Matthew 1 & 2--Who is Jesus?

Let's be honest...Matthew 1: 1-17 is not the most exciting reading in the Bible! After all, it gets old really quickly reading _____ beget _____. However dry it might be, though, this passage is critical to the identity of Jesus. It serves as evidence of Jesus' human lineage; it is the proof that Jesus was, in fact, a human being of human ancestry. By establishing Jesus lineage at the outset, Matthew is able to show how the prophecies of the OT relate to Jesus; it was believed the Messiah would be a descendant of David--if Jesus were not descended from David, any claims of Him being the Messiah would be automatically dismissed. One other note about Jesus' geneology--these were not all perfect people! Rahab was a prostitute, David had a tendancy to be a bit of a scoundral, most of the other kings fell short of being godly leaders. Yet out of this band of imperfect ancestors, God brought forth the perfect One--who would bring God's salvation to those who placed their faith in Him.
Immediately after this establishment of Jesus' human lineage, Matthew makes it known that Jesus is of Divine conception--it was the only way in which Mary could be pregnant! Within the span of this first chapter, Matthew establishes the dual nature of Jesus; he is both human and Divine. A quick word needs to be said about Joseph at this point. This is one of the few mentions of Jesus' earthly father and in Joseph we see a quiet, calm, faithful man who is attentive to God yet usually gets kicked out of the picture once the angels appear on the scene.
The reaction of Herod to the news of a new king is understandable; who would welcome news that someone could challenge them for the throne? This shows us something else about Jesus though. Even from his infancy, Jesus is presented as a challenge. His very earthly presence was a challenge to those in the "establishment" and in authority. We will see later on how Jesus would continually be a challenge. Jesus is still a challenge to the world today; he challenges how we view things, how we act, how we interact with one another.
The escape of the Holy Family from Israel to Egypt rings of an ancient story in Israel. In Exodus 1, we read of the people of Israel converging upon Egypt to escape a terrible famine--God was already there, working through Joseph to provide and nurture Israel. However, God leads Israel out of Egypt and into a new land. In the same way, God called Joseph and Mary and the toddler Jesus out of Egypt and into a new place of life. Egypt provided a sanctuary for God's people and for God's Son, but God would not allow them to remain there.
One final reflection on these chapters--the slaughter of the infants at the hand of Herod. It is a heartbreaking passage to read, especially for a parent. Although the immediate question could be, "why did God let this happen?", I think it speaks less about God and more about humans. Humans have the capacity to act inhumanely toward those we perceive as threats to us. Since he couldn't be sure exactly who was the threat, Herod decided the best plan would be to eliminate all the potential threats. Unfortunately, we still see this in the world today--persons in power attempt to get rid of any competition to their power and authority.