31 “When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

The proceeding dialogue of Jesus sets the tone of todays readings, is focusing on prophecy and parables that illuminate future events, both concerning judgement but some are sooner than others as some concern eschatology, the end times. Matthew 25:31-46 is of an eschatological nature, the events Jesus are talking about concern the final judgement but also by extension our own particular judgements.

Before we get into Jesus’ sayings we should have a brief overview of Second Temple Jewish eschatology.

Many Jews anticipated a future “Day of the Lord,” a time when God would intervene decisively in history to judge the wicked, restore Israel, and establish His Kingdom. This day was often associated with cosmic signs, upheaval, and divine judgment (e.g., Joel 2:1-11; Zephaniah 1:14-18). There was widespread hope for a Messiah (anointed one, Christos in Greek) who would deliver Israel from oppression and restore the Davidic kingdom. Some expected a warrior-king, while others envisioned a priestly or prophetic figure, generally speaking someone who would restore Israel to its past glory, he had quasi-divine attributes that coalesces with the Two Powers in Heaven theology, an invisible Yahweh in Heaven and a Visible Yahweh on earth, this visible Yahweh would be the Son of man figure of Daniel, the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of David.

Belief in bodily resurrection emerged during this period, particularly among groups like the Pharisees. This belief was tied to the idea of divine justice: the righteous would be raised to eternal life, while the wicked would face punishment (e.g., Daniel 12:2-3). Many Jews believed in a final judgment where God would judge all people, both the living and the dead. This judgment would be based on one’s deeds, with the righteous being vindicated and the wicked condemned. The concept of a “Great Assize” (a final courtroom scene) appears in some texts, where God or a divine figure (e.g., the Son of Man) presides over the judgment. This Great Assize will be of focus for todays readings.

Jesus, speaking in the third person, says that when he comes in his glory, with his angels, then he will sit on his throne. Daniel speaks of the Son of Man receiving authority and dominion but Jesus is already here so why is this judgement not happening? The answer is in the clue of “in his glory”. This references a time after his resurrection in his glorified body. He would go not to an earthy throne but a heavenly throne after his ascension following his rising from the dead.

32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats,

33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left.

Now we see this as a future final judgement as all the nations are gathered before the Son of Man on his throne. This operates like the foretold Great Assize, the divine courtroom scene at the end of time. He separates people like a shepherd separates goats from sheep. Sheep are docile creatures that recognise the shepherds voice whereas goats are more headstrong and lack docility. In the same way a shepherd splits them up, so will the Son of Man split people up. One side the docile people who follow Jesus and the other, the goats who follow themselves.

The sheep, the good portion of people, will be placed at the Son of Man’s right hand. This is not just about dominant handedness but to do with rulership. To be at the right hand of a king was to share his rule. Saint Paul tells us we are co-heirs with Christ as he has made us into his body, we share rule with him. To be at his right hand is to partake in his divine authority. Those on the left, simply do not share in any of that. In the Jewish and Near Eastern context the right hand holds this universal place of honour, authority and blessing whereas the left was always considered lesser, unlucky or unfavourable.

34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;

Speaking again in the third person but now with a royal title of “King”. Jesus says to those on the right that they are blessed, literally favourable of God, they will inherit the Kingdom prepared for them. This kingdom was waiting for them from the beginning of creation “from the foundation of the world”.

35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,

36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?

38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee?

39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?’

40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’

Jesus then goes on to list all the good works that these people did. Fed him when he was hungry, gave him water when he was thirsty, welcomed him when he was a stranger, clothed him, comforted him in sickness or in imprisonment. These are all good works, not simply believing something. This is articulated as the divider of action between them and those on the left. They did good works. Those in the story are confused and ask the King when did they do this? The king, Jesus tells them that every time you did it for the least, you did it for him. This is rather simple but powerful. The Word became flesh, bound himself by covenant to humanity, so when you do good works for others, you really do do it for Jesus himself.

41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels;

42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,

43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

44 Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?’

45 Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’

The King then turns to those on his left, he tells them to depart from the court for they are cursed. Curses are the repercussions for breaking a covenant. They are to be cast into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. This is not Hell, this is where they are destroyed at the end of time. Those that did none of the things that the people on the right did, the good works, will be cast away along with the rebellious angels. Those angels were once servants of God too but they broke their covenants with Yahweh and justice will be served. People are called to this service of God as well but if you break your covenant and do not repent, you get the same punishment.

46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

The cursed go to eternal punishment and the righteous receive eternal life. What is striking about these passages is how adamant Jesus is about good works since man-made churches have spent the last few centuries determined to say otherwise. That simply saying in your head “Lord, Lord” is enough, it isn’t and Jesus says explicitly that it isn’t.

14 Then the disciples of John came to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast, but your disciples do not fast?”

Following the calling of Matthew the Tax-Collector to become Matthew the Apostle, the Pharisees question why he eats with such people, tax-collectors and sinners. The Pharisees were the largest “sect” if you could call it that of Second Temple Judaism. They were at odds with people like Saint John the Baptist and his disciples. Todays readings now show that Jesus is not on any human side, yes he has much in common with all these different sects but he is here in representation of the God the Father, not man. Saint John the Baptist was sent to be his forerunner but many of his disciples did not understand this.

There is in fact an enduring group to the modern day who claim to be disciples of John the Baptist, they call themselves Mandaeans, originally living in Judea, they were driven out to Ephesus but modern political conflicts in and around the middle east have caused them to live in the large quantities in Europe.

So despite their large differences with the Pharisees, the disciples of John the Baptist and the Pharisees fast. Meaning they deny themselves of food as a practice of piety. This confuses the John’s disciples so they ask Jesus why this is so. We should understand that this isn’t just an act of piety practiced by these two groups but was a universal concept among Jews going back through Old Testament literature. Fasting was a work of penance or mourning of death or sin. Everyone did it but Jesus during this part of his ministry does not. We should also remember that before this ministry of his began he did fast for 40 days in the desert. So it’s not that the act shouldn’t be done but in this exact moment, Jesus is not whereas the other groups are.

15 And Jesus said to them, “Can the wedding guests mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? The days will come, when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.

Jesus responds with rhetorical question with parabolic language, that explains more than just why he and his disciples are not fasting but what the nature of his earthly ministry is really about. First of all we have stated that fasting is about denying oneself for sake of mourning a death or penance for sin. Both these things are related to the Fall. Death came into the world through Sin. Fasting is a human act that conforms oneself to God in the hope of being free of these things.

