The Lineage of Grace

Where would you begin if you were going to tell someone about Jesus?

Even a devout atheist knows the Bible describes Jesus as God’s Son, born of a virgin, in a manger in Bethlehem. Why does God begin the New Testament by talking about His ancestry?

If you’ve been reading along, you’ve already read all that! Because of that lineage—and the prophecies He fulfilled—we can know this is the Christ, the Son of God (Matthew 1:1–17).

For those who haven’t been reading along, it’s important to understand that Jesus descended from real people. Therefore, we’re told in Matthew 1:6 that one of His grandfathers was Solomon, who was born—not like Jesus—but from the sins of his father David. God could have left it at “David was the father of Solomon.” He could have even said, “whose mother was Bathsheba.” Instead, He calls out that Solomon’s mother had been Uriah’s wife.

David had Uriah abandoned in battle, sealing his death. This was murder (2 Samuel 11:14–17). Yet we see it mentioned in the first chapter of the New Testament. Then we balance that by being told Mary was the mother of Jesus, but that Joseph was just her husband (Matthew 1:16).

The following section will showcase Joseph’s admirable qualities. But my point is—we hear about all of this before we hear about the virgin birth.
The Virgin Birth
In Matthew 1:16, the NIV lacks some significant nuance the original Greek contained. The Greek uses a word that means “of whom,” shifting to a feminine singular noun—pointing out this was not two humans, but only one. Mary alone bore Jesus.

She gave Him the name Jesus, which means “Yahweh saves.” Therefore, the Bible states it’s—because He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). They were waiting for a warrior. He came to save them from sin.

We’ll read later that when Jesus healed a paralytic, it would have been easy to say, “Get up and walk,” but only God can forgive sins (Mark 2:9–10). God could have come and rescued them from the Romans. He had sent David to rescue them from the Philistines. But they would’ve just gone a few more generations and been in captivity again. We are all slaves of sin. Therefore, He came to free us from that bondage (Romans 6:6–7).
Signs in the Sky
God controls even the stars of the universe. But He won’t control us. He gives us free will—even though He knows this leads to sin. Therefore, He sent the only answer to this problem: a Savior from sin.

The Magi, likely from Persia, a thousand miles east of Bethlehem, saw a sign in the sky. Astrologers theorize it may have been a conjunction of Jupiter and Regulus in 7 BC, or Halley’s Comet around 12 BC¹. From this, they assembled a travel party—likely dozens of servants, guards, and animals—to make the journey.

Tradition has it there were twelve kings in this entourage, though Scripture doesn’t specify a number. With them, they brought gifts:

Gold: to signify the child was royalty.
Frankincense: to signify His divinity.
Myrrh: to foreshadow His death (Matthew 2:11).

Why Not Wipe Out Sin?
Knowing that death was in His path, we might ask: why didn’t God just wipe out sin? Why not take out the bad guys?

Then we have to recognize—we all are sinners (Romans 3:23). If God removed all the wicked, He would lose all of us. He could have removed the worst of them, like Herod, who ordered the slaughter of all the babies two years and under (Matthew 2:16). But divine sovereignty allows evil to unfold for greater redemption.

Throughout history, there have been definable moments when evil had its day. But God knew those days were coming and intended them for His glory. He brings more good out of those moments than the losses incurred—even when the loss is His only begotten Son (John 3:16).
The Winnowing Fork
This was all part of the redemption plan God had from the beginning (John 1:1). He knew He would come and pay that price. This is because God is love (1 John 4:8).

But we see in Matthew 3:12 that He also comes with a winnowing fork. This was the instrument used to separate the wheat from the chaff—by throwing the grain into the air and letting the wind separate it. It’s not a gentle process, but a necessary one.

Just as trials purify us, and flames purify gold, God knew that suffering would purify us from evil. Therefore, God says He is well pleased when Jesus identifies with humanity in baptism (Matthew 3:17).
Temptation and Triumph
Before Jesus begins His ministry (Matthew 4:12–25), He confronts temptation—something we all must do. Though we must flee the devil, we can’t deny our temptations. Instead, we must confront them and trust in the Word of God to give us strength to overcome (Matthew 4:1–11).

Don’t let the sin of this world—the hatred, the sins of the flesh—control you. Overcome. Find Jesus by admitting you need Him and calling out. He will hear your cries, and He will save you (Romans 10:13).
Tomorrow, we will read Matthew 5-6.
Footnotes

David Guzik, “Study Guide for Matthew 1,” Blue Letter Bible, https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/matthew/matthew-1.cfm.

“Matthew 1 Commentary,” Precept Austin, https://www.preceptaustin.org/matthew-1-commentary.

“Matthew 1–3: The Ancestry and Birth of Jesus,” Yale Bible Study, https://yalebiblestudy.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Matthew-The-Ancestry-and-Birth-of-Jesus-Study-Guide.pdf.