Deep Roots

Gospel Light Church s

Matthew Series

March 15th, 2026

DEEP ROOTS

Matthew 1:1–17

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

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,[a] 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed 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, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph,[b] 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos,[c] and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel,[d] and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 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, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

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.

God fulfilled His promises by bringing the Messiah through an unlikely and imperfect line of people—proving that His grace, faithfulness, and redemption overcome human failure.

• Most people will skip genealogies in the Bible. We read the names and think, “Why does this matter?”

*****But to the Jewish reader, Matthew’s genealogy was explosive. ******

• It declared Jesus is the rightful King, the promised Messiah, and the fulfillment of God’s covenant promises.

Matthew begins his Gospel not with a manger, but with a royal record.

“The genealogy is Matthew’s way of saying before Jesus does anything, He already is someone.”
— R.T. France

This genealogy reveals three powerful truths about God’s work in history.

1. Jesus Is the Fulfillment of God’s Promises

Matthew 1:1–6

Matthew begins with two monumental names:

“Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

These two names summarize the entire Old Testament story.

1. The Promise to Abraham

Genesis 12:3

“In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God promised Abraham that a Savior would bless the world.

1. The Promise to David

2 Samuel 7:16

“Your throne shall be established forever.”

God promised David an eternal King.

Matthew is announcing : Jesus is the fulfillment of both promises.

He is:
• The seed of Abraham
• The King greater than David

• Every generation listed in Matthew 1 is another reminder: God keeps His promises no matter what!

“God’s promises are dated, but they are never outdated.” C.H Spurgeon

• For nearly 2000 years, Israel waited for this promised King.

And Matthew says: The wait is over.

• Some of God’s promises in your life may seem delayed:
• Delayed is not the same as denied. God is still writing the story.

2. Jesus Came Through Broken People

(Matthew 1:3–6)

One of the most shocking thing of this genealogy is the people included in it.

*******In ancient Jewish genealogies, women were almost never listed. ********

• Matthew includes five women—and each carries a scandalous story.

1. Tamar (v.3)

• Genesis 38- A woman who disguised herself as a prostitute to secure justice.

1. Rahab (v.5)

• A prostitute from Jericho.

1. Ruth (v.5)

• A Moabite—an outsider to Israel.

1. Bathsheba (v.6)

• Referred to indirectly as “the wife of Uriah.”
• A reminder of David’s adultery.

1. Mary (v.16)

• A young girl pregnant before marriage.

These stories are included because Jesus came from a line of sinners to save sinners.

“Matthew intentionally highlights God’s grace working through the most unlikely people.” -Craig Blomberg

The Messiah’s family tree contains

• prostitutes
• foreigners
• adulterers
• kings who failed
• people with messy pasts

Which means: No one is beyond the reach of God’s grace.

“Matthew’s genealogy quietly announces that the Messiah comes not for the righteous but for sinners.” – D.A Carson

• A family tree usually highlights the best ancestors. But Jesus’ family tree highlights redeemed sinners. Because the Gospel is not about perfect people. It’s about redeemed people.

Remember:

• Your past does not disqualify you from God’s plan.
• God delights in writing redemption stories.

3. Jesus Is the Center of History

Matthew 1:12–17

Matthew structures the genealogy into three sections of fourteen generations:

1. Abraham → David
2. David → Babylonian Exile
3. Exile → Christ

Verse 17 summarizes it:

“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.”

This structure shows God directing history toward one moment.

Everything moves toward Christ.

• History is redemptive.
• Even Israel’s darkest moment—the Babylonian exile—did not derail God’s plan. It moved the story forward.

“The central event in the history of the earth is the life of Christ.” – C.S Lewis

• Matthew’s message is clear: All history leads to Jesus.

He is the

• climax of God’s promises
• center of human history
• fulfillment of redemption.

Matthew begins his Gospel by telling us three things:

1. Jesus is the promised King.
2. Jesus came through broken people.
3. Jesus stands at the center of history.

And the genealogy ends with this name:

“Jesus, who is called Christ.” (Matthew 1:16)

The word Christ means Messiah—the anointed Savior.

This long list of names ultimately leads to one name that saves.

“The genealogy of Jesus is not merely a list of names; it is the story of God’s faithfulness to His promises.” – John Stott