Matthew 1-2

Matthew 1–2

Introduction

Matthew gave the genealogy of Jesus Christ, and an angel declared Jesus’s divine parentage to Joseph. Wise men from the East traveled to find and worship the young Jesus. Joseph was told in a dream to take his family to Egypt to avoid Herod’s slaughter of children in Bethlehem.

Suggestions for Teaching

Use the curriculum

When you prepare a lesson, prayerfully review the curriculum materials as you study the scripture block. As you do so, the Holy Ghost can help you personalize the lesson for students’ needs. You might use all or part of the teaching suggestions for a scripture block, or you might adapt the suggested ideas to the needs and circumstances of your class.

Matthew 1:1–17
The genealogy of Jesus

Display a photograph of your parents and ask students if they can spot any traits you inherited from them. You could also invite a few students to bring in photographs of their parents and ask the class to guess whose parents they are. Ask students to discuss with each other any traits they inherited from their parents (such as eye color, hair color, or height).
Invite students as they study Matthew 1–2 to look for truths about the Savior’s parents and traits He inherited from them. This activity should prepare students to understand the truths that Jesus Christ is the divine Son of Heavenly Father and Mary and that He is the Only Begotten of the Father in the flesh.
Explain that Matthew 1:1–17 lists the Savior’s ancestors. Point out that verse 1 mentions that Jesus Christ was a descendant of David and of Abraham.
Explain that Old Testament prophecies declared that the Messiah would be a descendant of David (see 2 Samuel 7:12–13; Isaiah 9:6–7; Jeremiah 23:5–6) and that an offspring of Abraham would bless “all the nations of the earth” (Genesis 22:18; see also Abraham 2:11). Matthew wanted readers to know that Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah (see Matthew 1:22–23; 2:5, 15, 23; 26:55–56). The genealogy given in Matthew 1:1–17 shows that Jesus was the promised Messiah and the rightful heir to the throne of David.
Invite a student to read Matthew 1:16 aloud. Ask students to follow along and look for a title given to Jesus and to report what they find.
Explain that the word Christ is the Greek form of the Aramaic word Messiah, which means “the anointed.”
In the premortal existence, what was Jesus Christ anointed or chosen to do? (He was anointed by Heavenly Father to be our “Prophet, Priest, King, and Deliverer” [Guide to the Scriptures, “Messiah,” scriptures.lds.org; see also Bible Dictionary, “Anointed One”].)

Matthew 1:18–25
An angel declares Jesus’s divine parentage to Joseph

Point out that Matthew 1:16 also mentions that Mary was Joseph’s wife. According to Matthew 1:18, Joseph and Mary were espoused. This means they were betrothed, or engaged, and legally bound to each other but not yet living together as husband and wife. However, before the wedding, Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant. Invite a student to read Matthew 1:19 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what Joseph intended to do.
What did Joseph intend to do when he learned that Mary was pregnant? (Explain that “to put her away privily” means Joseph planned to cancel the engagement privately without forcing Mary to face public humiliation or the possible penalty of stoning.)

What does this verse teach us about Joseph’s character?

Invite a student to read Matthew 1:20 aloud. Ask the class to follow along, looking for what happened to Joseph while he was considering ending the betrothal to Mary.
Why did the angel tell Joseph not to be afraid to proceed with his marriage to Mary?

To help students understand the meaning of the phrase “of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:18, 20), invite a student to read aloud the following statement by Elder Bruce R. McConkie of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: