Luke 3:23-38

Today we’re going to cover one of the more overlooked passages in Luke – the genealogy of Jesus. I have never heard a sermon on this passage of scripture myself, how about you? But knowing that Luke was a “historian of first rank”, we ignore it to our detriment. There are some gems hidden there.

And knowing where we came from is a basic human desire and genealogy is a very popular type of TV program these days so, it is worth a closer look. Perhaps today was make us want to dig a bit deeper for each one of us.

What I’m sure we can all recall is that Jesus was about 30 years old when he began his ministry not long after John the Baptist started preaching in the wilderness. By the time you are 30, you probably had an education, a job, a good network of friends, maybe a family not to mention a few tough challenges and had acquired a lot of life skills. It’s an age where you should already be quite mature.

By the time Jesus was 30, he was an experienced carpenter, probably his Dad had died so he was carrying on the family business and supporting his Mum by then. He carried a lot of family responsibility being the eldest son. But he was called by his Father to ministry! And not a respectable ministry with a salary and a house. One that would be on the road with no fixed abode. This may not have gone down well with his family particularly his brothers. They would take the extra load and even felt pressure to support his ministry. Who was going to run the family business after Jesus was gone?

These are all valid concerns but they are the Father’s problem if he has called you to ministry. And a longing for the good life we may have once or could have is dangerous.

Luke 9:61-62

And another also said, “Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house.” But Jesus said to him, “No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”

If we love the Lord, we will want to press on in spite of any difficulties. And really is there anything to worry about if that’s the case?!

Luke 3:23-38

Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, the son of Joannas, 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 Elmodam, the son of Er, the son of Jose, 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 Jonan, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, 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 Ram, 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 Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

There are many names in the list that we don’t recognise. The majority of Christians will never be famous in this world. The fruit from their lives may not even be revealed in their lifetimes. But they stayed faithful to the Lord and they did what he said. Every one of the people listed in this genealogy was an important link in the chain, in the fulfilment of God’s promise.

I noticed something in the genealogy of Matthew that is significant. Firstly, Luke lists the genealogy from Adam to Abraham which Matthew didn’t, although this is very clearly laid out in Genesis. And the genealogy from Abraham to David closely matches Matthew except 4 women - Tamar, Ruth, Rahab and Bathsheba are mentioned in Matthew presumably because they are significant women in the Old Testament. It was not because they met the expectation of a godly Jewish woman. Tamar slept with her father in law. Rahab was a prostitute, Ruth was an Arab not a Jew as was Bathsheba who was an adulteress to boot. 

I want you to notice two names highlighted. Heli is the father of Joseph and David is the father of Nathan. My guess is that David named him Nathan as an honour for the prophet Nathan who confronted David about his sin with Bathsheba. Nathan was one of the 4 sons of David (5 if you include the David and Bathsheba’s first child who died before Solomon was born).

Matthew 1:1-6

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.

Matthew lists Solomon as David's son. When it gets to David, there is a breach. What happened? David’s affair with Bathsheba brought about Solomon as follows in Matthew. But David had another legitimate child, Nathan as follows in Luke. So there were 2 royal lines from the same father, that is David. So that would explain the different fathers in the line from David to Jesus in Luke compared to Matthew.

Then why was Joseph’s father in Matthew, Jacob and in Luke, Heli.

Possible Explanation

• Biological father: Jacob was Joseph's biological father, as stated in Matthew 1:16. 
  
• Legal father: Joseph became the legal son of Heli when Heli married Joseph's widowed mother. This was permitted by Jewish law, known as Levirate marriage. Remember, it is likely Joseph also died young so his biological father could have also died young because of the same gene.
  
• Genealogy: Matthew records Joseph's biological genealogy, while Luke records his legal genealogy. 
  

God made King David a promise that his throne would be established forever. David's descendant would be the Messiah. The Messiah would be a direct descendant of King David from the tribe of Judah.  

But there was problem. Jehoiachin was from the line of David and he became one of the last kings of the nation of Judah. He did evil in the sight of the LORD. 2 Kings 24:6-16

Jehoiachin was a bad king and God cursed him because of it. 

Jeremiah 22:30

Thus says the Lord: ‘Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.’ ”

And so this prophecy was fulfilled. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon captured Jehoiachin and took him to Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar took all of the treasures of the house of the LORD. 

There was a problem that no man could solve. The Messiah was to come from not only David's lineage (which could have made the gene pool very large), but had to be a legal successor in order to inherit the throne of King David. In other words, the Messiah had to be a legal heir to the kings of Judah. Problem was that cursed Jehoiachin was in that legal lineage. So how could God give a legal King that is not under the curse?

With the Virgin Birth.

As described in Matthew, Joseph descended from King David and he was the legal father of Jesus. Jesus was Joseph's adopted son and therefore Jesus inherited the rights to the throne of David. Jesus is the legal heir of David.

However, in Luke’s gospel, it is widely believed this genealogy traced Jesus' line through His biological mother, Mary. In this genealogy Jesus is shown as the blood descendant of King David through his son, Nathan, and on down to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Nathan is a whole different branch of the family tree!

Mary was not descended from Jehoiachin and was therefore, not under the curse. She was the mother of Jesus who descended from King David and through her, Jesus is the real Son of David.

God can never lie. God was faithful to his promise to David and he will be faithful to his promises to us as well. There are consequences to sin as the life of David shows. But as 1 John 1 tells us

1 John 1:9-10

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

David confessed his sin with Bathsheba and God forgave him for it. Both Solomon and Nathan were born after the Lord had forgiven and blessed David and Bathsheba, this is an example of God’s grace to everyone who repents. And to break the curse over David’s line because of Jehoiachin, God stepped in as the Father of Jesus. And with Mary being a virgin. He didn’t have to do anything on David’s son Nathan’s line as Nathan was never cursed. Jesus is both the legal son of David and the biological son of David. He is truly the Son of David and the Son of God, the true King of Israel.

We see an unsolvable problem in the Middle East today. How can there be a true Abrahamic accord between Judaism, Christianity and Islam ? Donald Trump won’t be able to it. No man will. The Lord will do it !

The genealogy we see in Luke shows the grace of God, the importance of repentance, family and of Mums and Dads following the Lord.