Jesus starts talking about weddings. He talks about what he is doing here as if it is all apart of a wedding preparation and that his disciples are the weddings guests with himself being the Bridegroom. A wedding is of twofold importance, it is covenantal in nature and creates life. Sin is a breaking of covenant, Jesus is making a new covenant. All the while that the Bridegroom Jesus is here, they should not fast because they should enjoy his company but soon he will give himself entirely to his bride the Church, he will say from the cross “It is consummated”. They will not have him like they did before and they will fast.

1 “Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them; for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

Todays readings are extracted from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. The entire sermon of Jesus takes up Chapters 5-7 of Matthews Gospel so we are only getting a small portion of it but the context of what Jesus has to say is simple enough when understood correctly.

First of all Jesus tells his audience to beware of practicing your piety, so religious acts like prayer for example, in order to be seen by others. We must be careful here, many take what Jesus’ has to say as a reason to have no public acts at all and that any are contradictions of Jesus but he is very specific here and explains why, as he does with the later instructions.

Your intent behind your acts of piety are important. God is incredibly just, so just in fact, that he gives everyone their rewards that they desire. If you do public acts of holiness because you want to be perceived as being pious by others, God will grant that but that is all you will receive. The adulation of others and no reward in Heaven. If you do pious acts in public but your intent has nothing to do with public appreciation and is focused on the Father in heaven then you will be rewarded.

If public acts of piety were actually condemned, then Jesus would be contradicting himself when he sends out the apostles to be his martyrs, his witnesses. What they are doing are public acts of piety, preaching the Good News and they are rewarded richly in heaven for it. So the point is absolutely the intent of the heart.

2 “Thus, when you give alms, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

3 But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,

4 so that your alms may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

An act of piety common today as well as in Jesus’ time is giving alms. Donating money. In the same way as the general rule of piety, you mustn’t do it for public approval. Jesus also says “when”, this strongly implies an obligation. So you will give alms not “if you give alms” and you must not do it so you are praised by men. Your intent must be pure.

He says to “sound no trumpet before you” although this can be taken as metaphorical language about announcing your act to others publicly for their praise it could also have a rather literal meaning. In Herod’s Temple Complex in the Court of Women, where any Jew was allowed to enter, there were thirteen trumpet-shaped chests known as shofarot. These were where Temple donations were collected and the wealthy would create a very loud noise with all the shekels they poured into it, letting everyone known just how rich and pious that they thought they were. The substantial meaning is still present, don’t alert people to your alms giving but the origin of the phrasing is likely referencing how people did that in Jesus’ culture. Synagogues maybe had similar smaller versions of these trumpet-like chests for collections.

Jesus says to not let your left hand no what your right hand is doing when you give alms. This is impossible obviously but its likely a Hebraism, a phrase that implies a level of extreme secrecy. All of this is to make sure you give alms with the right intention, if you give in secret, your Father in Heaven will reward you.

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Jesus again uses the term “when” when talking about prayer, letting us know that this is absolutely something he expects us to do. Like the previous instructions he explains the Father’s justice. When the hypocrites pray (hypocrite meaning actor in their context) they do it to be seen by men, they receive exactly that reward but no other. No eternal rewards if you seek out men’s approval. It does not mean you cannot pray among others, Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount will teach his audience the Lord’s Prayer that the earliest Church members all prayed in common and still does today. It is again, down to the intent behind your prayer. If you pray in secret, you will be rewarded by the Father in Heaven in secret.

16 “And when you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces that their fasting may be seen by men. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

17 But when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face,

18 that your fasting may not be seen by men but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Now another act of piety, with the “when” being used. Fasting. Jesus’ expects us to fast but when we do it we must not do it for the attention of others. Jesus then describes some of the behaviours that he must have noticed in his own time. People making them selves look like they’re fasting, doesn’t mean they are not actually doing it. They probably are but they’re doing whilst making it obvious to others so they are praised by them. What is meant to be an act of piety focused toward God becomes an act of self idolatry. Anoint your head with oil, wash your face, look fresh and good and happy about what you are doing. Again, do this without seeking the approval of others and you will be rewarded by the Father in Heaven. This does not mean that people can’t find out, your fasting doesn’t suddenly get cancelled out if someone notices somehow. It is all about the intent of your heart in what you are doing. God knows and you know, you can lie to yourself but you can’t lie to him. You know if you’re breaking these rules.

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do men say that the Son of man is?”

Jesus takes his disciples thirty miles north to Caesarea Philippi. This is a ten hour hike, for apparently no purpose at all except to ask a question. Caesarea Philipipi is no insignificant place. Firstly lets start from Jesus’ time and move backward.

It’s name in the Gospels was its name at that time, it was called Caesarea in honor of Caesar Augustus but Philip the Tetrarch wanted to distinguish it from Caesarea Maritima on the coast so he added his own name to it. Herod the Great, father of Philip built a large temple in honor of Caesar there as well. About three hundred years before this, after Alexander the Greats Hellenistic conquest of the region it became the major centre of cultic worship of the Greek god Pan and was named “Paneas” after the deity. There was a large cave there known as the Grotto of Pan and was believed to be the entrance to the underworld. Now that’s usually where scholars stop, because do we need to go any further? The answer is yes, yes we do.

Before the Hellenistic conquest, this region, especially Mount Hermon which the city was at the foot of was the centre of Ba’al worship. That Ba’al mentioned in your Old Testament. Ba’al means Lord or Husband and became the term we use for the Evil One hence Beelzebub. The Canaanites storm riding, sea chaos defeating, divine king “Ba’al” was basically Marduk of ancient Babylon. A prince of the air, if you will. But the ancient Hebrews did not see it that way, they believed something about this place, especially Mount Hermon that puts all of this in to a fantastic backdrop for the starting of the New Covenant.

If you ask a Christian when did all the bad stuff start, when was the “fall” they would tell you about our first parents, Adam and Eve. They’re right to say that but if you asked an ancient Hebrew they would ask you back “Which fall?” Because to them, there was more than one. The Fall in Eden was terrible but another Fall came after that preoccupied Hebrew thought all the way to the Second Temple Period and definitely occupied the minds of the New Testament Authors and therefore early Christians.

The second big fall was that of the “Son’s of God” who left their domain and did some illicit activity with human women, I am not going to say what, not because I’m squeamish but because I truly do not believe we will ever fully comprehend what this infringement was. The Bible only gives us Genesis 6:1-4 to explain. Either way, God put them in prison until the Day of Judgement for it. According to Hebrew Tradition, that exact location of that Fall was Mount Hermon. This is where our fallen nature from the first fall was twisted and mutilated even further by the “Sons of God”, rebels against the divine plan.

“Who do men say that the Son of man is?” writes Saint Matthew. This is a messianic title, initially just meaning a man but in the revelations given to the Prophet Daniel we understand the Son of Man to be the Messiah, the one who will come to fix basically everything and he will be Divine.

We understand that there were two falls, the first in Eden and the second on Mount Hermon. What do you think “Son of Man” is in Hebrew? Ben Adam. The Phrase Son of Man can also be read as the New Adam. He is going to fix the first fall by being the New Adam and is going to fix then second by founding his New Covenant family on top of the location of it. Literally conquering it. He proposes the question so the Leader of the Apostles has his chance to lay the first brick of the Church.

14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

The disciples respond with the presumptions of others, those that are listed out by Herod Antipas’ court. So this seems to be the dominant opinion by “the people”. Some think he is the resurrected John the Baptist, some think Elijah. There was a particular expectation of the Prophet Elijah as he was prophesied to arrive as a forerunner to the Messiah in the Old Testament. Other Prophets are also considered as being the true identity of Jesus.

15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

He now directs the question specifically at them, he wants to know who they think he is. Only Peter answers, the Leader of the Apostles and he answers “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” That is the Anointed One, that’s what Christos in Greek means. Those who are anointed are kings, priests and prophets. This lets us know that although all those offices were anointed there was a type of Messianic labelling as the definite article “The” is being used. He is The Anointed One, as in the Messiah, the Son of Man seen by the Prophet Daniel in a heavenly vision. Not just any particular King, Priest or Prophet but a preeminent one. He is also a Son of the living God, not in the biological sense that we consider sonship but that of an heir to the glory of the Father. He is eternally the Son. A son is the best representative of a father in the ancient near east context, he is the direct image of him.

17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.

Jesus responds to Simon’s confession of faith by telling him he is “Blessed”. This denotes favour from God. Jesus also calls him “Simon Bar-Jona” we know elsewhere in the Gospels that this is not Simon’s fathers name and we also know that Jesus isn’t wrong either. Here he is calling him a son of Jonah, in the sense that he is going to be an image of Jonah the prophet. He will go into the belly of the beast that is Rome as Jonah the Prophet went into the belly of the whale. If it seems like I am reaching here, we only have to go back 9 verses to when Jesus refers to the “sign of of the Prophet Jonah”. It is definitely connected even if others cannot see it.

Simon recognises Jesus’ true sonship and Jesus in return acknowledges a mysterious sonship of Simon’s. Jesus also points out that this acknowledgement of Simon’s is not a feat of intelligence or a good guess because neither flesh or blood revealed it to him, that is to say, nothing material or mortal did. It is a divine mystery passed exclusively to him by Jesus’ Father in Heaven.

18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it.

Jesus now renames Simon. This is something done by God whenever he means a new mission of a person. Consider the Old Testament examples of Abram to Abraham, Jacob to Israel and their new name denotes their new purpose. Abraham means “father of many” or “high father” which he is. Israel is derived from “Yisra” meaning “struggle” and El which is short for “God” as in “Elohim”. He does struggle with God and his descendants will also, they still do. Jesus renames Simon “Peter” or “Petros” in Greek. It means Rock. In the Greek text we have the male suffix added to to a typical female noun as Simon is not a female but when the word rock is mentioned again it is the feminine noun “Petra”. This has led to some (bad) exegesis by people desperately wanting to infer that Jesus is not building the Church on Peter but on some other rock which if you understand sentence structure, makes no sense. The entire focus is on Simon who has just been renamed “Rock”. It also doesn’t make sense if you understand the language that Jesus spoke which was Aramaic, which had ZERO masculine/feminine distinctions.

The powers of death or the Gates of Hades to be more accurate to the Greek will not prevail over this new Rock the Church is built on. Although the typical understanding is that regardless of what demonic or human evils may attempt to thwart Jesus’ “Ekklesia” which is a true statement, I don’t think that is what this text is saying. It is important to understand that a gate can’t prevail over anything, a gate stops people getting through something. When you reassess the statement through a more ancient understanding of the cosmic hierarchy, like the pseudepigraphal work of The Ascension of Isaiah it makes more sense. Although physically speaking Sheol was considered in the earth, in the cosmic hierarchal perspective of many ancient Jews, it was above that of the material earth and was one of “Seven Heavens” or Seven realms connected in series by gates and increasing in holiness the further you got up. For one to ascend to the seventh heaven and be with God in the beatific vision, you’d have to pass through those lower heavens, you’d have to break the gates of hell. An Ekkelsia is the term in the septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Testament, that described the body of people of the Old Covenant. Jesus is founding a New Covenant body that will not be prevented from ascending to the beatific vision by the Gates between it and God.

19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

Saint Leo the Great, the Pope of the 5th century, venerated by Catholic and Eastern Orthodox alike, said of this verse:

“The authority vested in this power passed also to the other apostles, and the institution established by this decree has been continued in all the leaders of the Church. But it is not without good reason that what is bestowed on all is entrusted to one. For Peter received it separately in trust because he is the prototype set before all the rulers of the Church.”

Peter alone is entrusted with the Keys of the Heavenly Kingdom, which were prefigured in the Davidic Kingdom as written of by the Prophet Isaiah in chapter 22

“In that day I will call my servant Eliakim the son of Hilkiah, and I will clothe him with your robe, and will bind your girdle on him, and will commit your authority to his hand; and he shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and to the house of Judah. And I will place on his shoulder the key of the house of David; he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open. And I will fasten him like a peg in a sure place, and he will become a throne of honor to his father’s house.  And they will hang on him the whole weight of his father’s house, the offspring and issue, every small vessel, from the cups to all the flagons.”

The binding and loosing authority that will penultimately hang upon Peter and his successors is prefigured in the terminologies of the Second Temple Jews, to bind and loose meant binding and loosing doctrine and disciplines but this authority also extends out to the binding and loosing of sins, Jesus will say later to his apostles what sins you forgive are forgiven, and those you retain are retained, more binding and loosing authority. And in another place he will tell them how to deal with rebels, when they do not correct their ways they are to be brought to the church, this authoritative body would be the College of Bishops, the Apostles and their head, Peter and they can exclude them from the community, binding and loosing of membership of the body. The Church will now be a essentially a satellite state of the Heavenly Kingdom, the binding and loosing done here will effect the heavenly kingdom also as through Christ who is both man and God has united Heaven and Earth in himself and his body, the Church.

Jesus has returned from the wilderness where he endures the devil’s temptations of which he does not succumb. It’s actually a few days journey of walking for Jesus to get from the wilderness to his home.

12 Now when he heard that John had been arrested, he withdrew into Galilee;

John’s arrest marks the pivot point for Jesus to start his ministry. John serves as his forerunner and now that his part has been played out, he must decrease and Jesus must increase. He goes deeper into Galilee to begin.

