Welcome to a new study of Matthew's Gospel. This represents a collaborative effort between Mary Barmore and Alice C. Linsley.
For 9 months of her life, Mary was too sick and weak to stray far from her bed. During that time, she read the New Testament and took notes on each of the books. We will use Mary's study notes for this study of Matthew's Gospel. Alice will add some notes of historical and anthropological relevance.
Before you begin this unique study of Matthew, please read Mary's Testimony. Also read the first chapter of Matthew.
Introduction
The Book of Matthew is especially sensitive to the traditions of the Jews and their Hebrew ancestors who were a caste of ruler-priests. The oldest known site of Hebrew worship was Nekhen on the Nile River (c. 3800 BC).
All the men named in Matthew's genealogy are Hebrew. The Hebrew married only members of their Hebrew clans (caste endogamy). Therefore, all the men named in Matthew chapter 1 are Hebrew and share common ancestors.
Rahab and Ruth were Hebrew women also. The Hebrew were living in Canaan before the Israelites arrived. Hebrew people also lived in Moab. Moab is named for one of the sons of Lot, another Hebrew man. The Hebrew were widely dispersed before the time of Abraham. This map shows the directions in which they dispersed.
This general timeline will be helpful.
2000 BC - Abraham
1000 BC - David
700-300 BC - Judaism emerged as a new world religion in the Axial Age.
597-538 BC - People of Judah living in exile in Babylon.
30 AD - Jesus, the Lord and Messiah
Matthew, Chapter 1
After you read the chapter, answer these 8 questions. Check your answers by scrolling to the bottom of the page.
1. How many generations/or names are listed from Abraham to David?
2. How many generations/or names are listed from David to the Babylonian exile?
3. How many generations/or names are listed from the time of the exile to Jesus Christ?
4. To whom was Jesus' mother, Mary, pledged to be married?
5. How did Mary conceive the Son of God? (Also see Luke 1:35.)
6. How did Joseph learn that Mary was undefiled?
7. What is the importance of the name Jesus/Yeshua/Yesu?
8. What name clarifies that this same Jesus is God in the flesh? (Verses 22-23)
Answers
1. 14 is a highly symbolic number for the Hebrew. The number involves 7 x 2. For the Hebrew ruler-priests the number 7 represented righteousness. The number 2 suggests reduplication, by which the concept of righteousness is enhanced or augmented. Numerical and phonetic reduplication often conveys intensity. We have a suggestion that the men named in the genealogy were known to be extremely righteous.
2. 14, with factors of 2 and 7. These numbers also speak of a kingdom given or revealed. In the story of Joseph’s interpretation of dreams in Genesis 40-41, we find a pattern involving the numbers 2 and 7:
2 years in prison awaiting his deliverance
2 royal officials
2 dreams involving the number 7
2 additional years in prison before Joseph was elevated to rule over a kingdom
Compare this to Luke 10:1-20 which uses 2 and 7 to speak of the Kingdom:
70 + 2 appointed to proclaim the Kingdom of God
2 sent (in pairs) to declare peace to many households
2 cities: Chorazin and Bethsaida, where Christ performed miracles and none repented (Luke 10:13)
2 cities: Tyre and Sidon, where Elijah performed miracles and Jesus was recognized as Messiah (Mark 3:8; 7:24).
3. 14, with the factors of 7 and 2. again. This speaks of the return to Judea of some of the exiled population. Zerubbabel is among those listed. He was instrumental in establishing at least 2 groups of exiles in Judea and in the rebuilding of the Temple.
4. Joseph of Nazareth. Joseph was of a very ancient Hebrew priest lineage. Nazareth was the settlement of the 18th division of priests. The division was called ha·pi·TSETS (Happizzez). In 1962 excavators discovered in the ruins of a synagogue at Caesarea a small piece of a list of the twenty-four priestly divisions. This third to fourth-century marble fragment is inscribed with the names of the places where four of the divisions resided, including Nazareth, the residence of Happizzez. Until that discovery there was no record of Nazareth's existence before the sixth century AD, other than in the New Testament and later Christian literary sources.
Marriage agreements were arranged by the fathers. However, the practical arrangements for the setting up of a new household were the responsibility of the "Mother's House". (See Ruth 1.) The marriages between men and women of Bethlehem and Nazareth represent an ancient custom which preserved the genetic heritage of the Hebrew clans. Mary's father was Joachim of Bethlehem. Bethlehem was well known for providing sheep for the Temple sacrifices.
Before Judaism, Bethlehem was a Horite Hebrew settlement. 1 Chronicles 2:54 notes that Salmon, a son of Hur (HR), is called a "father” of Bethlehem. Rahab of Jericho married Hur's son Salmon (or Salma). Rahab was the grandmother of Boaz who married Ruth. Ruth was the great grandmother of King David of Bethlehem.
1 Chronicles 4:4 gives the name Hur (HR) as a founding patriarch of Bethlehem. Hur is a reference to the Proto-Egyptian word HR, meaning "Most High One". The early Hebrew (4000-2000 BC) believed that HR (Horus in Greek) was the son of God. The Horite Hebrew were devotees of God the Father and his son HR, and of Hathor, the mother of HR.
5. Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. The Angel Gabriel explained to her that she would conceive by overshadowing. This fulfilled the early Hebrew expectation that a virgin of their Hebrew caste would conceive by divine overshadowing. Early images of Hathor, the mother of HR, depict this expectation. Note that she is shown overshadowed by the Sun, the symbol of the High God among the early Hebrew.
6. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and reassured him of Mary's purity and told him to give the child the name Jesus (Matt. 1:18-25). The angel instructed Joseph, "You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins".
7. The name Jesus is related to the Hebrew word Yeshua, meaning Salvation. However, the name is older than the Hebrew language. It is found as early as 2600 BC among the Hebrew priests of the Nile Valley as Yesu or Yeshu.
A prince named Yesu is mentioned as the son of Ameny, the son of Shenwy, the son of Nakht on a memorial stela from Abydos. It speaks of Shenwy and his wife, Hedjret. One of Hedjret's grandsons is called išw, which appears to be an early form of the name Jesus/Yeshu (Bill Manley, Egyptian Hieroglyphics, p. 77.)
The name Yesu is attached to the roles of priest and king in ancient hieroglyphics.
Reading from left to right: The feather represents judgment. The horn represents power. The staff represents royal authority, and the chick represents new life. All of these symbols speak of Jesus Christ.
8. Finally, we are told that Jesus is Emmanuel, God with us. Therefore, in addition to being our judge, our authority, our king, and the giver of new life, Jesus is God.
The Apostle Peter proclaimed to the Temple authorities this truth concerning Jesus: "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)Next week, the reader will find notes on Matthew, Chapter 2. Please share this with your friends and join us next week for more on this remarkable Book of Matthew.
Related reading:
Some Background on the Author of Matthew
Matthew Chapter 2: The Magi Worship the Christ and Defy Herod
Matthew Chapter 3: Jesus and John Fulfill All Righteousness
Matthew Chapter 4: Jesus Exposes the Devil's Tactics
Matthew Chapter 5: Jesus Teaches with Superior Authority
Matthew Chapter 6: True Kingdom Seekers
Matthew Chapter 7: Entering by the Narrow Gate
Matthew Chapter 8: The Uniqueness of Jesus
Matthew Chapter 9: Christ the Compassionate Lord
Matthew Chapter 10: The Apostles' High Calling
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