Matthew 1:15

Letters to the Faithful - Matthew 1:15

Berean Standard Bible

Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob,

King James Bible

And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob;

Greek Text:

Ἐλιούδ δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ἐλεάζαρ, Ἐλεάζαρ δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ματθάν, Ματθὰν δὲ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Ἰακώβ.

Transliteration:

Elioud de egennēsen ton Eleazar, Eleazar de egennēsen ton Matthan, Matthan de egennēsen ton Iakōb.

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Eliud was the father of Eleazar

This phrase is part of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, tracing His legal lineage through Joseph. Genealogies were crucial in Jewish culture for establishing identity, inheritance rights, and fulfilling prophecies. Eliud and Eleazar are not mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, indicating they were likely ordinary individuals. Their inclusion highlights God's use of everyday people in His divine plan. This lineage underscores the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah's descent from Abraham and David.

Eleazar the father of Matthan

The genealogy continues with Eleazar fathering Matthan. The names in this genealogy reflect the Jewish tradition of naming children after ancestors or significant figures, often with meanings that reflect God's attributes or actions. Eleazar means "God has helped," which may signify divine assistance in the continuation of the lineage leading to the Messiah. This lineage emphasizes the continuity of God's covenant promises through generations.

Matthan the father of Jacob

Matthan, as the father of Jacob, connects the genealogy to the immediate family of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. The name Jacob is significant in Jewish history, as it recalls the patriarch Jacob, later named Israel, whose twelve sons became the tribes of Israel. This connection reinforces the theme of Jesus as the fulfillment of God's promises to Israel. The genealogy serves to establish Jesus' legal right to the throne of David, fulfilling the messianic prophecies found in the Old Testament.

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Beloved saints of God, chosen and called, gathered under the banner of Christ Jesus our Lord—let us turn our hearts now to a verse that may at first glance seem obscure, perhaps even forgettable to the natural eye. It is part of a genealogy, a list of names—one father begetting a son, and that son begetting another. Yet in the divine economy of the Holy Spirit, nothing is recorded in vain. No name, no life, no generation is insignificant when it is preserved in the eternal Word of God.

We read in Matthew 1:15: “And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob.” This verse, simple as it seems, sits in the majestic unfolding of the genealogy of Jesus Christ—the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Son of God. These names are not given as filler. They are not mere markers on a timeline. They are witnesses. They are testaments to the faithfulness of God through generations, even when the story seemed silent, even when no prophet spoke, even when the world seemed unaware of God’s working.

Let us remember that between the last words of the prophet Malachi and the first cry of the infant Jesus, there were four hundred years of prophetic silence. No new scripture. No open vision. No Elijah rising with fire. No Isaiah thundering with “Thus saith the Lord.” Just names. Just families. Just fathers and sons. Yet here in Matthew’s gospel, the Spirit shows us that God was not absent. He was working in the quiet. He was preserving a lineage. He was building a bridge between the promise and the fulfillment.

What does this mean for us, Church? It means that the faithfulness of God is not always loud. It is not always dramatic. Sometimes it looks like a father raising a son. Sometimes it looks like a mother praying in the night. Sometimes it looks like another generation born in a world of darkness—but carrying the promise in their bloodline. Sometimes the most supernatural thing God does is preserve a name, sustain a household, and keep a people connected to His plan.

Eliud begat Eleazar. What do we know of them? Not much, according to human records. No miracles are attributed to them. No mighty battles are described. No songs are sung in their name. But they were carriers of the promise. And in that, they were mighty. They were part of the redemptive line that led to Christ. You see, in the kingdom of God, anonymity does not mean irrelevance. Obscurity does not mean failure. There are names in heaven known well by God that are forgotten by men.

This teaches us that your life may never make headlines, but it can still echo in eternity. You may never preach to crowds, but you may raise the one who will. You may never stand in palaces, but you may live faithfully in the shadow of God’s promises, and that is enough. What if Eliud had faltered? What if Eleazar had walked away? What if Matthan had broken the chain? But they didn’t. They carried the name. They fulfilled their season. They passed the baton. They stayed faithful. And because of that, the line to Christ was unbroken.

We live in a generation obsessed with greatness, but God is calling for faithfulness. He is not looking merely for gifted men and women, but for those who will bear His name from one generation to the next. Will you be one? Will you be the Eleazar to an Eliud? The Matthan to an Eleazar? Will you carry the testimony forward? Will you stand in the gap between promise and fulfillment and say, “Though I see little, I believe much. Though I am small, His plan is great. Though I am unknown, He knows my name.”