13 and leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Caperna-um by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali,

Leaving Nazareth, Jesus goes to Caperna-um, a bustling fishing town right on the sea of Galilee which will serve as his main base of ministry. It is here as as well that Simon and Andrew live. It is from Simon’s house in this place that Jesus operates. Caperna-um is named after the prophet Nahum and sits between the territories of Zubulun and Naphtali. These are the geographical inheritances of those tribes of Israel.

14 that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

15 “The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, toward the sea, across the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

16 the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light, and for those who sat in the region and shadow of death light has dawned.”

Matthew relates that Jesus’ decision for operating in this location is to do with fulfilling the prophecies of Isaiah. He quotes Isaiah chapter 8 verse 23 to chapter 9. In the time of the prophet making these words, these lands were the first to be taken over by conquering gentiles. So Jesus’ occupation of it marks the reconquista of the promised land.

17 From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

From that point onwards Jesus starts his preaching ministry. He tells those there to repent because the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. The Messianic expectations were that the anointed one would arrive and establish an eternal kingdom. This is how Jesus begins this.

23 And he went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and preaching the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every infirmity among the people.

Matthew summarises the early ministry, so as to not repeat himself, Jesus goes throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues. Synagogue’s were community hubs of prayer and learning for the Jewish community, developed during the exile when they could not go to the Temple as it was destroyed. The word itself is of Greek origin and not Hebrew.

Whilst preaching and teaching in the synagogues, Jesus tells them of the Gospel, the “Good News”. It’s important to note that the Good News is not what people think, people are two millenia of Christendom assume the Good News is that Jesus has risen from the dead, and that is good news but obviously Jesus is preaching this LONG before he even dies. This means the Gospel, the Good News is about the shift in the covenantal relationship between God and his people. The Good News, is the Kingdom that is to come.

Jesus along with his preaching, marks the proof of his claims with miraculous signs of healing. Although being healed of infirmities is a nice thing and Jesus does do it out of compassion its main purpose is to act as a sign, a witness to who prophetic claims.

24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics, and he healed them.

25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan.

Jesus’ fame because of his miraculous signs and healings, along with his teaching with authority causes Jesus to become a celebrity rather briskly. Throughout all of Syria do people become aware of him and people seek him out for his healing abilities. Large magnitudes follow him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem and the rest of Judea and from beyond the Jordan itself.

1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying,

Matthew frames Jesus’ birth within in the reign of Herod the Great. Although popular opinion puts an end to his reign in 3BC there is evidence his reign actually ended in 1BC. So the latest this event can be is 1BC and Jesus has already been born before the”wise men from the east” arrive. This already corrects a few assumptions we have have of the pop-culture nativity scene.

They are not there at the birth of Jesus, there are not three of them and they are not kings. The Greek word is Magi. Magi were something akin to the Levite priesthood for the Persians, They were a priestly caste from the Persian Empire. This is not the first appearances of Magi in the Bible. In Daniel 2:2 King Nebuchadnezzar has a troubling dream, he summons his advisors, including the Magi. They were astronomers and interpreters of dreams. Daniel will eventually be placed in charge of these wise men which is likely how the Persians had knowledge about Jewish Prophecies. Persia is east of Jerusalem and Bethlehem so it fits.

2 “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to worship him.”

Matthew does not tell us to who the question is addressed but we can assume its likely the local authorities and townspeople. The magi ask them where is the king of the Jews that has been born because they’ve seen his star and have to pay him homage. Jesus is likely approaching a year old at this point, the Magic live about 1000 miles away and the journey would take many months.

The Magi as astronomers are keenly aware of the stars and planets and their meanings. Although a lot of this may seem odd, there was some universality on particular interpretations. One of these was a conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus, when this occurred it was perceived by the Greeks, Romans, Egyptians and Persians to be a sign that a king had been born. It is highly speculatory but Daniel was placed in charge of the wise men of Persia about 500 years before the birth of Christ and he was the prophet who received the timeline of the years of weeks from Gabriel that told him when the Messiah would arrive. It is actually rather plausible that this was passed down through the hereditary Persian priesthood and when the universal astronomical signs arrived they were like “Uh, guys its here.” All God would have to do is use his own creations as signs, which he actually does all the time anyway.

3 When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him;

King Herod hears of the questions that the Magi have brought to Jerusalem and he is troubled along with the rest of the city. Why would they be troubled? Herod was not a king by his own right, he was a client king of the Roman Empire. He marked a moment of reasonable stability for the Judeans. Before this was constant warfare and infighting, for all of Herod’s problems, he did bring a type of ease to the region. The people had gotten use to this even though they weren’t particularly happy about the Roman occupation. A New King would mean war and upheaval,

4 and assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.

Herod, wanting to pinpoint the location of the Messiah’s birth, consults the experts in the matter. He acquires the help of the Chief Priests, these were most likely members of the Sanhedrin the Mosaic governing body of the Jews and the lead actors in the Temple ritual cult. He also gets the scribes, these are legal experts, they are Mosaic lawyers and they would settle disputes regularly as pertaining to the Law of Moses.

5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is written by the prophet:

6 ‘And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will govern my people Israel.’ ”

The legal advisers and priests give Herod an answer. They quote Micah 5:2

“But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah, who are little to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel, whose origin is from of old, from ancient days.”

An interesting detail is that last part of the quote “Whose origin is from of old, from ancient days” this marks out the figure to arrive as a divine figure. This language “from of old” and “from ancient days” is a euphemism for eternal, something from the beginning.

7 Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly and ascertained from them what time the star appeared;

8 and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him bring me word, that I too may come and worship him.”

Herod summons the Magi secretly so he can try to harvest information from them about the Christ Child for nefarious purposes. He asks when the star appeared, this information will be key for his age-range of execution of the Holy Innocents that occurs later. He tells them that Bethlehem is the location, sends them there but asks that they send word back to him once they find him.

9 When they had heard the king they went their way; and lo, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came to rest over the place where the child was.

After King Herod instructed the Magi to go to Bethlehem, they leave and the star appears again before, resting directly over the place where Jesus was.

10 When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy;

Why would foreigners be so excited about a foreign king being born? This is why I am so inclined to believe that Daniel’s work in Persia during the Babylonian exile may be of extreme importance. Aren’t they a little too happy about this that has nothing to do with them? Unless they do know it has something to do with them. The Hebrew prophecies are not insular, they relate to the uniting of all peoples under God.

11 and going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Upon arriving at the house that the Holy Family is staying in the Magi see Jesus with his mother, Mary. They fell down on their knees and worshipped. These are rather large actions for homage to a foreign baby king, unless, again, they have some information passed to them from Daniel.

They bring gifts from the Christ Child. It is here that we get the idea of there being three magi. Three gifts are given, Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. This leads people to assume there are three magi, literally that’s it. The idea of them being kings comes from the first gift that is mentioned,

Psalm 72, a Royal and Messianic Psalm reads:

May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute,
may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts!
May all kings fall down before him,
all nations serve him!

