The Gospel of Matthew (Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture)

Mitch, Curtis, Sri, Edward, Williamson, Peter S., Healy, Mary

• Publisher: Baker Academic
• Year: 2010
• ISBN:
  9781441213860
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Commentary

This engaging commentary on the Gospel of Matthew is the fifth of seventeen volumes in the Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture (CCSS), which will cover the entire New Testament. This volume, like each in the series, relates Scripture to life, is faithfully Catholic, and is supplemented by features designed to help readers understand the Bible more deeply and use it more effectively.

A Royal Son: Genealogy and Birth of Jesus

Matthew 1:1–25

The opening chapter of Matthew’s Gospel is a stumbling block for many modern readers. Why begin a Gospel with a list of more than forty names? A biblical genealogy does not seem to be the most captivating way to draw readers into the story of Jesus. As one commentator put it, “Reading other people’s genealogies is about as exciting as watching other people’s holiday videos.”[1] But for the ancient Jews, a genealogy was not merely a catalog of old names. Each name told a story and recalled key events in salvation history. Biblical genealogies also conferred identity and privileges on members of a family, bestowing a sense of mission and responsibility.

The particular genealogy in Matt 1:1–17 compresses the entire history of Israel into seventeen short verses. The many names would have brought to mind the various twists and turns, triumphs and tragedies, in that story. By tracing Jesus’ lineage back to David and Abraham, Matthew places the story of Jesus within the larger plot of God’s dealings with Israel and, at the same time, announces that Israel’s story is reaching its climax in the child at the end of the line. Most of all, the genealogy establishes Jesus’ messianic credentials. Grafted onto the trunk of David’s royal lineage, Jesus will appear as the legal heir of this family’s kingly prerogatives that have been passed down from generation to generation.

The genealogy is followed by an account of the angel’s announcement to Joseph (1:18–25). Here, the camera lens zooms in on the last part of the genealogy, where we encounter an anomaly. While the Gospel carefully traces a royal lineage from “David the king” (1:6) all the way down to Joseph (1:16), Matthew points out that Jesus is not a biological descendant of Joseph and David after all. Joseph, the bearer of the Davidic ancestry, appears not as the father of Jesus, but as “the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah” (1:16). The story of the announcement to Joseph serves as an explanation for this last link of the genealogy. It shows how Jesus (1) was conceived in Mary not by natural means, but by the Holy Spirit and (2) was named and accepted by Joseph as his son, making him a true Davidic heir.

The Book of the Genealogy (1:1)

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

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OT: Gen 2:4; 5:1; 22:18; 2 Sam 7:12–16; 1 Chron 17:11

NT: Matt 9:27; 12:23; 20:31; 21:15; Mark 1:1

Catechism: Jesus’ name, 430–35, 452; Christ, 436–40

Lectionary: 1:1–25: Nativity of Our Lord; 1:1–16, 18–23: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

[1:1] The book of the genealogy: Matthew’s Gospel immediately takes us back to the very beginning of salvation history: to the story of creation and the family of Adam and Eve. The first two words of Matthew’s Gospel (biblos geneseōs), rendered “the book of the genealogy” in the NAB, could literally be translated “book of Genesis.” Biblos is typically the word for “book” and geneseōs is commonly rendered “origin” or “beginning.” These words together appear in only two other places in the Bible: in the †Septuagint translation of Gen 2:4 and 5:1, where they refer to the beginnings of the heavens and the earth and mark the genealogy of Adam’s descendants. Therefore the first two words in Matthew have an effect similar to that of the famous opening of John’s Gospel, “In the beginning . . .” (John 1:1). When read in the wide context of the canonical Scriptures, Matthew’s opening words, like John’s, bring to mind the early chapters of the book of Genesis, the creation of the world and the origins of the human family. Just as that story in Genesis twice utilizes the formula biblos geneseōs, Matthew’s story of Jesus begins with this same phrase, announcing a new beginning for all humanity.

