January 10, 2020
What Are the Differences in the Genealogies of Jesus in Luke and Matthew? Are the Differences Important?
Luke 3:23–38
Hil Bowman
Central Truth
One of the purposes of the genealogies of Jesus in Scripture is to demonstrate that Jesus was a descendant of King David. Through His supposed father, Joseph, he inherited the royal line. More importantly, through His mother, He was the flesh-and-blood descendant of King David through King David's son Nathan. Thus, Jesus had proper credentials as the Messiah!
Key Verse | Luke 3:23, 38
Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being . . . the son of God.
Luke 3:23–38
The Genealogy of Jesus Christ
23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) 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, 1 3:27 Greek Salathiel 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 Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, 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.
Dive Deeper | Luke 3:23–38
I remember when my uncle told me I qualified to become a member of the Sons of the Republic of Texas. I, of course, had to ask what that meant. He told me that a person must be able to trace their genealogy back to someone in their family who settled in the Republic of Texas before February 19, 1846, when Texas joined the United States as the 28th state. As you can imagine, not many people lived in Texas when it was a republic. I was so excited to be a part of this exclusive group and learn about my heritage.
Matthew and Luke recorded the genealogy of Jesus. It's interesting to see that Matthew and Luke provide different genealogies. In particular, there seem to be several different names on the two lists of Jesus' genealogy. Why are these genealogies different?
After I studied several theologians and historians, the explanation that made the most sense to me was that Matthew was primarily writing to Jewish readers, so he took the genealogy from Joseph (Jesus' supposed father) to give Jesus credibility to Jewish readers, and Luke likely took a verbal account from Mary (Jesus' mother) when she shared her genealogy. Luke's primary target readers were the Gentiles in the Roman Empire. His purpose was to show the importance of Jesus' virgin birth and His bloodline to King David. All of this might seem confusing, but the genealogies of Jesus in Matthew and Luke both lead to King David because of God's promise that the savior of the world would come through King David's lineage (2 Samuel 7:12-16; Revelation 22:16).
I learned firsthand the importance of genealogies when I tried to join the Sons of the Republic of Texas; however, can you imagine the scrutiny and even greater importance of God's establishment of Jesus' genealogy to make Him into a man so that He could be our perfect sacrifice and redeemer?
Discussion Questions
1. How far back can you trace your lineage? When did your family make it to the great State of Texas?
2. Why do you think it was important for the writers of the New Testament to emphasize the connection between Jesus and King David?
3. Old Testament messianic prophecies are one of the most convincing ways to show God's plan all along. What, if anything, is holding you back from completely believing these prophecies?