Seminar 2 - The Birth of Jesus Christ

Mary and Joseph were of the same lineage - the line of David, though through different lines. Matthew’s genealogy is of Joseph’s legal line as a descendant of David (Mt.1:17) Matthew similarly tells the story from Joseph’s viewpoint while Luke tells the same story from Mary’s view. Luke gives the genealogy of Mary. ( Luke 3:23-28) It would appear that Matthew gained his information from Joseph, probably through James, the Lord’s brother, while Luke drew his information from Mary. (Douglas, p. 660)

Importance of Genealogies

Two of the most boring parts of the Bible are the table of nations and genealogies. Sometimes we as modern readers of the Bible wonder why God even bothered to clutter the Scriptures with genealogical list that are of limited value for us today. As always, there is a reason.

The Messiah was promised through prophecy centuries before. It was promised that he would be of the lineage of David. The first and immediate test of anyone claiming to be Israel's Messiah was to check the public genealogical tables. It was not possible for someone to claim to be Messiah without the pedigree to prove it. Both Matthew (Mt 1:1-18 ) and Luke (Lk 3:23-38) include genealogy of Jesus to prove beyond any doubt that he had the genetic background required of the Messiah, that is, he would come from the royal line of David. It was for this reason that Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem for the Roman census. They were both of the house and lineage of David.

Had Jesus not met this first of criteria for Messiahship his enemies would have readily been able to publically condemn him as a pretender, but they could not. The genealogies were kept maticulously by the priest for the purpose of proving who was qualified (or not) for the priesthood, and to check the pedigree of their intended wives. Those genealogies were public material. Josephus states that he could trace his own ancestry to the first of 24 course of priests, and adds that he "found it in the public tables." In Jesus day the list of priests for 2000 years back could be traced!

These genealogies were important to every family. Children grew up memorizing their genealogy. Jews were very proud of their heritage. Some genealogical records were lost during the Babylonian captivity. In 70 AD when Jerusalem was destroyed the genealogical records were almost entirely destroyed.

The genealogy of Jesus being a concurrent document of his day could have been refuted by his enemies but was not because it was public record. The Holy Spirit inspired both Matthew and Luke to record the genealogy of Jesus for all ages to know the authenticity of Jesus the Messiah.

Different Genealogies

Matthew and Luke approach the genealogy from different viewpoints. Matthew was set on proving the kingly right of Jesus and so his genealogy followed the male line of Joseph (through the father).

Luke chose to record Mary's genealogy instead. This proved that from Mary, whose blood ran through Jesus veins (Joseph's did not) was royal. Mary had to be of the same royal line as Joseph acording to the law in Numbers 36:8.

Matthew's Genealogy of Jesus

Matthew records the genealogy of Jesus through Joseph the supposed father of Jesus. Matthew used a common genalogical custom of omiting some ancestors since the purpose of this genealogy was not chronology or dating but establishing the direct line of ancestors back to David. He also uses a common memory tool in dividing the genealogy into three sets of memorable 14 generations. Abraham to David (14), David to Babylonian Captivity (14), the Captivity to Christ (14). This is interesting in that it provides us with a history of Israel divided into three segments. He counts 42 altogether to David.

Four Women
Another interesting anomally of Matthew's genealogical list is that he mentions four women. Normally women are not mentioned in a genealogy. Each of these is a Gentile (a non Jew). Three of the four had a sinful past. They are: Tamar, Rahab the Harlot, Ruth, Bathsheba. What wonderous grace that God should so emphatically prove his undying love and forgiveness. Those transgressions were forgiven and their sins pardoned - just a though they never happened. Thus these women could share in Messiah's lineage as Gentiles and as sinners testifying to the fact that Jesus did indeed come to seek and save that which was lost. And, as his name signified, "He shall be called Jesus for he shall save his people from their sins." (Mt 1:21)

Let us pause here to underline this truth. Many people don't get "the begats" and ignore them altogether but God never intended them to be overlooked. There is a message between the lines. God's forgiveness is total and his love covers a multitude of sins. It is important for us to pass along this truth to weary sojourners in faith who like these women have failed. God's grace is sufficient for all our sins. There is no sin he cannot forgive. His forgiveness it total and irrevocable.

