Matthew 1 - Introduction

The Coming Of The Messiah Matthew One

The saddest chapter in the Bible is Genesis 3. It is sad because it is the story of sin entering into the world. Satan used the sneaky snake to deceive the woman. He asked her if there was any tree in the garden from which they could not eat the fruit. She explained that God had said, "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17)

Eve explained to Satan that God had said, "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Satan told her that she would not die but God was just keeping wisdom from her. She was told that if she ate the fruit she would "know the difference between right and wrong, just as God does." "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." (Genesis 3:6)

Sin had now entered the world and man will quickly understand that sin always ends in misery. "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." (Romans 5:12) Because of sin all men stand in need of the Savior.

The story of the Bible can be seen in three simple statements: (1) The Savior is coming, (2) The Savior has come, and (3) The Savior is coming again as judge.

Matthew chapter one provides inspired information about the background and birth of the Messiah. Matthew gives the legal genealogy of Jesus. He does not provide Jesus' blood lineage through Mary, but His legal lineage through Joseph. In the gospel of Luke we are able to trace the blood lineage of Jesus through Mary. Jesus was the fulfillment of prophecy and the realizing of the hope of Israel.