THE GENEALOGY OF JESUS

Matt 1:1 The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. (See Matt. 1:1-17)

Luke 3:23 And Jesus Himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli. (See Luke 3:23-38)

This may seem to be an odd place to study the genealogy of Jesus. It is not the order in which Matthew presents it, but Luke records it immediately before Jesus earthly ministry beginning with chapter 4 of his gospel. I believe the reason for presenting it here, is to establish the fact that Jesus fulfilled the prophecy, which said that the Messiah would stem from the tribe of Judah through the lineage of David (See Isa. 11:1-4). Add to this the fact that He fulfilled another prophecy by being born in Bethlehem (See Mic. 5:2). With these, as well as many other prophetic conditions being biblically confirmed, Jesus was proven, without any doubt, to be the Son of God, and the promised Savior of the world. With these things being firmly established, Jesus spent the remainder of His life on earth accomplishing His God-given mission of bringing God's plan of eternal salvation into the world without partiality, to both Jew and Gentile alike.

There has been much debate among bible scholars throughout all ages about the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Two Holy Spirit-inspired lists of Jesus' ancestors are given to us. Matthew gives an account of His genealogy in the first seventeen verses of his gospel message, while Luke's account is found in chapter 3, verses 23 through 38. Although there are some of the same ancestors that make up the lineage of Jesus, there are also many different biblical members making up His family tree. Both heritage lines establish the fact that Jesus is of seed of David. However, from David to Jesus, only Zorobabel and Salathiel are common names that appear in both lists. It may be added here that the generations from Abraham through David are identical in both accounts. Another difference is that Matthew lists the genealogy of Jesus from Abraham forward to Jesus, while Luke's list shows His heritage from Jesus backward to Adam, the son of God. Matthew lists forty-one names from Abraham to Jesus, and Luke lists fifty-seven names for the same genealogical period.

Because of these distinctive differences from the records of these two inspired writers, there has been, and will continue to be, much debate among bible scholars attempting to explain and justify these genealogical differences. Some say that the differences are due to the recording of Jesus' "natural" descent compared to His "legal" descent. Some reconcile the differences in names due to various Greek and Hebrew translators. Yet others say that collateral lines that include the names of brothers of direct descendents have expanded Luke's genealogical list. There have been many other explanations by different men throughout the ages, however these seem to be some of the most prevalent. Since Jewish genealogies are recorded through male parents, it was necessary to show Jesus as a descendent of Joseph, even though God, through His Holy Spirit, brought about the immaculate conception of Mary with the babe, Jesus. The father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, is listed in Matthew's account as Jacob, whose father was Matthan, whose father was Eleazar, whose father was Eliud, etc. (Vss. 15-16). However, Luke says that Jesus, ...being (as was supposed) the Son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, ...the son of Matthat, ...the son of Levi, ... the son of Melchi, etc. (See Luke 3:23-24). To explain these different ancestors of Jesus, some say that Jacob and Heli were brothers. One was the father of Joseph and the other was the father of Mary. And Mary, supposedly being his only child, Jewish law required Joseph to take her as his wife in order to sustain Mary's heritage through her father.

When Luke specifically states that Jesus was (as was supposed) the Son of Joseph, it tells me that Jewish law required Joseph, the son of Jacob, to be listed, for genealogical reasons, as the father of Jesus. However, His physical descent was from Heli, whom is considered to be the father of Mary and the grandfather of Jesus. Disregarding the many personal opinions made by, so called bible scholars, to explain the descent of Jesus, no one denies or debates the fact that Jesus fulfilled all prophecies by being descended from the house of Judah and of the lineage of David, the son of Jesse. This being established, Jesus was now ready to begin His earthly ministry as the Messiah, the Son of God, and Savior of the world.