The Genesis of Jesus

In this message, Chuck Swindoll explores Matthew 1:1–17, acknowledging that while a genealogy may seem like the "most boring piece of information" to modern readers, it acts as the essential "driver's license" or documentation of Jesus' identity [6–7]. Writing specifically to a Jewish audience, Matthew (also known as Levi) establishes Jesus' legal right to the title of Messiah by tracing His lineage back to King David and Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation [8–9]. Swindoll analyzes the genealogy through three distinct movements of Israel's history:

1. The Patriarchs (Abraham to David): A period of ascent and crescendo, building from a wandering nomad to the establishment of a powerful kingdom under David [14–16].
2. The Kings (David to the Exile): A period of decline, civil war, and idolatry, ending in the national disaster of the Babylonian captivity [17–18].
3. The Exile (Babylon to Messiah): A period of darkness and silence, compared by Swindoll to the horrors of the Holocaust as described by Elie Wiesel, where the people waited in desperation for a deliverer [20–22].

The message concludes with a focus on God’s grace. Swindoll points out that this royal list includes liars, deceivers, and "wretches," as well as women with scandalous reputations like Tamar and Rahab [25–26]. This proves that God does not require perfection to include someone in His family; rather, His grace is sufficient to save the lost and unworthy.

Message Key Facts:

• The "Driver's License" Analogy: Swindoll compares the genealogy to a police officer asking for a driver's license. The officer doesn't care about the car's "chrome wheels" (appearance); he only cares about the documentation. Similarly, for a first-century Jew, the Messiah's "pedigree" was the single most important proof of His identity [5–7].
• A Book of "Genesis": The opening phrase of Matthew, biblos geneseos, literally translates to "The book of the Genesis," signaling that this is the record of the origin of Jesus the Messiah.
• The Grammar of the Virgin Birth: Swindoll highlights a crucial detail in verse 16. The Greek phrase ex hes ("of whom") is feminine singular. This indicates that Jesus was born "out of" Mary alone, not of Mary and Joseph, linguistically protecting the doctrine of the Virgin Birth [23–24].
• The Three Eras: Matthew organizes history into three sets of 14 generations:
  • The Patriarchs: The era of Crescendo (Building the Kingdom).
  • The Kings: The era of Decline (Losing the Kingdom).
  • The Exile: The era of Darkness (Waiting for the King) [14–24].
• The Exile and the Holocaust: To help modern listeners understand the trauma of the Babylonian Exile (verse 11), Swindoll cites Psalm 137 and Elie Wiesel’s book Night, describing the spiritual devastation where God seemed silent [19–21].
• Scandalous Grace: Unlike typical ancient genealogies, this list includes five women—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Several were associated with sexual scandal or were foreigners, emphasizing that God's grace writes "wretches" into His redemptive story [25–26].

Message References:

• Matthew 1:1–17: The primary text detailing the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham to His birth.
• Psalm 19:1: "The heavens declare the glory of God"—referenced in the opening regarding worship through nature.
• Matthew 13:53–56: The account of people in Nazareth scoffing at Jesus because they knew his family ("the carpenter's son"), illustrating why establishing His royal lineage was necessary.
• Psalm 137: A lament of the exiles sitting by the rivers of Babylon, weeping and unable to sing the Lord's songs.
• Lamentations: Referenced to describe the heartbreak of Jeremiah walking through the ruins of Jerusalem.

Message Speaker:

Pastor Chuck Swindoll