Long may he live;
may gold of Sheba be given to him!
May prayer be made for him continually,
and blessings invoked for him all the day!

People see this as being more literally fulfilled by the Magi if they are considered Kings but I don’t think it is necessary to put words into the text that aren’t there. This psalm is fulfilled without it. Gold in itself is a sign of wealth and royalty.

They also offer Jesus Frankincense which is a liturgical type of incense used universally in cultic rituals in the Near East. This adds a priestly layer to the gifts offered to Jesus. The oddball, on the surface level, of the gifts offered to Jesus is the Myrrh. This a very expensive oil used for burial rites. This foreshadows Jesus death but is perplexing as to why you would give this to a baby, unless you knew something about the suffering servant and that the messiah would be “cut off’ a euphemism for being killed in Daniels prophecy.

12 And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed to their own country by another way.

After seeing the Christ Child with their own eyes, the Magi are warned in a dream. It does not specify an Angel or even if it’s Gabriel again, just that a dream warned them to not return to Herod. So instead of returning to Herod as he had directed them to do they go back to their own country using a different route so as to avoid bring calamity, unfortunately Herod just uses this as an excuse to hurt even more people.

The following readings take part in the infancy narratives of Jesus. After Jesus has been born the Magi visit the Holy Family to pay the Christ child homage after telling Herod the reason for their visit. Herod the Great filled with paranoia in his later years sought to kill all those who threatened his power and the Magi had told him they were here to see the new King of the Jews. He will deal with this information by killing all the baby boys up to the age of two in the region he controls, these are the Holy Innocents who we celebrate on this feast day.

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”

The timeline is very confusing considering the provided information of the Gospels but people forget that not everything happens immediately after the previous verse or chapter. This means we can in fact harmonise the accounts.

Jesus is born in Bethlehem and after 40 days Jesus is presented in the Temple as narrated in Luke and returned to Bethlehem to stay with Joseph’s relatives who were located there. It was typical (as it is even now) for those early stages of a new child to stay with family members because of the assistance needed with a baby. The Magi who are the “they” that depart in this verse would have visited maybe a few months after Jesus is actually born during their return to Bethlehem. They followed the Star (planet) around the time Jesus was born but by the time they had arrived, some months had passed. So at this point in verse 13 Jesus is a couple of months old at least.

The Angel of Lord appears in a dream to Joseph, this is the second time of such an occurrence. The Angel is not named but people assume it is Gabriel because of his presence in the infancy narratives of Luke. Joseph is the guardian of both Mary, his wife and Jesus is adopted son, because of this role the Angel appears to him to instruct him in how he is to look after the family.

The Angel tells Joseph to take the child and his mother to Egypt because Herod is searching for them. This might give the impression of being sent from one hostile location to another but many things have changed for Egypt since the Exodus and there was a thriving Jewish community in both Alexandria and Hierapolis. Although the journey may have be arduous, their destination was a home away from home, a safe place for Jesus to be.

14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt,

The very moment Joseph wakes from his dream, in the middle of the night, he takes Jesus and his mother and leaves straight away for Egypt. This is why many figures through church history and recent Bishops like Fulton Sheen suggest that Joseph is a young man, not too much older than Mary. This was a difficult journey and they leave in the night immediately. Although not impossible for an elderly widow as some traditions suggest, the idea of a young Joseph just seems more fitting. Regardless of the age conversation, this passage speaks to Joseph’s obedience to God and him being a man of few words or no words but absolutely a man of action.

15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.”

They remained either in Alexandra or Hierapolis until Herod’s death. Although many secular scholars put this to 3 or 4 BC there is evidence of 1BC being an acceptable date for Herod the Great’s death. Considering our year dating system was inspired by the divine but not divinely inspired, it is off by about 2 years. Jesus being born in 2BC, leaving for Egypt and staying there for a year until Herod’s death and then coming Nazareth makes perfect sense.

Matthew quotes from the Hosea “Out of Egypt Have I called my son”. This passage from the Old Testament is the prophet Hosea recalling the story of the Exodus of the time of Moses but the Holy Spirit guided Matthew to view this as a prophecy for Jesus. This little insight into prophecy and how/when they are interpreted leaves literal interpreters of later prophetic statements rather clueless. Many people assume prophecies are literal in their interpretation and in their articulation but Matthew, in his Gospel, gives a glaringly obvious contrary idea of prophecy.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, was in a furious rage, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time which he had ascertained from the wise men.

Herod was furious at being tricked. Historical evidence of both Herod the Great’s anger and paranoia, especially toward the end of his life. He was even so paranoid people would not be sad at his funeral that he arranged the murder of important people at the time of his death so even if people did not mourn his death, they would still be mourning anyway.

His rage is directed at the Magi who did not return to tell him where the Christ Child was born so he, in his rage and paranoia at the new King who has been born, orders the death of all baby boys under the age of two in Bethlehem and in the rest of the region. Based on the information that he received from the wise men, Herod knows Jesus cannot be older than two years old so that is why he picked that age range.

17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:

Matthew again will refer to an Old Testament passage, this time Jeremiah.

18 “A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they were no more.”

He quotes Jeremiah 31:15 which had an immediate fulfilment in Jeremiah’s time, the destruction of the First Temple and the city of Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Ramah is the location that the exiles were rounded up and traditionally considered to be the place of Rachel, from the Book of Genesis’, burial location. Bethlehem will become the “new” Ramah, a place of sorrow.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus has just appointed the twelve Apostles and they are listed in their traditional order at the beginning of the chapter. Jesus gives them authority over unclean spirits and charges them with going to to the lost tribes of Israel, to avoid the Gentiles and Samaritans but preach to the Jew’s about the incoming Kingdom of God. They are to cure lepers, exorcise demons and raise the dead, all without pay as a witness to their preaching of the Kingdom.

17 Beware of men; for they will deliver you up to councils, and flog you in their synagogues,

Jesus warns his Apostles to be wary of men who will deliver them to the councils, most likely the Sanhedrin, the governing authority of the Jews but the labelling as councils give the implication that Gentile authorities to will persecute them. He goes on saying that they will be flogged in the synagogues of the men he is warning them about, this puts the attention on the Jews themselves who owned the Synagogues. They functioned as community hubs of teaching and prayer.

Considering the context of what has happened previously, Jesus is asserting that their work for the Kingdom, even good things like raising the dead, curing lepers and healing the sick for no pay, will actually cause the local authorities to persecute them. These good acts and the power that Jesus has bestowed upon them will have its downsides. It will mark them out as the individuals to be oppressed by the authorities of men.

