed read it in one of those "read through the Bible in a year" plans. Not many have memorized this list. And I am not aware of a single hymn that uses this list. So the point is made that this is a "forgotten chapter" at Christmas and hardly holds a candle to wise men, shepherds, a baby away in the manger! Michael Andrus - Matthew was very knowledgeable about the OT, which is evident from his approximately 50 direct quotations plus about 75 literary allusions to the OT. The reason for his fascination with the OT is that Matthew primarily had Jews in mind as he wrote. He was trying to convince his fellow countrymen that...Jesus qualifies as the Messiah of the Jewish people, as well as the Savior of the World. How does He qualify? In his opening words Matthew offers two primary lines of evidence: He descended from the father of the Jewish race. He descended from Israel’s greatest king . This basic purpose of the book of Matthew–to establish Jesus as Israel’s Messiah–is evident from the very first verse. (Matthew 1:1-17 Son of Man, Son of God (or, Termites in the Family Tree) John Walvoord - "This introduction clearly demonstrates that Matthew's purpose in writing the gospel is to provide adequate proof for the investigator that the claims of Christ to be King and Saviour are justified. For this reason, the gospel of Matthew was considered by the early church one of the most important books of the New Testament and was given more prominence than the other three gospels. (Commentary) Guzik on Matthew the writer of the Gospel - As a former tax collector (also called “Levi”), Matthew was qualified to write an account of Jesus’ life and teachings. A tax collector of that day must know Greek and be a literate, well-organized man. Some think that Matthew was the “recorder” among the disciples, and took notes of Jesus’ teaching. We might say that when Matthew followed Jesus, he left everything behind—except his pen and paper. “Matthew nobly used his literary skill to become the first man ever to compile an account of the teaching of Jesus.” (Barclay) The Jewish flavor of the Gospel of Matthew makes for a logical transition between the Old and New Testaments. For these reasons, the early church placed it first in order among the four gospel accounts. The Jewish character of this Gospel is evident in many ways. There are many indications that Matthew expected that his readers would be familiar with Jewish culture. Matthew doesn’t translate Aramaic terms such as raca (Matthew 5:22) and corban (Mark 7:11). Matthew refers to Jewish customs without explanation (Matthew 15:2 to Mark 7:3–4; see also Matthew 23:5). Matthew starts his genealogy with Abraham (Matthew 1:1). Matthew presents the name of Jesus and its meaning in a way that assumes the reader knows its Hebrew roots (Matthew 1:21). Matthew frequently refers to Jesus as the “Son of David.” Matthew uses the more Jewish phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” instead of “Kingdom of God.” (Enduring Word Commentary) Related Resources: An Introduction to Matthew - John MacArthur Introduction to Matthew - Charles Swindoll The names in Matthew 1 are given in three groups, Abraham to David (Mt 1:2–6), David to Babylon Removal (Mt 1:6–11), Jechoniah to Jesus (Mt 1:12–16). Louis Barbieri writes that "Jesus Christ is the main character in Matthew’s presentation, and the opening verse connected Him back to two great covenants in Jewish history: the Davidic (2 Sam. 7) and the Abrahamic (Gen. 12; 15). If Jesus of Nazareth is the fulfillment of these two great covenants, is He related to the rightful line? This is a question the Jews would have asked, so Matthew traced Jesus’ lineage in detail." (BKC) F F Bruce makes an interesting comment - "Christ and the new covenant are securely linked to the age of the old covenant. Marcion, who wished to sever all the links binding Christianity to the Old Testament, knew what he was about when he cut the genealogy out of his edition of Luke" (NBD) The record of the genealogy - Literally "the book of the genealogy." D A Carson says "‘record of the origins,’ or ‘record of the history.’ I like the HCSB's translation "historical record," for this was historically verifiable simply by examining the genealogy records (see importance in ancient Israel) that as best we can tell were still available in the Temple, but were destroyed in 70 AD (see note below). Genealogy is our English word "genesis" which means the beginning or origin of anything. McClintock on Genealogical Records - No nation was more careful to frame and preserve its genealogical tables than Israel. Their sacred writings contain genealogies which extend through a period of more than 3500 years, from the creation of Adam to the captivity of Judah. Indeed, we find from the books of Ezra and Nehemiah that the same carefulness in this matter was observed after the captivity; for in Ezra 2:62 it is expressly stated that some who had come up from Babylon had sought their register among those that were reckoned by genealogy, but were not found; therefore were they, as polluted, removed from the priesthood. The division of the whole Hebrew nation into tribes, and the allotment to each tribe of a specified portion of the land of Canaan as an inalienable possession, rendered it indispensable that they should keep genealogical tables. God had, however, a still higher object than that of giving stability to property in Israel in leading successive generations of his people thus to keep an accurate list of their ancestry. That they should do this was especially required from the moment that the voice of prophecy declared that the promised Messiah should be of the seed of Abraham, of the posterity of Isaac, of the sons of Jacob, of the tribe of Judah, and of the family of David. The Rabbins affirm that after the Captivity the Jews were most careful in keeping their pedigrees (Babyl. Gemar. Gloss. fol. 14:2). Since, however, the period of their destruction as a nation by the Romans, all their tables of descent seem to be lost, and now they are utterly unable to trace the pedigree of any one Israelite who might lay claim to be their promised and still expected Messiah. Hence Christians assert, with a force that no reasonable and candid Jew can resist, that Shiloh must have come. (McClintock and Strong's Bible Encyclopedia Genealogy of Jesus Christ) R K Harrison on Genealogy - A record or catalog of an individual’s descent from ancestors according to generations. Whereas in modern genealogical records the lines of descent are traced generation by generation, in the ancient Near East it was not uncommon for individuals to be omitted from such records for a variety of reasons. OT genealogies traced inheritance lines both forward (cf. Ruth 4:18–22) and backward (cf. Ezr. 7:1–5) for a nation, tribe, family, or individual. Such records were compiled to authenticate hereditary succession and inheritance rights, biological descent, and geographical or ethnological relationships. Because of the patriarchal nature of Semitic society, lineage was normally traced through the males of a family, but females were mentioned occasionally too, particularly where property inheritance was involved (cf. Nu. 26:33; 27:1–11). (ISBE) The Importance of Messianic Genealogy - Wayne Jackson McClintock, John & James Strong. Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature International Standard Bible Encyclopedia Genealogy of Jesus Christ Fausset Bible Dictionary Genealogy of Jesus Christ Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible Genealogy of Jesus Christ Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Genealogies of Jesus Christ Record (976)(biblos) is our word for Bible, and literally referred first to the shrub of the Egyptian papyrus and then to the inner bark of the papyrus reed used for paper. Biblos is an Egyptian loanword, originally bublos. As early as the Sixth Century B.C. papyrus became the standard writing material in Greece and so biblos came to mean "inscribed paper." Biblos - 10x in 10v book(8), books(1), record(1) - Matt. 1:1; Mk. 12:26; Lk. 3:4; Lk. 20:42; Acts 1:20; Acts 7:42; Acts 19:19; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; Rev. 20:15 Biblos in the Septuagint (Lxx) - Ge 2:4 = "This is the account"; Ge 5:1 = "book of generations"; Ex 32:32 = "please blot me out from Your book"; Exod. 32:33; Jos. 1:8+ = "This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth"; 2 Chr. 17:9 = "the book of the law of the LORD"; Job 37:20; Job 42:17; Ps. 69:28 "May they be blotted out of the book of life"; Jer. 29:1; Da 7:10; Da 9:2; Da 12:1 Da 12:1+ - “Now at that time (END OF THIS PRESENT AGE - SEE Da 11:45+ REFERRING TO THE ANTI-CHRIST) Michael, the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people, will arise. And there will be a time of distress such as never occurred since there was a nation until that time; and at that time your people, everyone who is found written in the book (Lxx = biblos), will be rescued (Lxx = sozo = saved). What is the Book of Life?; Is there a difference between the book of life and the Lamb's