PMW 2024-044 by Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr.

Having noted the importance of narrative flow in the Gospels, we will now begin considering some of the earlier chapters of Matthew. We will notice how Matthew begins with two themes that are important for postmillennialism: (1) The decline of Israel and (2) the inclusion of the Gentiles in God’s kingdom.

JESUS AND ABRAHAM

Matthew opens his Gospel by tracing Jesus’ genealogy back to Abraham, the “father” of the Jews (Matt. 3:9). [1] As we will see, Matthew will be presenting Jesus as the new Israel, the true, continuing Israel of God (cp. Gal. 6:15–16). [2] Thus, he begins Jesus’ story by tracing his genealogy to Israel’s own historical source, Abraham. In this he differs from the Gentile Luke who takes his genealogy all the way back to Adam, the historical source of all men (Luke 3:38).

In fact, Matthew even structures his genealogy in a remarkably-intriguing and rhetorically-important way. We see this as he summarizes it in 1:17: “Therefore all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the time of Christ fourteen generations.”

Carter points out that “The repetition of the references to Abraham (1:1, 2) to David (1:1, 6), and to the Babylonian exile (1:11, 12) underlines God’s involvement with these figures and events. Verse 17 reinforces their central role by highlighting the genealogy’s three-part structure.” [3] So, as Mounce observes, Matthew intentionally arranges the names from Abraham to David to Christ “in groups of fourteen to coincide with the three important stages of Jewish history: the account of God’s people leading up to Israel’s greatest king; the decline of the nation, ending in Babylonian exile; the restoration of God’s people with the advent of the Messiah.” [4] France adds: “by organizing that history into a regular scheme of three groups of fourteen generations . . . it indicates that the time of preparation is now complete, and that in Jesus the time of fulfillment has arrived.” [5]

Creation according to the Scriptures
Ed. by P. Andrew Sandlin
This book is sub-titled: A Presuppositional Defense of Literal , Six-day Creation. It has chapters by R. J. Rushdoony, Andrew Sandlin, Kenneth Gentry, Cornelius Van Til, and others. It touches on historical, exegetical, theological, and philosophical implications of Six-day Creation.
See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

Not only so but we find at least two features latent in Jesus’ genealogy that already hint at the Gentiles’ inclusion in God’s kingdom. The first is the emphatic reference to Abraham in Matthew’s first verse, which works backwards from Jesus to David to Abraham: “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1). What do I mean?

This opening is significant in that the Abrahamic Covenant establishes a direct promise of blessings to the Gentiles. Indeed, at the very introduction of this covenant in its pre-covenantal presentation, God informs Abram/ Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, / And the one who curses you I will curse. / And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).” And this universalism continues throughout the covenant’s several iterations in the Genesis record (Gen. 15:1–6; 17:15– 27; 26:63; 28:11–12; 35:9–15). As Brown and Roberts see it, “the reference to Abraham evokes Gen 12:3. From its inception, the Abrahamic covenant was for the blessing of the nations.” [6] Thus, “the majority of commentators agree that this reference to the Son of Abraham anticipates the universalism of the Gospel.” [7]

GENTILE WOMEN

We also find a second issue within the actual genealogy itself. There we discover the inclusion of four Gentile women: Tamar from Aram, Rahab from Jericho, Ruth from Moab, and Bathsheba, a Hittite (Matt. 1:3–6). France notes that “the four ‘foreign’ women prepare the reader for the coming of non-Israelites to follow Israel’s Messiah, which will be foreshadowed in the homage of the magi in 2:1–12 and will be a recurrent and increasing theme throughout the gospel until it reaches its climax in the mission to all nations.” [8] (France’s quotation itself foreshadows the study that I am developing in this chapter!) Thus, as Brown and Roberts observe: “From the very beginning of his Gospel, Matthew gives prominence to the theme of gentile inclusion.” [9]

Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond
(ed. by Darrell Bock)

Presents three views on the millennium: progressive dispensationalist, amillennialist, and reconstructionist postmillennialist viewpoints. Includes separate responses to each view. Ken Gentry provides the postmillennial contribution.

