Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was (so it was thought) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Matattha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,
the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,
the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Luke 3:23-28
I told you in the last Gem I would let you in on the secret to understanding Matthew’s genealogy. Why does Matthew take the list of descendants only back as far as Abraham? And in fact why does Matthew start the genealogy with Abraham and work his way down to Jesus? The key is the fact that Matthew’s gospel is written for the Jews. It is the Jewish gospel. Every Jew considers himself a son of Abraham. Any self respecting Jew must be able to show his pedigree and the line of his descendants back to the Father of Faith, namely Abraham. Because Matthew has written this gospel for the Jews, he anchors Jesus as the archetype of the son of Abraham. Another notable feature of Matthew’s gospel is that the name reserved for Jesus in this gospel is Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Is it now clear to you why it is that Matthew starts this genealogy at Abraham. He begins his genealogy at the place every Jew does, with Abraham the Father of Faith. But I trust it is also clear to you why his genealogy includes the kings of Judah. Jesus is not only the true son of Abraham, the epitomy of what a son of Abraham ought to be, but He is also the epitomy of what the King of the Jews ought to be. After all He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Matthew is intent on making this fact plain to the Jews. So in order to do so he traces Jesus’ line from Abraham the Father of Faith through the line of the Kings of Judah, the more faithful of Israel/Judah’s kings and so down to Jesus.
In terms of the matter of the mismatch in the number of descendants it is not a case of having to harmonize a list of 41 names with a list of 77 names; a difference of 36 names. It is a matter of harmonizing 26 names with 40; a difference of only fourteen names. A Jewish genealogy did not always account for every person in the genealogical succession. Given the fact that the word “ben” in Hebrew means “son”, “grandson” or “descendant” it makes more sense that there would be a degree of selectivity in the names which were chosen. It is evident from the genealogy of Matthew that some arrangement has taken place with Matthew’s careful structuring into 3 groups of 14. In fact a careful examination of 2 Kings 8:24, 1 Chronicles 3:11, 2 Chronicles 22:1 & 11; 24:27 and 2 Kings 23:34 and 24:6 demonstrate that Matthew has left some names of kings out of his genealogy. Thus it can clearly be demonstrated that these names have been selected and arranged to make a point or many points rather than just one. But we are not focused on Matthew’s gospel; we are focused on Luke’s. I am merely using the comparison with Matthew’s gospel to gain perspective on Luke’s genealogy.
Next we have to address the issue of how to explain the different names, the most significant of which is the question of Joseph’s father. Is it Heli (Eli) or is it Jacob? Or alternatively did Joseph have two fathers and how did that happen? This issue has been debated for centuries so we will take some time to look at what theories have been put forward over the years. There is more to come but your job is to take it in and weigh up the statements or theories against the Bible text. In the next days take in all the detail and balance it out in order for you to know what conclusions you come to as to why Luke included this genealogy in his Gospel and why he structured it and ordered it as he did. Keep thinking about it as we add detail.
Our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become!
Rick Godwin
I don’t know who my grandfather was, I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be.
Abraham Lincoln