LESSONS IN FORGIVENESS Here are two important lessons to pass on to others in your teaching. . What God Has Done With Our Sins Most Christians struggle with the guilt of sins past. They are confessed and forgiven but often there is a guilt or an accusing finger that leaves them restless and uncomfortable. One of the best things we can do for any believer, new or old is share with them from the Scriptures what God has done with our sins. It helps us visualize what God says is true. Here is what God says about your sins. a. Forgiven b. Forgotten c. Removed as far as east from west d. Remembered no more e. Blotted out f. Atoned for g. Buried in the depths of the sea I keep this little tool in the back page of my Bible to help people at the altar or with whom I am counseling find freedom from sins that are past. The hymn "It Is Well With My Soul" expresses so well what the women in Jesus genealogy must have felt when God told them they would be in Messiah's line. My sin, Oh, the bliss of this glorious thought. My sin not in part but the whole, Has been nailed to the cross, And I bear it not more. Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, Oh my soul! Justified Freely By His Grace Most of us hear and parrot the word "justified" but few really understand it. Here is a way to remember and illustrate God's justifying work in our hearts and lives. God does not justify, or excuse our wrongs. He doesn't just wink at it or pass it over. He makes up for it. He does something about sin and sinnfulness. He must. It is His law that must be satisfied. Let Me Illustrate: Notice the sentences on this page. Each of them are of differing totals in letters and spaces. that is because there are no perfect sentences or paragraphs so perfectly balanced that they all come to the exact same place at the end of the line. Some leave one space, others five or six but they don't naturally come out perfect. This illustrates our sins. We don't all sin alike, but we know there are none perfect, no not even one. "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." It is this "coming short" that stumped publishers when the printing press first came out. Paragraphs looked sloppy and unbalanced when ended abruptly. The right side of the page was always jagged. So they invented "JUSTIFICATION OF THE LINES." Look at your bible or just about any published book and you will see that the right side of the page is perfect. All the letters and words of every sentence come to the exact same measure to the end of the line. That is justification. The printers used to manually put spacers between the words to make the sentence come out just right. That is what God does with us. He justifies us. He makes up that which is lacking. He doesn't just overlook our sins and shortcomings but he makes up what is lacking. Jesus did that for us. He satisfied the justice of God by living the perfect sinless life. Now God adds what he did for us to what we are lacking. That is the meaning of justification.

Luke's Genealogy of Jesus

Luke's genealogy of Jesus is different than Matthews in several ways. Luke's genealogy is much longer. He seems to be recording every father and son while Matthew skipped a few which was customary.

First he follows Mary's lineage, not Joseph's. Perhaps he was aware of Matthew's gospel when he wrote it. But we also know that Luke researched his gospel carefully and had intimate information about the family of Mary. Perhaps he did a personal interview with Mary herself. We don't know.

Second he traces the line not just to David or even Abraham, but all the way back to Adam.

Third he traces Mary's ancestry back to David through Nathan's line, since Solomon's line failed to produce offspring in Jehoiachin, while Matthew traces Joseph's through Neri.

Finally the two genealogies are backward to each other. Luke begins at the character being traced and goes backward in time, while Matthew begins with Abraham and moves forward. One says "who was the father of...", and the other "who was the son of..." That is not a problem except that it makes it more difficult for us to match the lists. (see list below) The names between verses 23 and 27 are not in the Old Testament because they lived between the close of the Old Testament and Jesus' birth.

The two genealogies merge. The lines of Solomon and Nathan (his brother) unite in Zerubbabel by the marriage of Shealtiel (Salathiel) to the daughter of Neri of Nathan's line. Probably the Matthan of Matthew, and the Matthat of Luke. Thus Jacob and Heli were brothers. Jacob's daughter was Mary and Heli's son was Joseph. They were first cousins.