Seminar 2: "Birth of Jesus"
Lesson 13 - The Genealogy Problems
Problems With The Genealogies
Very tough questions arise in the genealogies of Matthew and Luke. They deserve
a hearing and a reasoned defense by thoughtful Christians. See if you can give a
reason of the hope that is in you.
- Discrepancies: There are too many discrepancies between the genealogy of Matthew and Luke to
overlook. The genealogies contradict and do not match Matthew lists 26 Luke
lists 41. Only eighteen names correspond out of the fifty-five generations
- Why Joseph's Line? If Jesus was not conceived by Joseph why track his ancestry through David?
His ancestry is only trackable through God the Father.
- Who is Joseph's Father: How can Joseph be the "son of Jacob" and the "son of Heli?"
- The Curse of Jeconiah: How can Jesus be the Messiah when both genealogies track through the cursed
King Jeconiah (Jeremiah, chapter 22:30)?
- Not Solomon's Line: Luke tracks the genealogy of Jesus through David's son Nathan instead of
Solomon, when the Scriptures prophecy that the Messiah would be of Solomon's
line. (Ezekiel 34:23, 37:21-28; Isaiah 11:1-9; Jeremiah 23:5, 30:7-10, 33:14-16;
and Hosea 3:4-5).
Answers To The Problems
- Discrepancies Between the Lists:
There a several answers to the differences between the two lists. (see the
addendum)
First, they are of two different genealogical lists, Luke is following
Mary’s line, and Matthew follows Joseph’s. Luke follows physical descent, while
Matthew follows legal lineage of heirship. So we should not be surprised that
the lists are not alike. They are not meant to be. Remember Luke is writing at
least 10 years after Matthew. Luke is using Matthew’s account as one of his
sources for his list. Luke also has Mary as an eyewitness and is recording
directly from her own commentary.
Second, the number of generations are different. Luke lists 41
progenitors in Mary’s line from David to Jesus, Matthew lists only 26. Only 18
names out of 55 match. So why shouldn’t they be different? Two sides of a family
tree are not identical nor symmetrical. Generations and ancestors do not live
and die at the same speed. Some live longer than others.
Third, it was customary, especially in Jewish genealogies, to omit or
skit generations of unimportant names. Matthew does this, as do genealogies in
the Old Testament. (for examples compare (compare Ezra 7:3 with 1 Chronicles
6:7-10 and 1 Chronicles 22:1, 11 to 24:27; and 2 Kings 23:34 to 24:6) It is
not an error. It is a way of simplifying and using memory aids. Remember too
Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience. Luke is writing to Gentiles. The styles
and traditions are different.
- Why Joseph's Line?
The question arises then of why Matthew follows Joseph’s line at all since
Joseph was not the physical father of Jesus. Joseph has no blood or genetic tie
to Jesus Christ since he is not the father. So why trace his lineage? The first
reason is that in Matthew’s Hebrew world genealogies were traced through the
father’s side only. That was customary. A second answer would be that Joseph was
the representative of Jesus, as an adoptive father. He is legally the heir to
Joseph’s line and Mary secures his right of inheritance.
According to Numbers 36:6-12, an only daughter had to marry within her own
family so as to secure the right of inheritance. *Advent/ Genealogy of Christ
- Who Was Joseph's Father?
Between the two list one must note right off that as the list begins (or ends)
the fathers listed for Joseph are not the same. Luke says that Heli was Joseph’s
father, while while Matthew stated he was the son of Jacob. Who is right? This
gets a little complicated so hang on.
View 1: The first view holds that Heli was indeed the father of Mary,
not Joseph. The exclusion of Joseph by the phrase ‘(as it was supposed, of
Joseph) "makes Christ, by means of the Blessed Virgin, directly a son of Heli.
This view is supported by a tradition which names the father of the Blessed
Virgin "Joachim", a variant form of Eliacim or its abbreviation Eli, a variant
of Heli, which latter is the form found in the Third Evangelist's genealogy."
* NewAdvent Dictionary
This view was the view of the early church fathers as well as a chief opponent
of the Gospel, Celsus the Greek Philosopher. It is difficult to argue against
when the opposers of Christianity confirm that Mary was of the house and lineage
of David. * In The Word Ministries
View 2: Another view, however, insists that both lists are legal
genealogies of Joseph (not Mary) but through lineage that converges through
levirite marriages thus giving the line through both Solomon and Nathan. This
view proports that both Jacob and Heli were legitimate heirs in the lineage
stated by each of the evangelists. This view alleges that Heli died childless.
According to Jewish law his half-brother, Jacob, married Heli’s widow and by her
had Joseph. This is known as a "levirate marriage." This meant that physically
Jacob (Joseph’s father) was son of David through Solomon’s line, but Heli was
descended from David through Nathan’s line. Therefore Joseph was both.