18 and you will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear testimony before them and the Gentiles.

Jesus continues with the repercussions that the Apostles will suffer for preaching the Kingdom of Heaven. Now the perspective is shifted on to how the Gentiles will react. The Jews who reject their message will deliver them to the councils to be judged and will be flogged in the synagogues. In the case of of the Gentiles, the Apostles will be dragged before secular Gentile authorities like Governors and kings. This will act as a spring board for them to bear testimony to the Good News before the Gentiles.

These particular events will take place eventually in the Book of Acts, both flogging in the synagogues and being brought before Governors (Felix) and Kings (Herod Agrippa).

19 When they deliver you up, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say; for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour;

20 for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.

Jesus specifically referring to the Apostles in the future events he is describing he instructs to not be anxious in how they are to speak. “For what you are to say will be given to you in that hour” the words they will speak in their testimonies before the authorities will not be their own words, they will be filled with the Holy Spirit.

They are to act as conduits, not actors of their own motivations. This is not general advice for all Christians, this is specifically directed at the Apostles in these particular moments. In these moments the Holy Spirit will cause the Apostles to prophesy meaning that it is absolutely not their own words, but the words of God. “The Spirit of your Father speaking through you.”

21 Brother will deliver up brother to death, and the father his child, and children will rise against parents and have them put to death;

22 and you will be hated by all for my name’s sake. But he who endures to the end will be saved.

Jesus’ mission and proclamation will be so divisive that even fraternal bonds will be severed in its preaching. This is both immediate brothers in the sense of siblings but also brothers in the context of tribal brethren. It will split apart parents from their children and in both cases will the proclaimer of the Gospel be delivered up to death. Jesus is stressing to his audience that his message is not just a cause for minor disagreement but will shatter family units if there are those who follow him and others who do not within the same household. This division will not cause them to just argue but render the other to execution before the authorities persecuting the Church.

Those who cling to Jesus’ name and enter his New Covenant will be hated by all. All being all those who are not of the Covenant. Those who endure till the end, till death will be saved. Jesus here articulates and enduring process of salvation, your acceptance intellectually speaking of Jesus or assent to him existing does not extend to you salvation. But he who endures to the end will be saved, there will be testing the entire time and struggles that will effect you and steer you from him. He who endures till the end wins.

Matthew has introduced his Gospel with Jesus being the fulfilment of the Davidic and Abrahamic Covenant promises and gives a genealogy from Abraham to Joseph to demonstrate the human lineage and that Jesus will be a descendant of David’s kingly line.

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;

Matthew begins verse 18 with an explanation of how Jesus’ birth came about. This requires explanation because to the original audience this is a brand new concept. We take for granted our Christian legacy, we have two thousand years of writings and elaborations on the subject but to the Jew’s of the first century this was novel and it should be, because Jesus is novel.

First century Jewish marriages are divided into to stages, a betrothal which proceeds the consummation and the, for the lack of a better term, “full marriage” where the couple who have entered covenant with each other live together. In the first stage of the marriage process, Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. This in itself is a mystery and we accept it on faith, it is before they live together that this occurs in the “fuller” stage of marriage. Joseph becomes aware of this.

19 and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly.

Despite not consummating the marriage, Joseph is still referred to as “her husband” this is important, even in the first stage of the Jewish marriage process without the consummation, he is still considered the husband.

Joseph is a just man and since he is not aware of the divine mystery that has occurred seeks to settle this situation quietly because he does not want to shame Mary. In this culture, as is similar to our own, if a women had conceived a child from a man who is not her husband, it would call for some public shaming. Worse than our own culture, the ancient Jews would practice the public punishing act of stoning the committers of adultery. So Joseph, being just, does not want to humiliate her not see her killed for adultery so he “resolves” to send her away quietly. This would be some subtle way of ending the marriage process without any public announcement.

20 But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit;

While Joseph is considering how to send Mary away quietly, an Angel appears to him in a dream. On a typological note this is very interesting, Joseph receives messages through dreams very much like the Joseph of the Book of Genesis receives messages through dreams. The Angel calls to him by the title “Joseph, Son of David” this is Joseph’s position in salvation history, not a sense to diminish his role but actually to raise it. He is the one who will bestow the royal lineage through the marriage covenant with Mary to Jesus. The Angel settles Joseph’s worries, the child is not from another man but of the Holy Spirit, he should not fear to take Mary as his wife.

21 she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The Angel continues telling Joseph that Mary will bear a son and he is charged with calling him Jesus. This is not a throw away detail, in this time period and culture it was the fathers responsibility to name the child and they would take a name from their family line to bestow upon the child. In this case the Angel says for Joseph to name the child “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

The Hebrew name “Yeshua” from which the anglicised latinized name Jesus comes from, means “God is my Salvation” or “God Saves”. This phrasing, if you pay attention, is a declaration of divinity in Chapter 1 of Matthew. He is basically saying “He is called God Saves but he is God and he will save his people”. Another explicit declaration is that this saving is from sins, not a worldly saving from the Romans or a restoration of the earthly kingdom, they are being saved from much deeper bonds.

22 All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be called Emmanuel” (which means, God with us).

Matthew narrates for his audience that this event with Joseph and the incarnation occurs to fulfil the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. Matthew here quotes from the Septuagint, as will most of the authors of the New Testament books over eighty percent of the time as the more modern translations like the Masoretic text do not say “virgin”. It looks very much like the Masoretes changed this translation when they wrote out their manuscripts between the seventh and tenth centuries AD to get away from this implication, who knows what else they changed to avoid Jesus but that’s my own speculation.

Matthew also tells us and his original audience what the name “Emmanuel” means and as he explains, it means “God with us” a further declaration of Jesus’ divinity. He is God with us.

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife,

25 but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.

Joseph wakes up from his sleep and does exactly as the Angel told him, understanding that it was God, (“The Lord”) who commanded this through the Angel. He takes Mary to be his wife now that he knows, at least what has been revealed to him, of the divine plan for salvation.

The lectionary actually ends at verse 24 but for sake of context we will also talk about verse 25.”but knew her not until she had borne a son” This phrase is often misunderstood as implying that Joseph and Mary had marital relations after Jesus’ birth.

However, “until” (Greek: ἕως οὗ, heōs hou) does not indicate change afterward. The term simply emphasizes what was true up to a certain point without making any claims about what happened after. For example:

2 Samuel 6:23: “Michal the daughter of Saul had no child until the day of her death”

Does not imply she had children afterward.

Matthew 28:20: “I am with you always, to (heōs) the close of the age”

Does not imply Jesus will abandon his disciples after the age ends.

Joseph fulfills his legal role as Jesus’ father by naming Him, as instructed by the angel (Matthew 1:21). This act underscores Jesus’ divine mission—“he will save his people from their sins”—and Joseph’s integral role in God’s plan for salvation.

