The Greatest Story Ever Told
By Chuck E. Tate
There are so many inspirational passages in the Bible that we underline, highlight, memorize, preach, and post on social media—and sometimes we even print them on shirts, hats, and coffee mugs.
And then there are genealogies.
When most of us open the first page of the New Testament and encounter Matthew's long list of names, our instinct is to skip ahead. Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah… Nah. Skip.
But what if one of the greatest reminders that the Bible is true is found in the place most people skip?
Matthew begins his Gospel with these words:
“This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham.” — Matthew 1:1 (NLT)
Before Matthew walks us through how Jesus was born—and before he tells us how this story unfolds—he traces the generations beginning with Abraham. Every name in this genealogy is carrying us toward Jesus.
The Bible isn't simply a collection of inspirational sayings or disconnected religious writings. It is one massive unfolding story that spans thousands of years—a story of creation, rebellion, promise, failure, redemption, and ultimately Jesus.
I believe the Bible is true for many reasons: evidence (scientific, historical, archaeological, and circumstantial), fulfilled prophecy (nearly 300 prophecies associated with the birth, life, ministry, miracles, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus), and countless personal testimonies. Yet another reason that is often overlooked is the extraordinary consistency of the story the Bible tells.
The Story Begins With a Promise
To understand Matthew 1, we have to go back to Genesis. God creates a world that He declares is very good. But humanity rebels, and sin enters the picture. Then, in Genesis 12, God calls Abraham and promises that through him, all the families of the earth will be blessed.
God had the whole world in view.
So, when Matthew calls Jesus “the son of Abraham,” He is connecting Bethlehem to a promise made centuries earlier.
The blessing God promised has arrived.
But between the promise and its fulfillment, the family tree gets messy—Jerry Springer messy.
Matthew names Tamar, whose story involves loss, injustice, deception, sexual scandal, and Judah's sin.
He names Rahab, identified in Joshua as a prostitute whose faith in Israel's God changed the trajectory of her life—so much so that she is listed in the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews 11.
Then there is Ruth, a grieving Moabite widow and outsider who became the great-grandmother of King David.
And David himself? We celebrate the overlooked shepherd boy who defeated Goliath and became king, but Scripture also records his adultery with Bathsheba and his role in orchestrating the murder of her husband, Uriah.
Matthew doesn't hide it: “David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).” —Matthew 1:6 (NLT)
This is another reason I trust the Bible: it tells the truth even when the truth is ugly. Its heroes aren't filtered or airbrushed. Their faith is recorded alongside their failures. God's grace does not require an edited family tree.
The Promise Kept Moving
Matthew continues writing names.
Kings rise and fall. Eventually the genealogy reaches one of the darkest moments in Israel's history—the exile to Babylon. Jerusalem falls. The people are carried away. The throne appears empty. Did God forget what He promised Abraham? Did He forget what He promised David?
Matthew keeps writing the names.
Generation after generation, the promise keeps moving—even when the people can't see where it is going.
Then Matthew reaches Joseph and Mary. And Jesus arrives. Matthew 1:16 changes the rhythm: “Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.”
God had made a promise to Abraham. He had promised David an enduring kingdom. His people had experienced rebellion, division, war, exile, and centuries of waiting.
Then God's answer arrived as a child. The Word became flesh.
Can We Trust the Story?
The Bible is actually a collection of 66 books written over approximately 1,500 years by some 40 different authors, spanning three continents and three languages, all writing under vastly different circumstances.
It contains history, poetry, prophecy, wisdom, biography, and letters. Its writers included kings, fishermen, prophets, shepherds, religious leaders, and a physician.
Yet, one remarkable story continues unfolding:
Creation. Fall. Flood. Promise. Redemption. Messiah. Cross. Resurrection. Restoration.
From Genesis to Revelation, thousands of connections—including an estimated 63,779 cross-references—weave the biblical story together. Promises echo across generations. Themes introduced centuries earlier reappear later. Covenants, sacrifices, kings, prophets, and prophecies ultimately point us toward Jesus.
That doesn't mean there aren't difficult passages or legitimate questions. There are. But truth can withstand examination. The Bible doesn't ask us to ignore history or avoid hard questions. Biblical faith is rooted in claims about real people, real places, and real events.
And at the center of those claims is Jesus.
The Promise Is Still Moving
I believe the Bible is true—not because I've never encountered a difficult passage or unanswered question, but because the deeper I dig into Scripture, the more amazed I become by the story it tells.
Promises separated by centuries connect.
Genesis illuminates Matthew, and Matthew illuminates Genesis. And standing at the center of it all is Jesus. Maybe that's also why Matthew doesn't hide the messy people in Jesus' family tree.
The greatest story ever told has room for messy people. It has room for people with regrets. It has room for people who have failed. It has room for people who have been wounded and betrayed. It has room for you.
You can't rewrite yesterday. But through Jesus, yesterday doesn't have to rule tomorrow.
The Bible is true. The promise is still moving. And Jesus is still changing lives today.
Chuck Tate is a pastor, an award-winning author of 41 Will Come, and cohost of Revival Town Podcast. He hosts the weekly television program 41 Is Coming on GOD TV. His latest book, Nine Words From Jesus is available wherever books are sold.