"Jacob and Heli were, therefore, uterine brothers. Heli married, but died
without offspring; his widow, therefore, became the levirate wife of Jacob, and
gave birth to Joseph, who was the carnal son of Jacob, but the legal son of
Heli, thus combining in his person two lineages of David's descendents." *
NewAdvent
We may never know for certain and the argument continues even among
evangelicals. What is certain is that there is no contradiction in the
genealogies.
"The Jerusalem Talmud shows that Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli. Joseph's
father was Jacob. It was customary to refer to a son-in-law as a son in the
first century. So Luke's statement was culturally correct." * Life of Christ
- The Curse of Jeconiah:
One of the characters in direct lineage of David that appears in Matthew’s
genealogy is cursed by God. It appears in Jeremiah 36:1-32. Jeconiah was also
known as Coniah. Who was the son of Jehoiakim was a king of Judah. Coniah was
the last king of Judah in the direct line of King David. He angered God by
cutting and burning the scroll that Jeremiah the prophet wrote.
(See List of Kings)
God cursed Jehoiakim promising that none of his children would sit on the throne
of David (Jeremiah 22:24-30 & Jeremiah 36:29-31). And although Jehoiakim had
children, Scripture shows that none of them ever reigned as King David had. His
son ruled just 100 days before being removed. His descendent, Zerubbabel, who
led the first captives back to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple, did not rule as
king.
Joseph, the step-father of Jesus, was one of Jehoiakim's descendants (through
Jeconiah). Joseph, nor his offspring could not claim David's throne because of
that curse. Many questions are raised in the issue of Jeconiah’s curse, one
being how can anyone come from the direct line of David and Solomon if that line
is roadblocked by this curse? The answer apparently is that NO ONE can become
the king of Israel through Jeconiah’s line, thus no direct descendent of Solomon
can sit on the throne. In fact, Solomon sinned before Jeconiah by pursuing
foreign wives and foreign wives. Had Joseph had been the physical father of
Jesus he would have been disqualified and thus Jesus disqualified to sit on
David’s throne. Yet God legitimized Jesus claim to the throne through Mary’s
lineage, and through her marriage to Joseph whereby she is granted legal rights
of inheritance (not the throne).
Note: It must be noted that on this point many opponents to the Gospel
have been led astray blaspheming Jesus Christ as a usurper to the throne. Among
these are Muslims and those of the Bahai Faith. And so the prophecy of John in
Revelation finds it fulfillment:
Revelation 12:13 And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he
persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
- The Nathan Problem:
Next we come to the problem of Mary’s claim to the throne of David through
Nathan, not Solomon. The aforementioned problem of the Jeconiah curse should
itself pave the way for an understanding of why God chose to circumvent
Solomon’s line.
"Since Matthew and Luke clearly record much common material, it is certain that
neither one could unknowingly incorporate such a flagrant apparent mistake as
the wrong genealogy in his record. As it is, however, the two genealogies show
that both parents were descendants of David--Joseph through Solomon (Matthew
1:7-15), thus inheriting the legal right to the throne of David, and Mary
through Nathan (Luke 3:23-31), her line thus carrying the seed of David, since
Solomon's line had been refused the throne because of Jechoniah's sin" [Dr.
Henry M. Morris, The Defender's Study Bible, note for Luke 3:23 (Iowa Falls,
Iowa: World Publishing, Inc., 1995).].
I Kings 11:9 And the LORD was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned
from the LORD God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had
commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but
he kept not that which the LORD commanded. 11 Wherefore the LORD said unto
Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant
and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom
from thee, and will give it to thy servant.
Genealogical Lists Compared
Matthew's list Luke's list (in inverse order)
David David
Solomon Nathan
Rehoboam Mattatha
Abijah Menna
Asa Melea
Jehoshaphat Eliakim
Jehoram Jonam
Uzziah Joseph
Jotham Judah
Ahaz Simeon
Hezekiah Levi
Manasseh Matthat
Amon Jorim
Josiah Eliezer
Jeconiah Joshua
Shealtiel............ Er
Zerubbabel........ . Elmadam
Abiud . . Cosam
Eliakim . . Addi
Azor ? ? Melki
Zakok . . Neri
Akim . ............Shealtiel
Eliud ...............Zerubbabel
Eleazar Rhesa
Matthan Joanan
Jacob Joda
Joseph (husband of Mary) Josech
Jesus Semein
Mattathias
Maath
Naggai
Esli
Nahum
Amos
Mattathias
Joseph
Jannai
Melki
Levi
Matthat
Heli
Joseph
Jesus ("the son, so it was
thought, of Joseph")
* Bible Commentary - s.r.c.b-s genealogy FAQ
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