Swindoll's Living Insights Commentary Matthew 1a - Flipbook - Page 21
ANNOUNCEMENT AND
ARRIVAL OF THE KING
(MATTHEW 1:1–4:25)
The four Gospels all begin differently. The Gospel according to Mark,
probably the earliest written account, drops us right into the middle
of the action, with John the Baptizer’s proclamation of the coming of
the kingdom, followed by the baptism of Jesus, His temptation, and
the start of His preaching in Galilee (Mark 1:1-15). The careful, studious physician Luke opens with a kind of preface addressing a specific
person, Theophilus, and setting forth in a formal fashion as assurance
of the orderliness of the account. The account then begins by outlining
the birth of John the Baptizer and relaying events from the birth and
childhood of Jesus, providing historical details (Luke 1:1–2:52). Meanwhile, the Gospel of John starts with a soaring theological hymn about
the eternal Word made flesh, exalting the God-man and the miracle of
the Incarnation (John 1:1-18).
The Gospel of Matthew begins not with the immediate action of
Mark, the historical context of Luke, or the glorious hymn of John, but
with a genealogy tracing Jesus’ legal ancestry back to the patriarch
Abraham and through King David (Matt. 1:1-17). Prior to recounting
the commencement of Jesus’ public ministry, Matthew provides details spanning two chapters about Jesus’ birth and childhood, much
of which is not included in any other account—the angelic visitation to
Joseph (1:18-25); the arrival of the magi, or “wise men,” and their gifts
of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (2:1-12); and the flight to Egypt and
murder of the children of Bethlehem (2:13-23).
The purpose of these unique details is to point us to the announcement and arrival of the King (1:1–4:25). By the end of these opening
chapters, no reader will be confused about who this Jesus of Nazareth
really is. He’s the King, Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.
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