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Matthew begins his Gospel with a tolodot. A toledot is a Hebrew term and framework concept for the accounts of something or generations of. The same concept is used in the Book of Genesis or Book of Genealogies. Many think that only John starts his Gospel by reaching back to Genesis, but Matthew does it right here in a rather hidden Jewish way. The purpose of a toledot is like a camera zoom on a main character of a movie, starting from the wide focus into the narrow. Here Matthew illustrates the framing of Jesus and is focusing in from the wider frame of David and Abraham.

Matthew says “the genealogy of Jesus Christ.” Jesus being the first name and Christ or Christos being the Greek term for “Anointed One”. He is establishing Jesus of Nazareth as the Anointed One, the Messiah who is to come. He then relates Jesus as the Son of David and Son of Abraham. He is obviously not the son of two men separated by history but he is a son of their lineage and more specifically the “son” of the promises made to them. The figures of David and Abraham are the two titanic prophets of the Hebrews because of the covenants made to them by God.

Abraham in Genesis 15:5 is promised by God that his descendants will be like the stars, he will also promise that he will be blessed and his descendants will bless the whole world. The covenant with Abraham is made “physical” through that of circumcision which will endure through Judaism even till today. David in 2 Samuel 7:12-16 is promised by God that a descendant of his will rule on his throne and kingdom forever. Matthew is saying Jesus is the fulfilment of these patriarchal promises. It is to these promises that the Hebrews are waiting on being fulfilled.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,

Matthew begins the historical genealogy with Abraham, through whom the covenant was begun. Abraham is the first person to enter into a covenant with God after God disinherits the nations at Babel. He is the beginning in this sense of historical salvation history. Abraham will father Isaac, Isaac will father Jacob. Jacob will become Israel and father the twelve Patriarchs. Matthew chooses to highlight only Judah by name, as this is the line from which Jesus will come and also that this is the prophetic line of leadership, as made clear in Genesis 49:9-10 when Israel blesses Judah:

“Judah is a lion’s cub… The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”

3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,

Judah will father Perez and Zerah by Tamar, this is the first woman mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy. Tamar is most likely a gentile and deceived her father in law Judah into thinking she was a prostitute and bore him children through this deception, scandalous in many ways. A curious individual for Matthew to highlight but this is not the first time he does this. Perez fathers Hezron and Hezron, Ram.

4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon,

Ram is listed as an ancestor of David in the genealogies. For example, in 1 Chronicles 2:9-10, Ram is the son of Hezron and the father of Amminadab. Amminadab is mentioned in Exodus 6:23 as the father of Elisheba, who marries Aaron, Moses’ brother. He is also noted in Numbers 1:7 as an ancestor of Nahshon. Nahshon, son of Amminadab, is prominent in the Exodus narrative. He is identified as a leader of the tribe of Judah in Numbers 2:3 and Numbers 7:12. Jewish tradition often highlights Nahshon as the first to step into the Red Sea before it parted. Salmon is mentioned in genealogies, such as Ruth 4:20-21 and 1 Chronicles 2:11, as the father of Boaz, making him an ancestor of David. According to tradition (though not explicitly stated in the Old Testament), Salmon married Rahab, the Canaanite woman from Jericho who aided the Israelite spies (Joshua 2).

5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

The second woman mentioned by Matthew is named, Rahab. Another curious choice to highlight as Rahab was a gentile and prostitute that helps the Israelites hide from their enemies. Rahab is the mother of Boaz and Boaz will marry Ruth. Ruth is also a gentile, she and Boaz will beget Obed who is the father of Jesse.

6 and Jesse the father of David the king. And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah,

Jesse is the father of King David, David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah. Matthew does not include Bathsheba by name but everyone knows who she is. Bathsheba’s name can actually imply gentile origin. Bath meaning daughter and Sheba, although a Hebrew term for Oath, could be referring to the place Sheba, which was a land of gentiles, descendants of Ham. Curiously another name for Bathsheba is Bathshua which has similar connotations, since “Shua” is the name of the Canaanite man whose daughter marries Judah in the book of Genesis.

7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa,

Solomon was the son of King David and Bathsheba and the third king of Israel. He is renowned for his wisdom, wealth, and the construction of the Temple in Jerusalem. His reign is detailed in 1 Kings 1–11 and 2 Chronicles 1–9. He is the author of Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs and the Book of Wisdom. Key events include his request for wisdom from God (1 Kings 3), the construction of the Temple (1 Kings 6), and his later apostasy due to foreign wives and idolatry (1 Kings 11).

Rehoboam was Solomon’s son and successor. His reign marked the division of the united kingdom of Israel into the northern kingdom (Israel) and the southern kingdom (Judah). His story is told in 1 Kings 12–14 and 2 Chronicles 10–12. Rehoboam’s harsh policies led to the rebellion of the northern tribes, resulting in Jeroboam becoming the king of Israel, while Rehoboam retained Judah.

Abijah, the son of Rehoboam, became the king of Judah after his father’s death. He reigned for three years. His reign is described in 1 Kings 15:1–8 and 2 Chronicles 13. In 2 Chronicles 13, Abijah gives a significant speech emphasizing the legitimacy of David’s dynasty and Judah’s faithfulness to God compared to the idolatry in the northern kingdom.

Asa, the son of Abijah, was one of Judah’s righteous kings who reigned for 41 years. His reign is detailed in 1 Kings 15:9–24 and 2 Chronicles 14–16. Asa is commended for his reforms, including removing idols and renewing the covenant with God (2 Chronicles 15). However, later in his reign, he relied on foreign alliances instead of trusting God, leading to criticism from the prophet Hanani (2 Chronicles 16).

8 and Asa the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah,

Jehoshaphat was the fourth king of Judah, succeeding his father Asa. He reigned for 25 years (around 873–849 BC). His reign is detailed in 1 Kings 22:41-50 and 2 Chronicles 17–20. Jehoshaphat is remembered as a righteous king who followed God’s ways. He instituted religious reforms, sent officials to teach the Law of God throughout Judah (2 Chronicles 17:7-9), and strengthened Judah’s defenses.

Joram, son of Jehoshaphat, became king of Judah and reigned for 8 years (around 849–841 BC). His reign is covered in 2 Kings 8:16-24 and 2 Chronicles 21. Joram married Athaliah, daughter of Ahab and Jezebel, which led to the introduction of Baal worship in Judah. Joram’s reign saw calamities, including a rebellion by Edom and Libnah and an invasion by the Philistines and Arabs. He received a prophetic rebuke from Elijah and suffered a painful death as judgment for his wickedness (2 Chronicles 21:12-19).