Jesus was the Greek form of the name “Joshua” and one of the most popular names among the Jews in the first century. The name in Hebrew literally means “Yahweh is salvation.” Matthew uses the personal name “Jesus” 150 times, but here it is accompanied by the royal title Christ, which Matthew uses only seventeen times. “Christ” means “anointed one” and is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew word “messiah.”[2] The mention of Jesus Christ in 1:1 would stir much excitement in the reader, evoking the Jewish hopes for the long-awaited messiah-king who, the prophets foretold, would free God’s people from their enemies and restore the kingdom of David.

Matthew associates Jesus with two of the most important figures in Israel’s history: David and Abraham. This establishes Jesus as a person of great significance. As one scholar put it, “The very names of David and Abraham create character for Jesus, just as the names Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle evoke character for a baseball player. To say that a baseball player is another Babe Ruth is to suggest that he has extraordinary hitting power. Similarly, to say that Jesus is the child of David is to indicate he has royal authority and the capacity to overthrow Rome just as David conquered Goliath.”[3]

Matthew next introduces Jesus as the son of David before calling him “the son of Abraham”—even though David came after Abraham in history. In this way Matthew draws our attention to Jesus’ connection to this great king. The title “son of David” evokes the great promises given to David and his descendants. In 2 Sam 7, God promised David an everlasting kingdom (2 Sam 7:16) and spoke of the great things he would do for David’s son: “I will make his kingdom firm. . . . And I will make his royal throne firm forever” (2 Sam 7:12–13). The royal son of David was expected to rule over the nations (Pss 2:8; 72:8–10; 110:6) and all the nations would be blessed through him (Ps 72:17). Though David’s descendants ruled in Jerusalem for almost four centuries, the monarchy collapsed in the sixth century BC and remained eclipsed up to the time of Christ. However, the prophets foretold that a future heir of David, a “righteous branch,” would free the people from their oppressors and usher in an everlasting kingdom.[4] In many circles of first-century Judaism, the title “son of David” was associated with the messiah. By referring to Jesus as “Christ” and “the son of David,” Matthew links Jesus with these hopes for the future messiah-king.

Next, Matthew calls Jesus the son of Abraham. This designation underscores that Jesus belongs to the chosen people, the descendants of Abraham whom God had promised to bless and multiply (Gen 12:2; 17:2–9). In addition, the connection with Abraham links Jesus with the worldwide mission given to Abraham’s family, the Israelites. Abraham’s name itself means “father of a multitude” (see Gen 17:5). God foretold that Abraham would “become the father of a host of nations” (Gen 17:4) and that through Abraham’s descendants, “all the nations of the earth shall find blessing” (Gen 22:18; cf. Gen 12:3). Thus Jesus as “the son of Abraham” evokes the theme of the worldwide blessing—a theme that Matthew develops in the narrative of the magi coming from the east (2:1–11), in Christ’s public ministry (e.g., 5:13–14; 8:10–11; 21:43), and at the end of the Gospel with the great commission (28:18–20).

Reflection and Application (1:1)

In this opening verse, Matthew introduces us to the holy name of Jesus, which has been invoked in prayer from the very beginning of Christianity. From a biblical perspective, the very fact that we can call on the name of Jesus is astonishing. In ancient Judaism, God’s name came to be invoked only once a year and only by the high priest. Now, with God becoming man in Christ, we have the privilege of calling on the name of the Lord: “The divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming our humanity The Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it: ‘Jesus,’ ‘YHWH saves’” (Catechism 2666).

There is tremendous power in the name of Jesus. This is the only name under heaven by which we can hope for salvation (Acts 4:12). In Jesus’ name, the sick can be healed (Mark 16:17–18; Catechism 1507), sinners find mercy (Catechism 1846), and souls encounter the presence of God. As the Catechism explains, “His name is the only one that contains the presence it signifies. Jesus is the Risen One, and whoever invokes the name of Jesus is welcoming the Son of God who loved him and who gave himself up for him” (Catechism 2666). The name of Jesus itself can be a simple prayer, when spoken with love and attention (Catechism 2068). For example, Christians for centuries have recited the Jesus Prayer, in which they slowly and lovingly repeat the words “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me,” or even just the name “Jesus,” sometimes hundreds of times a day, amid their daily routines or while quietly following the rhythm of their breathing during prayer. In this way, our daily lives can become a constant prayer with Christ always on our mind, on our lips, and in our heart. Invoking Jesus’ name can also be helpful in moments of temptation or spiritual trial. The holy name of Jesus has power to bring all things into subjection to Christ, so that, as St. Paul says, “at the name of Jesus, every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil 2:10–11).