book of life?; Is it possible for a person's name to be erased from the Book of Life? Genealogy (1078)(genesis from gennao = to give birth to, beget). BDAG - lit. of ancestry as point of origin but also of one’s coming into being at a specific moment. In James 1:23+ it means natural and describes one's face literally reading "the face (prosopon) he was born with." It is his natural face, i.e. the way he has turned out to be, the way he really looks. It means life, human experience in Jas 3:6 was used in the Orphic mysteries with the meaning. ‘wheel of human origin’. In James 3:6 it seems to have lost its original meaning and to signify course of life, whole of life. In Mt 1:1 genesis means an account of someone’s life or their life history, the source, origin so that biblos geneseos tinos = a book of one's lineage, i.e. in which his ancestry or his progeny are enumerated. Genesis - birth(2), genealogy(1), life(1), natural(1). Matt. 1:1; Matt. 1:18; Lk. 1:14 - "many will rejoice at his (John the Baptist's) birth."; Jas. 1:23; Jas. 3:6 Brian Bill - Genealogies were records of family history and were often memorized because ancient people did not have access to written records. Even today it is not uncommon for a Bedouin Arab to be able to recite a list of ancestors from memory for an hour without any mistakes. The Bible contains numerous lineage lists. The Book of Genesis alone has nine different genealogies; 1 Chronicles has 17 chapters devoted to family trees; Ezra and Nehemiah record the names of people nine different times. Genealogies were used to decide inheritance rights, to make land allotments, and to organize censuses. That’s why Luke 2:3+ says that “everyone went to his own town to register.” Joseph traced his heritage from David and his family was from Bethlehem, the city of David. The only way to be sure of your ancestral hometown was to know your genealogy. Priests were determined by genealogy. They had to be from the tribe of Levi and the house of Aaron (see Nehemiah 7:64). Royal succession and the credentials of the Messiah are linked to King David’s lineage (see 1 Kings 11:36). Genealogies are important but we must be careful about getting too caught up in them (see Titus 3:9). Their main purpose is to establish broad lines of descent without filling in all the details. The ultimate issue is Christology, not chronology. The lineage of Jesus is essential to establish because His enemies enjoyed making disparaging remarks about Him. Matthew 13:54-56: “Coming to his hometown, he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed. ‘Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?’ they asked. ‘Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Aren’t all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?’ And they took offense at him.” They were trying to discredit Him. In John 8:41, they even implied that He was an illegitimate child. His enemies give Matthew an open door when they asked in John 7:42: “Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David’s family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?” Exactly. (Matthew 1:1-17 The Forgotten Family Tree) Carson notes that "In Jesus' day Palestine was rife with messianic expectation. Not all of it was coherent, and many Jews expected two different "Messiahs." But Matthew's linking of "Christ" and "son of David" leaves no doubt of what he is claiming for Jesus." (Ibid) Of Jesus the Messiah - This is the ultimate purpose of Matthew's genealogy, to convince the Jews and us that Jesus of Nazareth (see notes on Mt 2:23) is the Messiah, the Son of God. There is no "the" in the Greek so literally this reads "Jesus Christ" not "Jesus the Messiah." Messiah is the Greek word Christos, used 531 times in the NT, usually translated Christ (516x) and translated Messiah only 4 times. There is also a specific Greek word (messias) for Messiah. Here is a video by a Jewish man I met the Messiah! The word Christos refers to the special anointing of the Holy Spirit on Jesus' humanity. Jesus (2424)(Iesous) is transliteration of the Greek Iesous, which in turn is the transliteration of Hebrew name Yehoshua or Yeshua which mean “Yahweh (Jehovah) saves” (Yahweh is typically rendered as “LORD” in OT) or Jehovah is help or Jehovah is salvation. The Greek form of the name Iēsous, was translated into Latin as Jesus. Jesus corresponds to the Name Joshua (Hebrew - Yeshua). Matthew 1:21 "defines" Jesus' Name = "He will save His people from their sins." The Name Jesus occurs 979x in 943v in the NT (NASB). Jesus Christ occurs 137x in 134v in the NT (only 6v in Gospels). Jesus was a common name among the Jews - (1). Joshua, successor to Moses Acts 7:45; Hb 4:8, (2). Joshua, son of Eliezer Lk 3:29, (3). Jesus referring to the Messiah, Jesus Christ - Mt 1:1, 21, 25 (4). Jesus Barabbas Mt 27:16f. (5). Jesus who is called Justus Col 4:11. The Jewish Historian Josephus has this note (note he calls Him "Christ"! and speaks of His resurrection) 3.