Dr. J. Vernon McGee - Matthew 1

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Dr. McGee's message in this excerpt from his discourse on the Gospel of Matthew begins by underscoring the vital importance of understanding the approximately 400-year intertestamental period between the Old and New Testaments. During this time of divine silence, significant global shifts occurred, witnessing the decline of the Medo-Persian and Egyptian empires and the rise of Greece under Alexander the Great, who even visited Jerusalem. Subsequently, the Roman Empire emerged as the dominant world power by the time the New Testament opens. Internally, Judea underwent a radical transformation, with new cultural norms, institutions, and organizations developing, giving rise to the Jewish parties mentioned in the New Testament, such as the Pharisees (defenders of Jewish tradition and nationalists), the Sadducees (wealthy, liberal in theology, and opposed to tradition), the scribes (legal experts focused on the letter of the law), and the Herodians (political opportunists). Dr. McGee emphasizes that understanding this historical context is crucial for appreciating the New Testament.

He then turns his attention to the Gospel of Matthew, stating that it was written primarily for the nation of Israel, a religious people, and possibly was first penned in Hebrew. He considers Matthew a key book that bridges the Old Testament and the New, gathering numerous Old Testament prophecies and showing their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. A central theme in Matthew is the Kingdom of Heaven, an expression unique to this Gospel, which Dr. McGee defines as the reign of the heavens over the Earth, clearly distinguishing it from the church. The genealogy that opens Matthew's Gospel is deemed a profoundly important document, establishing Jesus' lineage from Abraham, which places him within the chosen nation, and from avid, which gives him the legal claim to the throne. This genealogy was a matter of public record and its accuracy was not challenged in early times.

Dr. McGee draws a significant parallel between the "book of the generation of Adam" in Genesis and "the book of the generation of Jesus Christ" in Matthew, highlighting that while entrance into Adam's family is by natural birth, entry into Christ's family occurs through the New Birth by faith in Christ. He also points out the remarkable inclusion of four women—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba—and Gentiles in Jesus' genealogy, which was unconventional for the time, suggesting themes of sin, faith, grace, and God's redemptive purposes. He explains the seemingly broken pattern in verse 16, where it states "Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus," clarifying that while Joseph provides the legal title to David's throne (being in the line of David through Solomon), he was not Jesus' biological father due to the curse on Jeconiah's line; Mary, also of the lineage of David (through Nathan), was the one who bore Jesus.

A cornerstone of Dr. McGee's message is the Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ. He emphasizes that Matthew explicitly teaches that Joseph was not Jesus' father and sees this as the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel". He strongly criticizes liberal interpretations that attempt to translate the Hebrew word *alma* and the Greek word parthenos as "young woman" instead of "virgin," arguing that the Septuagint translation by Hebrew scholars clearly understood it to mean virgin. Dr. McGee underscores the profound significance of the name Emmanuel meaning "God with us," asserting that Jesus can only be the Savior (Jesus) because he is Emmanuel through the Virgin Birth. He firmly believes that while one might initially come to Christ without fully understanding the Virgin Birth, a true child of God will not ultimately deny this foundational doctrine.