Passage: Matthew 1:1-17

SERIES SUMMARY 

As Jesus steps onto the scene of history, Matthew paints a picture of him that invites our participation in what Jesus is doing. The portrait is that Jesus is the True King who is bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth. This good news is not reserved for especially religious people in a distant future; it’s good news, right now, for ordinary people who come to Jesus in faith. 

And while Jesus inaugurated the kingdom among us through teaching and serving in dozens of ways, he ultimately brought heaven to earth by embracing the cross as his throne and wearing thorns as his crown. In doing this, he broke the powers of the kingdom(s) of this world and opened up God’s new world through his resurrection. Now, because of these things, discipleship to Jesus is about praying and living “Your kingdom come, Your will be done.” It is about whole-life transformation and embodying kingdom realities. It is about becoming people who naturally live out what Jesus taught. Today, because of Matthew’s witness and Jesus’ ministry, the kingdom is coming in our own lives, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

PASSAGE GUIDE

Matthew opens his Gospel not with shepherds and stars but with a genealogy, signaling a fresh beginning, Genesis, and declaring Jesus as Messiah, Son of David, and Son of Abraham. In Scripture, genealogies are theology in list form. They trace the steady thread of divine promise across generations and announce that the long silence between Testaments has ended in fulfillment.

The line starts with Abraham, the man through whom God pledged blessing for all families of the earth. Matthew’s first movement shows that God set a course to reverse the curse of sin and to create a people through whom the nations would be blessed. Even Abraham’s mixed record underscores that the promise rests on God’s faithfulness rather than human perfection.

From there the story centers on David and the royal promise of an enduring throne. David’s ascent and failures, Solomon’s brilliance and compromise, and the people’s drift into idolatry reveal both the hope and hazards of kingship. The Babylonian exile then marks a dark valley where the throne appears lost and the temple lies in ruins, yet the line continues through names like Jeconiah and Zerubbabel, proving that God’s covenant is bruised but unbroken.

Matthew’s list also highlights unexpected participants. He includes Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah, along with Mary, to show that God works through Gentiles, the marginalized, and messy stories. The genealogy refuses to sanitize Israel’s past. It insists that grace weaves redemptive meaning from compromised chapters and that no detour can derail God’s design.

The list culminates in Jesus who is called the Christ. In Him the Abrahamic blessing reaches the nations, the Davidic promise finds its righteous king, and the ache of exile gives way to a true home with the Father. That means this story is not only about Israel's past. By faith we are grafted into this family, given a new identity, and invited to place our smaller stories inside God’s larger one. Christmas celebrates that long faithfulness arriving in a person who changes everything.

*We are a church located in Greenville, South Carolina. Our vision is to see God transform us into a community of grace passionately pursuing life and mission with Jesus.

SUGGESTIONS FOR COMMUNITY GROUP QUESTIONS    

Remember, these are “suggested” questions. You do not have to go through every single one of them. You do not need to listen to both sermons at both campuses to participate in the discussion.  

OPENING PRAYER

Father, thank you for your faithfulness across generations. As we read Matthew’s genealogy, open our eyes to see Jesus as the promised Son of Abraham and Son of David, and open our hearts to receive the grace that welcomes imperfect people into your family. Holy Spirit, quiet our hurry. Our names and our stories are written into your story of redemption today, teach us to live as your people for the good of our neighbors and the glory of your name. Amen.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. What were your main takeaways from the message or the text this week? 
2. What surprised you and what confirmed what you already thought?
3. What was said that challenged your perspective and assumptions? 
4. How does your story of grace fit within God’s larger story of redemption? 
5. Why does Matthew open with a genealogy instead of a birth narrative?
6. What does it mean that Matthew includes women like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and “the wife of Uriah,” in his genealogy?
7. In what ways does the genealogy present God’s sovereignty over human sin and failure?
8. How does a genealogy function as theology, not just history, in Matthew?
9. If genealogies certify promise-keeping, what promises of God are you most prone to doubt, and how does Matthew 1 confront that doubt?
10. What does the presence of Gentiles and outsiders in Jesus’ line imply about the nature of God’s people under the new covenant?
11. What good news about the Gospel do we see here in Matthew to encourage us today?
12. How does this text help understand what it means to do life with Jesus, life in Community or life on Mission? 

CLOSING PRAYER 

Lord Jesus, you are the fulfillment of every promise. Thank you for taking our broken stories and weaving them into your redeeming work. Father, anchor us in your faithfulness, and Holy Spirit, send us out as a people who bless others, welcome the outsider, and live as citizens of your kingdom. Let our words and deeds this week point to the King who has come and will come again. Amen.