And then comes Jacob—the one who begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Oh, see the beauty of divine progression! Every name, every link, every person mattered. And so do you. If you belong to Christ, you are not outside the story—you are in the line of the redeemed. You are now part of a greater genealogy, not of flesh but of faith. As Paul said, “You are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” Your spiritual lineage is unbroken because of the faithfulness of God.

So today, dear Church, let us reclaim the dignity of the hidden years. Let us embrace the value of simple obedience. Let us not despise our place in the divine story, even if it seems small. God is not finished with names. He writes them still—not in earthly books, but in the Lamb’s Book of Life. And what is written there shall never be forgotten.

Eliud begat Eleazar. Eleazar begat Matthan. Matthan begat Jacob. And God begat hope through every generation. Let us be the generation that holds the line. Let us be found faithful in our time, so that through us, another generation may rise and carry forward the light of Christ.

To Him be glory in the Church throughout all generations, forever and ever.

Amen.

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O Sovereign and Eternal God, faithful through every generation, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, God of Eliud and Eleazar, of Matthan and Jacob, the Author of life and the Keeper of covenants, we lift up our hearts before You in reverence and awe, for You alone are worthy. You who ordain the rise and fall of nations, who numbers our days and orders our steps, we glorify You for Your hidden wisdom and Your faithful providence across the generations of time.

We thank You, O Lord, for Matthew 1:15, for even in this brief verse—“And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob”—we see Your hand at work. Though no mighty works are written beside these names, You remembered them. Though no prophecies or miracles are recorded of them, You inscribed their lives in the genealogy of the Christ. And we stand in awe that You are the God who watches the ordinary and works wonders in the quiet line of faithfulness.

Lord, we praise You that You are not only the God of the spotlight but the God of the secret place. You see those who labor in obscurity, those who raise children in godliness, those who pray in the night, those who bear the weight of obedience without applause. You are the Rewarder of those who diligently seek You. You record names that history forgets, and You preserve the legacy of those who simply walk uprightly before You.

We ask You now, O God of every generation, make us faithful in our day as Eliud was in his. Make us steadfast in spirit as Eleazar must have been. Make us unwavering in purpose like Matthan and enduring like Jacob, who bore the seed of Joseph, the guardian of the Messiah. Let us not despise the season we are in or the task You’ve placed in our hands. If our names never echo through history, let them be known in heaven. If our deeds are never praised by man, let them be recorded in the book You keep.

O Lord, help us to see the worth of our witness. Let us not live for greatness, but for godliness. Let us not seek fame, but fruit. Let our faith be the inheritance we pass on. Let our homes be sanctuaries of Your presence. Let the altar be rebuilt in our households. Let our children and children’s children rise up to call You blessed because of what You have done through our obedience.

Father, we pray now for those who feel their lives are forgotten, those who labor unseen and wonder if their work matters. Remind them today that You are the God who sees. That just as You remembered Eliud and Eleazar and included them in the line of Your Son, so You remember every act of faith, every moment of surrender, every offering made in secret. Nothing is lost with You. Nothing is wasted. Nothing is unnoticed. You who keep covenant to a thousand generations will keep Your eye upon Your people.

Raise up in this day a generation that will be a bridge between the past and the promise. A people who will carry the testimony forward. A remnant who will not break the chain. Let the gospel not be dropped in our hands. Let the fire not go out on our watch. Let the name of Jesus not be diluted through our compromise, but magnified through our consecration. We say, Lord, if all we are is one link in the chain that leads to revival—then let us be faithful.

And Lord, may this prayer echo for the Church universal. May we stop striving to be impressive and begin longing to be faithful. May we cease measuring by crowds and begin measuring by fruit. May we embrace our place in Your divine plan—whether prominent or hidden—and rejoice that we are counted among Your people.

O God, You are the One who forms families, who preserves lineages, who ordains births and orchestrates generations. We surrender our future and our legacy into Your hands. Plant our roots deep in righteousness. Let our lives yield fruit in season. Let us leave behind more than names—let us leave behind faith, truth, and a path to follow.

We thank You for Jesus Christ, the promised Seed, the fulfillment of every name that came before Him. We thank You that through Him we too are grafted into the line of promise—not by blood, but by grace; not by merit, but by mercy. And we declare that through His blood, our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

So we bless You, O God, for Eliud, for Eleazar, for Matthan, for Jacob—and for the faithfulness You displayed in their lives. Display that same faithfulness in us. Write our names into the continuing story of redemption. And when our race is run, may it be said of us not that we were great, but that we were faithful.

All glory to You, O God, who works wonders through the ordinary and brings forth Your purposes from generation to generation. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Son of the Living God, we pray.

Amen