For the Record
Words of Faith 9-9-26
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2026
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Today we begin devotions in the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew brings us some very specific perspectives. Matthew is also known as Levi. He is often noted as giving us a “Jewish perspective”. Matthew quotes more of the Hebrew or Old Testament scripture than any other Gospel writer. His careful use of language suggests that he was well educated and may even have studied to become a rabbi. But it was from a tax-collecting stand that Jesus called Levi to follow Him. Matthew never looked back. An eyewitness to most of Jesus’ ministry and miracles, Matthew wrote the account of the Good News of Jesus that has been most beloved by the church through the centuries. Matthew also gives us a very specific account regarding the birth of Jesus.
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Matthew 1
[1] A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: [2] Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, [3] Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, [4] Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, [5] Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, [6] and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, [7] Solomon the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asa, [8] Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram, Jehoram the father of Uzziah, [9] Uzziah the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, [10] Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, Amon the father of Josiah, [11] and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. [12] After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, [13] Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, Abiud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, [14] Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Eliud, [15] Eliud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, [16] and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. [17] Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Christ.

Matthew begins our journey toward the future by looking backward. He gives a careful account of Jesus' lineage so that, by looking back, we might understand what was about to happen. The Gospel didn’t just happen. It was not a rootless event.

It was a powerful lineage for Matthew to recount. As a firsthand witness to these events, Matthew was a Jewish Gospel writer. A former tax collector, he was also a disciple of Jesus. But Matthew focuses our vision on understanding who Jesus was and is. By seeing this line of descendants, we understand why we consider Him to be the Jewish Messiah.

First, we see that Jesus was indeed ... Jewish! Some people actually miss this. Some think that Jesus was somehow the first “Christian”. But Jesus was in fact very Jewish. Not every generation of His family is listed, but we can clearly see the lineage of Jesus coming through Joseph, His legal father, which goes all the way back to David and to Abraham.

Luke records a genealogy that makes it clear that Jesus was indeed a physical descendant of King David through another son named Nathan (Luke 3:31). But Matthew wants us to see that Joseph, a descendant of Solomon, was Jesus’ legal father and “step-father”.

Now there was no doubting that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. The story Matthew reports makes that clear. But we also note that he changes the terminology from “the father of” to designate Joseph as “the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus”. Matthew was not confused about who the Father of Jesus was. We will learn more about how this happened later.

We also notice that four Old Testament women in Jesus' lineage might raise an eyebrow or two. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Solomon’s mother, Bathsheba, were questionable, if not scandalous in some way. Tamar had posed as a prostitute to get pregnant (Gen. 38:24). Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho (Josh. 2:1). Ruth was a foreigner and a Moabitess (Ruth 1:4). Bathsheba committed adultery with King David (2 Sam. 11:2-5).

We might wonder why Matthew would draw attention to such people in the lineage of a King who would be called the Messiah. It is because this is what the Gospel is all about-- grace. No one earns their way into the family of God. No one deserves to be in His lineage. No one “adds dignity” to His family. We are all a part of the Gospel only by His grace. These women are a powerful reminder that God’s choices in dealing with people are always choices of grace.

We may, from time to time, find ourselves to be uncomfortable with those we think of as unseemly people, the sinful and broken. The Gospel reminds us from the first page that if we are uncomfortable with such people, we will be quite uncomfortable in heaven, for heaven is populated with such as these. The Gospel is about redemption, not perfection. It is only by His grace that we are grafted into His family tree. Let us not forget that.

Lord, thank You for making it possible for a sinner like me to be part of the family of God. Thank You for Your grace and mercy. Thank You for the One who comes in the Name of the Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2025
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2025 Jeffrey D. Hoy.