Why does the New Testament begin with Abraham in Matthew's Gospel?
Matthew presents Christ as the King, so the Gospel opens by tracing the kingship idea back to its origin in Abraham. That points to the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12, the foundational agreement God made with Abraham and which He originates and will fulfill regardless of man.
Les explains that although the Kingdom goes all the way through the Gospels, it is uniquely called the Kingdom of Heaven in Matthew. Because Christ is presented in Matthew as the King, the very opening verse takes us back to where the kingship idea began—Abraham. That immediately drives us to the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12:1-3, which Les has students mark. He notes that a covenant is an agreement that originates and ends in God; even though it is made with man, it never becomes invalid, is never broken, and is never rescinded. So Matthew starts with Abraham to connect the King and His Kingdom to that foundational covenant.
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
What does Matthew 1:1 drive the reader back to?
Matthew 1:1 drives the reader back to Abraham and the beginning of the kingship idea, specifically the Abrahamic covenant recorded in Genesis chapter 12, verses 1–3. The opening verse points to where God’s covenant with Abraham began, before moving further into the Gospel narrative.
Why does Matthew's opening verse reach back to the beginning of the kingship idea?
Matthew presents Christ as King, so its opening verse traces the kingship idea back to Abraham, where that idea began. Scripture then drives readers to the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 12, the foundational, unbreakable agreement that ultimately moves into Israel.
More Questions
Where did the kingship idea in Matthew's opening begin?
The kingship idea behind Matthew's opening began with Abraham and the Abrahamic covenant.