How far back can you trace your ancestry? And how much does your genealogy matter to your identity or status? In ancient cultures, ancestry was greatly significant, especially for those occupying high positions in society. In the Bible, ancestry is used to qualify the members of various Israelite tribes, Israel’s priesthood, and rightful kings. One lineage stood above all others for the nation of Israel: the Messiah’s.
Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah gave specific details regarding his lineage. He would be a descendant of Abraham from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 12:3; 26:4; 28:14; 49:10). Then, the Davidic Covenant narrowed the Messiah to a descendant of King David and his son Solomon (2 Samuel 7:12–13; cf. 1 Kings 2:2–4). Later, the prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah also prophesied that a descendant of King David would be the Messianic King (Isaiah 11:1; cf. 9:7; Jeremiah 23:5–6).
As the Messianic King, Jesus will restore the royal position of the Davidic line lost through disobedience by the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom.
Both Matthew and Luke provided genealogies of Jesus to demonstrate His Messianic credentials and affirm Him as the true Messiah of Israel. These genealogies differ in significant ways, but they both testify to the fulfilment of the Old Testament indicators and prophecies concerning Israel’s Messiah. His genealogy opens Matthew’s Gospel, beginning with Abraham and tracing the lineage to Jesus. In contrast, Luke’s genealogy is not introduced until the second half of chapter 3, starting with Jesus and tracing the lineage all the way to Adam, “the son of God” (Luke 3:38).
Matthew wrote primarily to a Jewish audience and so commenced by introducing Jesus as their Messiah with a heading: “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). The references to David and Abraham clearly establish Jesus as the promised Messiah, emphasized by adding “Christ” to His identity. This term is the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew Messiah. He then outlined support for this opening with a selected list of ancestors broken into three sections focused on David’s house—its origin, rise and decline, and eclipse (v. 17).
The first section begins with Abraham and ends with David, demonstrating the connection to the Abrahamic promise reiterated to Isaac and Jacob as support for Jesus’ Messianic credentials. The second section begins with David and ends with the Babylonian exile, incorporating the Davidic promise as proof of Jesus’ Messiahship. The third section begins with the Babylonian exile and ends with Messiah Jesus, finalizing the unbroken lineage from Abraham and David to Jesus. As the Messianic King, Jesus will restore the royal position of the Davidic line lost through disobedience by the establishment of His Millennial Kingdom.
Through Mary, Jesus is a biological descendant of David; and by Joseph, He has a legal claim to the royal, Messianic line.
It is unusual to include women in genealogies because they are not considered the heads of families, yet Matthew introduced five: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, “Uriah’s wife” (Bathsheba), and Mary. It seems that some questioned the legitimacy of Jesus and even the morality of his conception, which Matthew counters by highlighting previous mothers who were surprising members of the Davidic line because of their ethnicity or behavior. His construction of Jesus’ relationship to Mary sets aside Joseph as the biological father (v. 16), which is explained by Jesus’ virgin conception (vv. 18–25).
Luke wrote to a larger audience, so his genealogy of Jesus extends to “Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:38). He also emphasizes the unusual relationship to Joseph as his supposed son (v. 23), which does not invalidate Jesus as the legitimate Messiah, who was solely his legal and not biological son. Through Mary, Jesus is a biological descendant of David; and by Joseph, He has a legal claim to the royal, Messianic line.
Luke provided a thorough genealogy of Jesus through Mary. This record is unique because lineage is usually traced through fathers, but everything about Jesus is unique. Luke communicated Jesus’ arrival from Mary’s perspective, which precedes the inclusion of His genealogy. The genealogy commences by setting aside Joseph as the father and continuing on a different pathway of ancestors in comparison to Matthew’s genealogy, which lists Jacob and not Heli as Joseph’s father (Matthew 1:16). This previous context and genealogical variation suggests Luke provided an alternative genealogy for Jesus through Mary.
Regardless of this, the two genealogies affirm Jesus as the Messiah, God’s promised Savior for Israel and the world.
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