Truth Rightly Divided

Matthew 1 & 2

Bible Class – Matthew Study #1 (Mt 1-2) – Notes and Discussion questions

Matthew Study #1: The presentation of the King

Main passage of study: Mt 1:1 – 2:23

Related passages:
Pt A: Ge 5:1; 2Sa 7:12-16; 1Ch 3:15-17; Ps 89:3-4; Ac 13:23; Ga 3:16 Pt B: Is 7:14; 9:6; Lu 1:30-35; 2:4-7; Jn 1:14; Ga 4:4
Pt C: Nu 24:17; 2Sa 5:2; Ps 105:3; Eze 37:24; Mic 5:2; Lu 2:8-16; Jn 5:23; 7:42; Ac 5:29
Pt D: Ge 35:18-19; Ex 1:15-22; 4:22; Jer 31:15; Hos 11:1; Ac 12:23
Pt E: Ex 4:19; Jn 1:46; 19:19; Ac 2:22

Outline & Notes

Outline:

  1. The bloodline of the King– Mt 1:1-17
    1. The line introduced -Mt 1:1
    2. The line of promise – Mt 1:2-6
    3. The line of princes -Mt 1:6-11
    4. The line of preservation – Mt 1:12-16
    5. The line iterated- Mt 1:17
  2. The birth of the King– Mt 1:18-25
    1. The conception by the Spirit – Mt 1:18-19
    2. The communication by the angel – Mt 1:20-21
    3. The confirmation by the prophet -Mt 1:22-23
    4. The compliance of Joseph – Mt 1:24-25
  1. The wise men and their worship – Mt 2:1-12
    1. The magi’s intention and inquiry – Mt 2:1-2
    2. Herod’s insecurity and investigation – Mt 2:3-6
    3. Herod’s invitation and instruction to the magi – Mt 2:7-8
    4. Heaven’s illumination and injunction to the magi – Mt 2:9-12
  2. The warning and the weeping –Mt 2:13-18
    1. Heaven’s intervention – Mt 2:13-15
    2. Herod’s infanticide – Mt 2:16-18
  3. The word from the Lord and the way to Nazareth –Mt 2:19-23
    1. The recall from Egypt – Mt 2:19-21
    2. The redirection to Galilee – Mt 2:22-23

The Gospel of Matthew opens by presenting Jesus as the promised King in whom Israel’s history reaches its fulfillment. Chapter 1 establishes His royal identity through a structured genealogy tracing Him from Abraham through David, highlighting both covenant promise and divine preservation across generations of failure and exile. The account of His conception and birth by the virgin declares that this King is not only Son of David but also “Immanuel”, God with us.

Chapter 2 reveals how the world responds to this King. Gentile magi from the East travel to worship Him, while Herod reacts with fear and violence. Scripture guides the seekers, prophecy interprets the events and God sovereignly protects the child through the flight to Egypt and eventual settlement in Nazareth.

Together, these chapters introduce themes that shape the entire Gospel: the fulfillment of Scripture, the clash between true and false kingship, the inclusion of the nations, and God’s sovereign direction of history. Matthew’s gospel is uniquely structured to demonstrate that Jesus is the Messiah-King promised in the Old Testament — not merely a teacher or a miracle-worker, but the rightful ruler to whom every reader must respond.

Textual notes

● Matthew, who wrote his gospel with the Jewish reader in mind, uses the Messianic title “son of David” 9 times. Mark and Luke use the title 3 times each while John has no uses.

● Matthew’s genealogy of the Lord Jesus from Abraham does not contain every intervening generation as there are 4 names missing which we know of from the OT. Biblical genealogies were not always meant to be exhaustive and Matthew’s main purpose here is to demonstrate the Lord’s lineage (and thus His legal right to rule) back to David and is not affected by the omitted names.

● Matthew’s gospel is also uniquely structured around the fulfillment of OT prophecy and so, he includes roughly 60-65 explicit OT quotations, which is about double the number used by any other gospel writer. There are 5 references to fulfilled Scripture/prophecy in Mt 1-2.

● Ramah (mentioned in Mt 2:18) was located about 8 km north of Jerusalem in the territory of Benjamin. Exiles were gathered there before being deported to Babylon and so it was a scene of mourning and lamentation at the time. Matthew’s quotation from Jeremiah regarding Ramah connects the mourning there with the mourning in Bethlehem as a result of Herod’s cruel order to massacre infants. Rachel is mentioned because of her connection to Benjamin (and her sorrow in death giving birth to him) and to Bethlehem, the place of her death.

Discussion questions

1. What clues do we have in the first chapter of Matthew that his gospel has a distinctly Jewish flavour and that it was written with Jewish readers in mind?

2. Why was it important to establish that the Lord Jesus descended from the royal line of David?

3. What lessons can we learn from the 5 women mentioned in the genealogy of Christ?

4. The name Emmanuel is only found in Mt 1:23 in the NT. How can we see this name as being central to Matthew’s overall message?

5. We read of the Lord’s intervention through a dream 5 times in these first two chapters. Matthew only mentions a dream one other time (Pilate’s wife). Why do you suppose that is the case?

6. We know relatively little about Joseph but his obedience in these chapters is noteworthy. What lessons can we learn from it?

7. How might we compare the responses of the magi and of Herod (and Jerusalem) to news of the arrival of the “King of the Jews”?

8. What can we learn about worship from the visit of the magi?

9. What does Herod’s reaction reveal about the human heart when confronted with the kingship of Christ and His right to sovereignty over us?

10. In what ways might we recognize God redirecting our pathway today?

11. What is the significance of the fulfillment of the prophecy in Hosea 11:1, that God should call His Son out of Egypt?

12. Which details of these opening two chapters highlight the humble beginnings of the life of the Lord Jesus? How do we understand His humility in the context of Matthew’s presentation of the King?