In the opening of Matthew, is Jesus presented as King or Redeemer?
In the opening of Matthew, Jesus is presented as King, not Redeemer. The genealogy and the angel's address to Joseph as son of David show He belongs to the royal family promised to David, and the New Testament first reveals that the King of Israel has appeared. Redemption comes later.
Les teaches that the opening of Matthew is designed to show Jesus is in the royal family. The angel calls Joseph "thou son of David," and Les connects this back to 2 Samuel chapter 7, where God promised David a royal house and royal family that would produce the King. So in the opening part of the New Testament, all we are meant to understand is that the King has made His appearance—the King of Israel. Les explains that only later will it be revealed that He is also the Redeemer, and still later there are further revelations. For now, the focus is that Jesus comes as King, so we should not run ahead of what has been revealed so far.