Biblical commentary on the New Testament - The Christian ...

FIRST PART.
OF THE BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD OF JESUS CHRIST.
FIRST SECTION-MATTHEW'S ACCOUNT.
CHAPTEES I. AND II.
§ 1. Genealogy of Jesus.
(Matth. Ll-11; Luke iii. 23-38.)
While Mark at once, in the title of his Gospel (Mark i. 1), de-
—
scribes Christ as the Son of God, Matthew represents him as the
Son of Man, since he first characterizes him as the promised descendant
of the two great heads of the Old Testament economy
Abraham and David—and then introduces his entire genealogy.
The character of Matthew's Gospel, as the ounariKov, corporeal, in
the nobler sense of the word, and its special adaptation to Jewish
Christians, show themselves, in this form of beginning, too plainly
to be mistaken. Since Jesus is introduced as vlbg 'A/3paa//, Son of
Abraham, he appears as the descendant of him whose family is
blessed among the families of mankind ; but, as Son of David, he
was more definitely assigned to a branch of the Abrahamic race
viz., the family of him who, even in the Old Testament, is described
as the representative of the future head of the kingdom of God.
Both expressions, therefore, point out Jesus as the promised Mes-
siah. Yet this is still more definitely expressed in the name 'Irjaovg
XgioTog, Jesus Christ 'Irjoovc, * Jesus, as the proper name of the
individual, refers immediately to the Saviour only as a historical
* TheLXX. use 'I^^aovf for yoini or yita^, which latter form is first found in writings,
after the time of the captivity. The name marks our Lord's spiritual character, and
was given to him by divine command (Matth. i. 21), to intimate his exalted caUing. Just
so the Old Testament names, Abraham, Israel, &c., denote the spiritual character which
those 'persona were called to exhibit amongst mankind.