Jesus’ Genealogy
TRANSLATION
(23) Now Jesus, himself, was about thirty years of age when he began his ministry. He was the son (so it was thought) of Joseph, the son of Heli, (24) the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, (25) the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, (26) the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, (27) the son of Joanan, 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 Elmadam, the son of Er, (29) the son of Joshua, 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 Jonam, the son of Eliakim, (31) the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, 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 Arni, 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 Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, (38) the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
OBSERVATIONS
The obvious repetition in this segment is the phrase, “the son of,” which is found in every verse. One unusual thing to note is Luke’s insertion of the parenthetical expression, “so it was thought,” to describe Jesus’ parentage (vs. 23). Many have considered this to be a veiled reference to the Virgin Birth. While Joseph was Jesus’ adoptive father, he had no part in Jesus’ actual conception which was accomplished by the direct work of the Holy Spirit (Lk. 1:35).
As opposed to Matthew’s genealogy which moved in a forward direction (most remote to most recent), Luke showed us Jesus’ descent in a reverse direction from Joseph back to “Adam the son of God” vs. 38). One other distinguishing feature is Luke’s tracing Jesus’ line through David’s son, Nathan, rather than through Solomon as Matthew did in his Gospel (Mt. 1:6 & 7).
OUTLINE
(Because this segment is a genealogy, it resists any attempt to provide an outline.)
IDEA STATEMENT
By tracing Jesus’ direct descent through Adam, Abraham, David, and then through David’s son, Nathan, Luke proved that Mary’s son possessed the right to rule as David’s heir through his blood line.
APPLICATION
Why did Luke trace Jesus’ Davidic lineage through Nathan rather than through Solomon? Although scholars are not in full agreement regarding an answer, the most straightforward solution to this question is that Luke provided us with Jesus’ physical descent from David through Mary while Matthew’s genealogy traced Jesus’ legal right to claim David’s throne through his adoptive father, Joseph. The parenthetical “as was supposed” in verse 23 lends credence to this hypothesis. In other words, Luke, who had just recounted the circumstances of Jesus’ virgin birth, was careful to demonstrate that Joseph’s involvement in Jesus’ descent was due not to his paternal relationship but rather because of his subsequent marriage to Mary, thus becoming Jesus’ stepfather by adoption.
One other possible motive for Luke’s providing an alternative line of Davidic descent was to avoid what some scholars have called the “Coniah Curse.” In Jeremiah 22 the prophet pronounced a curse on Coniah, the penultimate king of Judah, designated “Jehoiachin” in the Old Testament (2 Kings 24:8, 25:27) and “Jeconiah” in the New Testament. (Mt. 1:11). Jeremiah described this penalty in the following words: “None of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah” (Jer. 22:30). Since no descendant of Jehoiachin could ever rule over the nation, the Messiah had to come through another of David’s sons, Nathan, rather than through the line of Solomon from whom Jeconiah’s genealogy is traced.