Big Idea: Matthew confirms that Jesus belongs to Joseph’s genealogy by adoption, showing Jesus to be the Davidic Messiah and the embodiment of God’s presence to save.

Understanding the Text

Matthew concludes the genealogy from Abraham to Joseph by connecting Jesus’ birth to Mary, not to Joseph (1:16). In 1:18–25 Matthew “solves” this conundrum by emphasizing that Joseph names Jesus (1:21, 25), thereby adopting Jesus as his own son. This birth story also moves seamlessly into Matthew 2, where Jesus’ birth threatens the ruling “king of the Jews,” Herod. Themes introduced in this passage include Jesus as the one who will save his people from their sins (1:21; cf. 26:28), and Jesus as “God with us” (1:23). The latter motif is central to Matthew, given its strategic placement at the beginning and…