See more study materials at: www.KennethGentry.com

GENEALOGICAL PROGRESS

In his opening presentation, the apostle highlights Israel’s lost glory in her rising to the magnificence of David’s rule only to decline from David to the exile. It then moves “up” once again by presenting Christ as Israel’s new king (cf. Matt. 2:2–3; 21:5) and only hope. Indeed, the very opening summary of Jesus’ genealogy includes King David along with Abraham: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matt. 1:1; cp. 1:17).

As we will see in our survey of Matthew, Israel rejects him (cf. Matt. 23:37; 27:42), causing him to re-organize the people of God by judging Israel and calling the Gentiles. Thus, Matthew’s account of Jesus’ genealogy anticipates AD 70 by recapping Israel’s history, showing its collapse from the glory days of King David all the way down to the Babylonian exile. Israel’s history will collapse once again, but will arise transformed under her new king, Jesus Christ.

McKnight summarizes the matter well:

“The most significant place to begin understanding Matthew’s polemic with nonmessianic Judaism is his presupposition that God has directed history to consummate it in Jesus Messiah, son of Abraham and son of David (1:1–17; 5:17–20; 21:33–46). For Matthew, the fulfillment of salvation-history takes place in Jesus Christ, and therefore the fulfillment of the people of God realizes itself in the new people of God, the church (16:18; 18:17).” [10]

Elsewhere McKnight also notes that “Jewish Christianity did not envisage itself as a new religion, but as a true manifestation of Judaism.” [11] Evans adds: “Early Christians did not view themselves as belonging to a religion that was distinct from Judaism. New Testament Christianity was Judaism — that is, what was believed to be the true expression of Judaism.” [12] Indeed, when Jesus is first mentioned in the historical narrative after the genealogy, we see the angel not only declaring his supernatural origin (Matt. 1:20), but also his redemptive mission (v. 21) and his fulfilling prophecy (vv. 22–23; cp. 2:2–6, 17–18, 23) — including a prophecy regarding Israel fulfilled in him (2:15).

NOTES

1. See also: Luke 1:73; John 8:39; cp. Exo. 3:6; Josh. 24:3; Isa. 51:2; Acts 7:2.

2. David E. Holwerda, Jesus & Israel: One Covenant or Two? (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1995).

3. Carter, Matthew: Storyteller, 107.

4. Robert H. Mounce, Matthew (NIBC) (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrikson, 1991), 8.

5. France, Matthew (NICNT), 71. See also Norman A. Beck, Mature Christianity in the 21st Century: The Recognition and Repudiation of the Anti-Jewish Polemic of the New Testament (Rev. ed.: New York: Crossroad, 1994), 183–84

6. Jeannine Brown and Kyle Roberts, Matthew (THNTC) (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2013), 25.

7. David R. Bauer, The Structure of Matthew’s Gospel: A Study in Literary Design (Sheffield, England: Almond, 1989), 76. See also: see: Michael J. Wilkins, Matthew (NAC) (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2004), 56. Grant R. Osborne, Matthew (ZECNT) (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 57, 62. Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew (PNTC) (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1992), 20–21. Jeffrey A. Gibbs, Matthew 1:1–11:1 (CC) (St. Louis: Concordia, 2006), 77. Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew (NAC) (Nashville: B & H, 1992), 53.

8. R. T. France, The Gospel of Matthew (NICNT) (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2007), 37.

9. Brown and Roberts, Matthew, 35.

10. Scot McKnight in Craig A. Evans and Donald A. Hagner, Anti-Semitism and Early Christianity: Issues of Polemic and Faith (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993), 62.

11.Scot McKnight in Craig A. Evans and Donald A. Hagner, Anti-Semitism and Early Christianity: Issues of Polemic and Faith (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1993), 62.

12. Craig A. Evans, in Evans and Hagner, Anti-Semitism and Early Christianity, 11.