Uzziah was the tenth king of Judah and reigned for 52 years (around 791–739 BC), though part of his reign included co-regency with his son Jotham. His reign is recounted in 2 Kings 15:1-7 and 2 Chronicles 26. Uzziah is remembered for strengthening Judah militarily and economically. He expanded Judah’s territories, fortified cities, and built up the army. He was faithful to God in the early years of his reign, leading to his prosperity (2 Chronicles 26:4-5). Later in life, Uzziah grew prideful and unlawfully entered the Temple to burn incense, a duty reserved for priests. As a result, God struck him with leprosy, and he lived in isolation until his death (2 Chronicles 26:16-21).

9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,

Jotham was the son of Uzziah (Azariah) and reigned as king of Judah for 16 years (around 750–735 BC). During part of his reign, he ruled as a co-regent with his father, Uzziah, due to the latter’s leprosy. His reign is described in 2 Kings 15:32-38 and 2 Chronicles 27. Jotham is described as a good king who “did what was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 27:2), following in the godly ways of his father, though he avoided entering the Temple as Uzziah had.
He fortified Judah by building the upper gate of the Temple and strengthening city walls and fortresses (2 Chronicles 27:3-4).

Ahaz, the son of Jotham, reigned for 16 years (around 735–715 BC). His reign is marked by significant unfaithfulness to God. His story is told in 2 Kings 16, 2 Chronicles 28, and mentioned in Isaiah 7–8. Ahaz is remembered as one of the most wicked kings of Judah. He introduced idolatry, even sacrificing one of his sons in the fire to pagan gods (2 Kings 16:3; 2 Chronicles 28:3). During his reign, Judah was attacked by Israel and Aram (Syria) in what is known as the Syro-Ephraimite War. Instead of trusting God, Ahaz sought help from the Assyrian king Tiglath-Pileser III, offering treasures from the Temple as payment (2 Kings 16:7-9). Ahaz’s rejection of God is addressed in Isaiah 7, where the prophet Isaiah gives the famous Immanuel prophecy, a sign of God’s ultimate faithfulness despite Ahaz’s failure.

Hezekiah, son of Ahaz, reigned for 29 years (around 715–686 BC) and is considered one of the greatest and most faithful kings of Judah. His reign is detailed in 2 Kings 18–20, 2 Chronicles 29–32, and parts of Isaiah 36–39. Hezekiah led significant religious reforms, removing high places, destroying idols (including the bronze serpent made by Moses), and restoring proper Temple worship (2 Chronicles 29).

10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah,

Manasseh was the son of Hezekiah and reigned for 55 years (around 697–642 BC), the longest reign of any king of Judah. His reign is described in 2 Kings 21:1-18 and 2 Chronicles 33:1-20. Manasseh is remembered as one of the most wicked kings of Judah. He rebuilt pagan high places his father Hezekiah had destroyed, worshiped idols, practiced sorcery, and even sacrificed his son in the fire (2 Kings 21:1-9). His actions are said to have led Judah into greater sin than the nations God had driven out before Israel.

Amon, the son of Manasseh, reigned for only two years (around 642–640 BC). His reign is described in 2 Kings 21:19-26 and 2 Chronicles 33:21-25. Amon followed in the sinful ways of his father Manasseh before his repentance. He worshiped idols and did not humble himself before God (2 Chronicles 33:22-23).

Josiah, the son of Amon, reigned for 31 years (around 640–609 BC) and was one of the most faithful and righteous kings of Judah. His reign is described in 2 Kings 22–23 and 2 Chronicles 34–35. Josiah renewed the covenant with God and led the people in a nationwide commitment to follow God’s laws (2 Kings 23:1-3). He also reinstitutes the Passover celebration.

11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

The Kings: The list includes a mix of faithful (e.g., Hezekiah, Josiah) and unfaithful kings (e.g., Manasseh, who led Judah into idolatry). Their stories reflect the fluctuating spiritual condition of Israel. This concludes the kingdom (both united and divided) period. It marks a turning point in Israel’s history, emphasizing the consequences of unfaithfulness to God. This event serves as a symbol of exile and restoration, themes fulfilled in Jesus.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of She-alti-el, and She-alti-el the father of Zerubbabel,

Jechoniah’s presence is notable because Jeremiah 22:30 appears to curse his descendants, saying none would sit on David’s throne. Jesus circumvents this curse as He is born of Mary, not Joseph, preserving His legal claim to the throne through Joseph without biological descent. She-alti-el fathers Zerubbabel who was a governor during the return from exile, connected to the Davidic line and the rebuilding of the Temple (Haggai 2:23).

Zerubbabel is a significant figure in the post-exilic period of Judah. He was a descendant of King David through the line of Jehoiachin (Jeconiah) and served as the governor of Judah after the Babylonian exile.

13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor,

14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud,

15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob,

Abiud to Jacob, listed in Matthew 1:13-15, are largely unknown figures in recorded history because the Davidic kingship was dissolved after the Babylonian exile. When the monarchy ended, genealogical records for royal descendants were no longer officially maintained. This obscurity was further compounded by the turbulent period of foreign rule (Babylonian, Persian, Greek, and Roman) during the intertestamental period.

Despite the lack of centralized records, Jewish families preserved their genealogies through oral tradition and private documentation. Knowing one’s tribal and familial heritage was important, especially for descendants of the Davidic line, who carried the hope of the promised Messiah.

This preserved knowledge ensured that by the time of Jesus’ birth, the Davidic lineage was still recognized, allowing Matthew and Luke to document His genealogy as fulfillment of the messianic promises.

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

Joseph is presented as “the husband of Mary,” not the biological father of Jesus, this Matthew uses to clearly state the virgin birth. Referring back to the start of the toledot, Matthew reaffirms Jesus’ identity as “Christ”, the Anointed one. So this narrative goes from Jesus is the Messiah, zooms out, zooms in and states that first statement again. The structure is very reminiscent of a proto-creedal statement, the Hebrews focus on lineage gives a flavour of inheritance instead of doctrine but the format is the same in the sense of its catechetical nature.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Structure of 14 Generations: Matthew uses this numerical symmetry (14 = 2 x 7) as a literary device: It highlights Jesus as the culmination of history, the “seventh seven,” symbolizing divine completeness and rest or sabbath day. In Hebrew, the name “David” (דוד) has a numerical value of 14, reinforcing Jesus’ Davidic identity. The numerical symmetry is not just literary device, Matthew did not come up with this on his own. The Holy Spirit through the author is announcing that patterns that God has worked in. Many see the genealogy as a boring list of names but if you have ever heard the concept of “God draws straight paths with crooked lines”, nothing really summarises that as efficiently as Matthews very own introduction to his written witness of Jesus of Nazareth.