(63) Now, there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works—a teacher of such men as receive the truth with pleasure. He drew over to him both many of the Jews, and many of the Gentiles. He was [the] Christ; (64) and when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men amongst us, had condemned him to the cross, those that loved him at the first did not forsake him, for he appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these and ten thousand other wonderful things concerning him; and the tribe of Christians, so named from him, are not extinct at this day." (Antiquities of the Jews, 18, 3, 3). Messiah (Christ)(5547)(Christos from chrio = to rub or anoint, consecrate to an office) describes one who has been anointed with oil, one who has been consecrated. The majority of the NT uses refer to Jesus (exceptions = "false Christs" - Mt 24:24, Mk 13:22). Christos describes one who has been anointed, symbolizing appointment to a task. It is used here as the title "Anointed One" and is the Greek synonym for "Messiah." Christos is used in the Septuagint describing everyone anointed with the holy oil, especially the priesthood (Lev. 4:5+, Lev 4:16+) and it is also a name applied to those who were acting as redeemers like Cyrus. Christos in Matthew - Mt. 1:1; Mt. 1:16; Mt. 1:17; Mt. 1:18; Mt. 2:4; Mt. 11:2; Mt. 16:16; Mt. 16:20; Mt. 22:42; Mt. 23:10; Mt. 24:5; Mt. 24:23; Mt. 26:63; Mt. 26:68; Mt. 27:17; Mt. 27:22. Gilbrant writes that "Hamilton suggests a fourfold significance to such anointing (“māshach/masah - anoint,” TWOT 1:530): (1) separation unto God, (2) authorization by God, (3) divine enablement, and (4) the coming Deliverer. In regards to this final use he says, “Though this association with the term māshach is not as prevalent in the OT as often supposed, the prospect of a righteous, Spirit-filled ruler is increasingly discernible in the OT (cf. Isaiah 9:1-7+; Isa1 1:1-5+; Isa 61:1+)” (ibid.). It was probably because of his role as a deliverer of God’s people, selected by the Lord for His purpose, that Cyrus, a Gentile emperor, was given the title of “messiah, anointed” (Isaiah 45:1). However, long after Cyrus, God’s people were still promised Messiah the prince, the one to fulfill all of the Biblical promises (Daniel 9:25,26+)." (Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary) Carson on Christos - Christ is roughly the Greek equivalent to "Messiah" or "Anointed." In the OT the term could refer to a variety of people anointed for some special function: priests (Lev 4:3; 6:22), kings (1Sa 16:13; 24:10; 2Sa 19:21; Lam 4:20), and, metaphorically, the patriarchs (Ps 105:15) and the pagan king Cyrus (Isa 45:1). Already in Hannah's prayer "Messiah" parallels "king": the Lord "will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed" (1Sam 2:10). With the rising number of OT prophecies concerning King David's line (e.g., 2Sam 7:12-16; cf. Ps 2:2; 105:15), "Messiah, or "Christ," became the designation of a figure representing the people of God and bringing in the promised eschatological reign. (Expositor's Bible Commentary) BDAG adds Christos signifies the "Fulfiller of Israelite expectation of a Deliverer" and was used in the Septuagint of the great messianic Ps 2:2 describing the future day when "The kings of the earth take their stand And the rulers take counsel together against the LORD and against His Anointed (Hebrew = Mashiach/masiyah; Lxx = Christos)." The first use of Christos in the Septuagint describes "the anointed (Hebrew = Mashiach/masiyah; Lxx = Christos) priest" (Lev 4:5+) carrying out a blood sacrifice, clearly foreshadowing the One Who would come as both the Sacrifice and the Priest (see Christos in Messianic prophecy in Ps 2:2 = God's "Anointed")! Daniel 9:26+ gives us the incredible prophecy that after 69 weeks (483 years) "the Messiah (Hebrew = Mashiach/masiyah; Lxx = Christos) will be cut off," a specific prophecy of what would happen to Messiah and when it would happen. The Jews could have known and should have known (and some Jews have been saved when they read this prophecy) (See Luke 19:42+) Related Resources: Specific