Genealogy of Jesus Christ Part 1 of 2 (series: Harmony of the Gospels)

by John Lowe
(Woodruff, S.C.)

Genealogy of Jesus Christ

Scriptures (Ruth 4:18-22; 1 Chr. 1:1-14) Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38 (Focal Passage),


Luke 3:23-38 (Focal Passage)

23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,
27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.


Introduction

Admittedly, most people find genealogies very boring. I have read the Bible through several times, but to be honest I must admit that I sometimes skip the genealogies. But it occurs to me that since the Spirit of God used so much ink to give them to us that there must be something in there that we need to know, and that makes them very important.

The New Testament rests upon the accuracy of the genealogies, because they establish the fact that the Lord Jesus Christ came from the line of Abraham and the line of David and from the tribe of Judah. This is very important.

The genealogies were important to the nation of Israel, because with them they could determine if a person had a legitimate claim to membership in a particular tribe. For example, when Israel returned from captivity, we find in the book of Ezra, “These searched for their family records, but they could not find them and so were excluded from the priesthood as unclean” (Ezra 2:62). It was possible for these people to check the register of the tribe of Levi, and when they did, they found out that some made false claims to family membership.

Evidentially, the government, probably in the temple kept these genealogies, and people had access to them. They may have been available to the public until the temple was destroyed in 70 AD. Now, this is very interesting because the enemies of Jesus could have checked the records to see if Jesus came from the lines of David and Abraham and from the tribe of Judah, and they probably did check. It is also interesting to note that the religious rulers challenged every move that Jesus made, even claiming that He cast out demons by the power of Satan, and offering substitutionary explanations for His resurrection, but they never once questioned His genealogy. The reason must be that they checked it and found it to be accurate. This is very important because it puts Jesus in a unique position and it supports what He said about Himself. He said in John 10:1-2, “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.” He said that the shepherd enters by the door, but a robber must enter some other way. The “sheep pen” here is the nation Israel. Jesus did not climb over the fence, come through the back door, or slip through a side window. He came legally, through the gate. He was born in the line of David and in the line of Abraham. What Matthew is telling us is that He is the fulfillment of everything in the Old Testament. They had to find some other way to discredit Him.

In Matthew, the genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ is on Joseph’s side. There is another genealogy in Luke and it is on Mary’s side. In addition, there is a genealogy in the fifth chapter of Genesis. In Genesis 5:1 it says, “This is the book of the Generations of Adam…..” There are two books: The Book of the Generations of Adam and the book of the Generations of Jesus Christ. How did you get into the book of Adam? You were born into it. You did not have to perform anything. We got there by birth, but in Adam, we all die. (1See Romans 5:12). Adam’s book is a book of death.

There is another book, the book of the Generations of Jesus Christ. You will find some very interesting people there and very few are good. There are prostitutes and gentiles, kings and paupers, rich and poor. His family tree was just like yours and mine, because there was “black sheep” listed along with the “good” people. However, how did you get into that family and into that genealogy? You got in it by birth, the new birth. The Lord Jesus says in John 3:3, “…..I tell you the truth, no one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again.” That puts us in the Lamb’s Book of Life, and we get there by trusting Christ. We are all in the first book, the Generations of Adam. I hope you are also in the Lamb’s Book of Life.

Matthew 1:1 says, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Didn’t Matthew know that Abraham lived before David? Of course, he did, and he lists it that way in the rest of the genealogy. So why did he list David first in this verse? He is presenting the Lord Jesus as the Messiah, the one who is the king, the one that is going to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, and that comes first. He must be in the line of David to fulfill the prophecies that God made to David. He is the Son of David.

In Genesis 22:18 God promised Abraham, “and through your offspring all nations of the earth will be blessed…..” And in Galatians 3:16 Paul explains who the offspring is, “The promises were not spoken to Abraham and to his seed (offspring), the scripture does not say ‘and to seeds’, meaning many people, but ‘and to your seed’, meaning one person, who is Christ.” God called Abraham and promised to make him a blessing, through Jesus Christ, a descendant of Abraham. Christ is the Savior that came from God. The word “seed” refers specifically to Christ. In John 8:56, Jesus said, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad.” So, Jesus Christ is the son of Abraham.

In Matthew, there is the genealogy of Joseph. It begins with Abraham and comes down to the Lord Jesus through David and Solomon. The legal title to the throne came through Joseph.
Luke’s genealogy is different, because it deals with Mary and is given in reverse order from Mathew’s. Luke goes back to David and then to Adam. The blood of David flows through Mary’s veins also, and Jesus’ blood title to the throne of David came through her. In Luke 3:23, Luke’s genealogy begins by pointing out that Joseph was not the father of Jesus. It says, “…..He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph.” Joseph is listed here only because he is the head of the house.

Matthew traces the line of Christ through David’s son Solomon. Luke traces the line of Christ through David’s son Nathan. Mary had the blood of David in her veins. Jesus Christ is the son of David.

In the little book of Ruth, there is a genealogy that makes this book very important. (2See Ruth 4:18-22). This genealogy is what connects the family of David with the tribe of Judah. Without it, we would have no record of the connection. Revelation 5:5 says, “Then one of the elders said to me, ‘Do not weep! See the Lion of the tribe Judah, the root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.’” Judah was the Root of David and the genealogy in the little book of Ruth is so important, because it verifies the connection.
Read through the genealogies, after you have read the Old Testament. Then the names will have more meaning to you. I wonder how some of those scoundrels and reprobates ever got into the line of Christ. We do not have anything to say about who our ancestors were, but God controlled the line of Christ beginning with Adam and right through to Joseph. I do not know why God chose some of the people He did, but perhaps the answer can be found in 1 Corinthians. In chapter 1, beginning in verse 26, it says, “Brothers, think of what you were when you were called, not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong, He chose the lowly things of the world and the despised things and the things that are not to nullify the things that are, so that no one can boast before Him."” (1 Corinthians 1:26-29)