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.
Les explains that because Christ is presented in Matthew as the King, the opening verse takes the reader back to where the whole kingship idea began—Abraham. Immediately, verse 1 drives us back to the beginning of all this, which is the Abrahamic covenant. Les points to Genesis chapter 12, verses 1, 2, and 3 as that covenant, noting a covenant by definition originates and ends in God. Even though made with Abraham and later falling to Israel, it never becomes invalid, is never broken, and is never rescinded.
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
What does Matthew 1:1 show about the connection between the Old and New Testaments?
Matthew 1:1 calls Jesus Christ the Son of David and the Son of Abraham, tying Him directly to Old Testament lineage. It shows the New Testament does not suddenly begin something totally different, and no wall separates the Old and New Testaments, so the Old Testament cannot be cut off.
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.
More Questions
Why does the New Testament start with Abraham in Matthew 1:1?
Matthew 1:1 deliberately starts with Abraham because that is where the biblical kingship idea and the Abrahamic covenant began.
Where did the kingship idea in Matthew's opening begin?
The kingship idea behind Matthew's opening began with Abraham and the Abrahamic covenant.