The Gospel of Matthew 1:12-16 When God Says...I Say, AMEN!

When God Says …

“and after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; and Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; and Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” (Matthew 1:12-16 KJV).

These verses continue to trace the royal, legal lineage of our Lord Jesus Christ after returning from Babylon exile through King Solomon to Jaconiah down to Joseph, while resolving a critical Old Testament curse. This return that happened during the reign of Cyrus the Great of Persia in Babylon (Ezra 1 and 2; 2 Chronicles 36), marked the physical, religious, and political re-establishment of the Jewish people in Judea.

This list of royal lineage through King Jeconiah (Josiah begot Jeconiah), upon whom God placed a prophetic judgment that none of his physical descendants would prosper sitting on the throne of David (Jeremiah 22:24-30).

Because Joseph was a legal descendant of Jeconiah through Jacob (Matthew 1:16: "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born our Lord Jesus in flesh"), He could not inherit the throne through a biological father with Jeconiah’s seed. The virgin birth bypassed this bloodline curse completely.

In Matthew 1:16, a deliberate shift from "begat" (used for all previous generations) to identifying Joseph as "the husband of Mary, of whom was born our Lord Jesus". This shows Joseph as the legal or adopted father who conferred the legal right to David's throne, while Mary provided the physical lineage, with more details in Luke 3.

Matthew’s genealogy of our Lord connects to God's unmerited favor and grace, noting how God includes broken or flawed men (notably Jacob, Judah, King David and Solomon) and women (Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba) to show that human failure or a troubled past never disqualifies someone from God’s redemptive plan. This is good news of Grace to you and I. This, the Scriptures affirm: “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.” (Romans 3:23-25 ESV).

And I say, AMEN!

Daily reflections by:
F. A. Frias
PFC Ministries

When God says... I say, AMEN! is a provocative reflection of the Lord's holy Word. It intends to challenge every seeker of truth to dig deep into the core of the Word of Life to point every being to Christ Jesus - the author and finisher of our faith, and to draw revelations for change, for nourishment and for strength of every soul.

Partners For Christ Ministries, INC.
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