Why did Matthew present Jesus Christ to be from the lineage of David to Abraham and other ancestors?

Answer 1

Both paternal (earthly step-father) and maternal genealogies are presented and for important reasons.

The Jews had a great concern over genealogical records as these proved if one was an Israelite. This confirmed their religious, hereditary, and biological rights in the Law of Moses. These records then were kept in the Temple and all were destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. But they were there for anyone - scribe, Pharisee, Sadducee or citizen to look to as a potential challenge/dispute.

Moreover, as the Jewish people were awaiting the Messiah, they would require Him to meet the requirements set in Genesis 12:1-7; Jeremiah 33:15. And as Jesus claimed to be our Eternal High Priest, He had to meet the requirements mentioned in Ezra 2:62. Remember, the Temple is fully functional in the first half of the 1st Century when Jesus lived.

Additionally, in Jesus' time if one claimed to be the Messiah he would have to prove through his genealogy that he had descended from Abraham and David. To prove this was the case for Jesus, the Gospel writers placed His genealogies at the beginning of Matthew (Joseph's genealogy) and in Luke 3 (Mary's genealogy) for all to see and verify.

It would have been easy for Jesus' adversaries to have refuted His claims to be the Messiah by simply comparing his genealogies with the official records of the time and have shown this was not the case. Scripture doesn't record any instance of the Jewish leaders challenging Jesus on this point. Nor do any extra-biblical writings of the time period.