Matthew starts the Gospel account by declaring three titles of Jesus, (1) the Messiah, (2) the Son of David, and (3) the Son of Abraham[1]. For now, let’s focus on the title Son of Abraham, and what it means for this to be applied to Jesus. What we know that comes right after this is the genealogy of Jesus, and Matthew starts from Abraham, as opposed to Luke where he goes right through to Adam (Note: both genealogy in Matthew and Luke differ quite a bit, so let’s focus on that in another article). So, calling Jesus the Son of Abraham could simply mean that Jesus comes from the lineage of Abraham, but is that all what Matthew meant? I believe it’s much more than that, and it all starts from the beginning, literally The Beginning, as in the Book of Genesis.
One thing we often forget, is that the Bible is not one singular book, but rather a collection of books across thousands of years, and as we read through these pages, we find that though many of the human authors of the Biblical books that the Holy Spirit has used to reveal the truth of God are from different point in history, there seem to be a coherent storyline that runs across the fabric of scripture. Therefore, to know what it means to be called the Son of Abraham, it is imperative to know where it all begin. When God spoke to Abraham, or Abram at this point in time, God promised that in him all the families of the earth will be blessed[2], which was ironic, because Abram was yet to have a son and was of old age, though later on Abram will be called Abraham because he will be father of many nations, which brings us to God’s deliverance for Abraham and Sarah.
God fulfilling His promise to Abraham and Sarah by giving them a son, Isaac, brought joy in their life, yet what came next was something unexpected; God asks for the life of Isaac. Now, what has this got to do with the title “Son of Abraham”, well, because it is right after this point where God makes a covenant with Abraham. The very offering of Isaac demonstrates the faith that Abraham had in God, the very God that gave him Isaac. Although Abraham was willing to give his son, God intervenes and stops Abraham from hurting Isaac, and a lamb was provided to be slaughtered instead. Just this passage alone has so many elements that prefigures Christ, and we will go there in just a moment. What happens next is, God makes a covenant with Abraham saying, “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice”[3]. Just as the promise of God to Abraham in Gen 12:3, here God further reveals His plan on how He will honour that covenant made earlier, through the seed of Abraham, singular, in this sense, referring to Christ[4].
Coming back to the idea that the offering of Isaac prefigures Christ. The very reality that Abraham willingly offers his only son, prefigures God the Father giving His only begotten Son, Jesus. The fact that Isaac lives through that moment that was supposed to end his life, goes to show the resurrection of Christ, that through His sacrifice on the cross, death does not hold him captive, rather He destroyed death. And of cause, the picture of innocent lamb taking the place of Isaac, again is a picture of Jesus the Christ, being offered as an innocent lamb for the forgiveness of our sins.
Knowing all of this, we have to ask, what does all of this mean when Matthew called Jesus the Son of Abraham? Surely it is not just speaking of his human lineage, because by that logic, all Israel is Son of Abraham. Matthew is alluding to something far more critical in our understanding of the overarching theme of his Gospel account. God keeps His covenant and fulfils it through His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Matthew starts the Gospel by celebrating and proclaiming the faithfulness of God to His people, that He made to their patriarch Abraham, that through Abraham, all the nations of the world will be blessed. Jesus is that fulfilment. Through His incarnation, suffering, death and resurrection, He brought light to both the Jewish people and the Gentiles[5].
May the Grace of our Triune God be with you. Amen.
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[1] Mat 1:1
[2] Gen 12:3
[3] Gen 22:18
[4] Gal 3:16
[5] Act 26:23