term Messiah in John 1:41+, John 4:25 = Greek term messias Messiah - Anointed One Is Jesus the Messiah? What does Messiah mean? Why do most Jews reject Jesus as the Messiah? Does the Old Testament truly predict a second advent of the Messiah? How a Jewish man Michael Goldstone met Messiah How to Recognize the Messiah as “More Than A Carpenter” Jewish Tradition of Two Messiahs Questions Skeptics Ask About Messianic Prophecy THE SON OF DAVID The phrase son of David is frequently used by Matthew as a messianic title - See Matthew 1:1, 6, 17, 20; Mt 9:27; Mt 12:23; Mt 15:22; Mt 20:30, 31; Mt 21:9, 15; Mt 22:42, 45. Son of David is used much less frequently in the other Gospels - Mk. 10:47; Mk. 10:48; Mk. 12:35; Lk. 3:31; Lk. 18:38; Lk. 18:39 The son of David (Jewish man reads these words for the first time) - Notice that even though Abraham precedes David by 100's of years, David is mentioned first. Why is that? What was Abraham the father of? He was father of the Jews wasn't he? So while the fact that the Messiah be Jewish was obviously important, it was not as crucial as whether He came from the line of King David. Despite six centuries of vacancy on the royal throne, the Messiah must be of royal descent. "In order to establish this fact according to Jewish law, it must be shown that the legal father of Jesus was a descendant of David, as this genealogy does; and to give the argument greater impressiveness, he goes back to trace the descent from Abraham, the father of the Jewish race, to whose "seed" the promise was spoken. (Ge 17:7; Gal 3:16) " (Broadus) The Messiah had to be a literal, physical descendant of David. so by default He would also be Jewish as was David. So Matthew links Jesus with Israel's greatest king David and Israel's founding father Abraham, a profoundly prestigious pedigree! Gentiles read over this and miss its import to a Jewish person, because if one claiming to be Messiah (and there were others in the time of Jesus doing so) and he did not come from the line of David, then he would be easily discounted as a "false Messiah!" God had said 1000 years earlier that the Messiah must come from the line of David "When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom.13 “He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. 14 “I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, 15 but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. 16 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.”’ (2 Sa 7:12-16, cf Ps 89:3-4, Jer. 33:22, 25-26) Carson on Son of David - "Son of David" is an important designation in Matthew. Not only does David become a turning point in the genealogy (Mt 1:6, 17), but the title recurs throughout the Gospel (9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30-31; 21:9, 15; 22:42, 45)....In Jesus' day at least some branches of popular Judaism understood "son of David" to be messianic.....The theme was important in early Christianity (cf. Luke 1:32, 69; John 7:42; Acts 13:23; Rom 1:3; Rev 22:16). God's promises, though long delayed, had not been forgotten; Jesus and his ministry were perceived as God's fulfillment of covenantal promises now centuries old. The tree of David, hacked off so that only a stump remained, was sprouting a new branch (Isa 11:1). (Ibid) Brian Bill - David is listed before Abraham, even though Abraham came first in history. In fact, David’s name is mentioned five times in this genealogy. Why is that? Because Matthew is establishing that first and foremost, Jesus Christ is a direct descendant of David and therefore qualified to be the eternal king. In Matthew 22:41, Jesus asked His enemies a question so that they would state clearly what was becoming very evident: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?’ ‘The son of David,’ they replied.” We see this promise of a forever kingdom in 2 Samuel 7:16: “Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” Jesus Christ is the supreme sovereign in the line of David. Isaiah spoke about Him in Isaiah 11:1: “A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.” Jesse was the father of David and that family tree would eventually be cut down, but a shoot, Jesus Christ, would come up and bear fruit. Jesus is the biggest branch in God’s family tree. In the time of Christ, Jesus was not the only one claiming to be the Messiah. Other imposters claimed to be Israel’s Messiah. How would the people know who to believe? One answer of course was to check his genealogy. If he was not from the line of David, then he was a pretender and could not be the Jewish Messiah.