The Royal Lineage (1:2–17)

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2Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, 6Jesse the father of David the king.

David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 7Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. 8Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. 9Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. 11Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile.

12After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 15Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah.

17Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

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OT: Ruth 4:18–22; 1 Chron 2:1–15; 3:10–19

NT: Luke 3:23–34

Lectionary: 1:1–17: December 17, Nativity of Our Lord Vigil Mass; 1:16, 18–21, 24: Solemnity of St. Joseph; 1:1–16, 18–23: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (September 8), Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Of all the names in this genealogy, David’s is the one that Matthew especially highlights. David is the only person other than Jesus who is honored with a title in this genealogy: David is introduced as “the king” in 1:6, while Jesus is called “the Messiah” in 1:16. And David’s name, which is mentioned four times in the genealogy, appears more than any other name listed in Jesus’ family tree (1:5, 6, 17). Finally, the focus on David can be seen in 1:17, where Matthew demarcates the three periods of Israel’s story from Abraham to David, from David to the exile, and from the exile to Christ. Here, Matthew goes out of the way to tell us that each of these periods consists of fourteen generations in the genealogy of Jesus. This 3 x 14 pattern is likely an allusion to David’s name through a play on the numerical value given to Hebrew letters—a popular technique known as gematria, which was used in ancient Jewish and early Christian circles. David’s name in Hebrew adds up to fourteen (d + w + d = 4 + 6 + 4 = 14). Matthew has already noted that David himself appears in the fourteenth generation of this genealogy. By having Jesus arrive at the end of three sets of fourteen generations (3 x 14), Matthew presents Jesus as the “thrice-Davidic Son of David.”[5] In the list of names, Matthew sketches the story of the rise and fall of the Davidic kingdom and its restoratio...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Endorsements
• Dedication
• Contents
• Illustrations
• Editors’ Preface
• Abbreviations
• Introduction
• Outline of Matthew
• A Royal Son: Genealogy and Birth of Jesus (1:1–25)
• Magi and Flight to Egypt (2:1–23)
• John the Baptist and Jesus (3:1–17)
• The Messiah Tested and Revealed (4:1–25)
• Sermon on the Mount Part 1: The Message of the Kingdom (5:1–48)
• Sermon on the Mount Part 2: Treasures in Heaven (6:1–34)
• Sermon on the Mount Part 3: The House Built on Rock (7:1–29)
• Jesus’ Healings (8:1–9:34)
• The Mission of the Twelve (9:35–10:42)
• John the Baptist and Jesus the Messiah (11:1–30)
• The Lord of the Sabbath: One Greater than Jonah, Solomon, and the Temple (12:1–50)
• Parables of the Kingdom (13:1–58)
• The Martyrdom of John and the Continuing Ministry of Jesus (14:1–15:39)
• The Messiah’s Sonship and Suffering (16:1–28)
• Jesus Is Transfigured and Instructs His Disciples (17:1–27)
• True Greatness within the Community (18:1–35)
• On the Way to Jerusalem Part 1 (19:1–30)
• On the Way to Jerusalem Part 2 (20:1–34)
• The King and the Temple (21:1–46)
• Showdown in the Temple (22:1–23:39)
• The Coming Judgment Part 1 (24:1–44)
• The Coming Judgment Part 2 (24:45–25:46)
• The Messiah Betrayed and Arrested (26:1–75)
• The Climax of the Cross (27:1–66)
• The Messiah Is Risen! (28:1–20)
• Suggested Resources
• Glossary
• Index of Pastoral Topics
• Index of Sidebars
• Map
• Notes