preview

Luke 3 Genealogies

Decent Essays

Matthew 1 and Luke 3 are genealogies of Jesus. Why two of them? Well, in ancient times it was allowed to have genealogies from each of the parents. We must not forget that Joseph is not a biological father of Jesus but, legal, while Mary was His biological mother. That could explain why are both, different.
Luke starts with Mary and goes backward to Adam. Matthew starts with Abraham and goes forward to Joseph. It seems that the intend of the writers was to present different genealogies. They are also different in literary style, culture, history and motifs. Matthew wrote for Jews; they do not need to know from whom Abraham was descendant. Luke, writing for Greeks (Gentiles), they needed to know from whom was Abraham descending. The other point …show more content…

That allow us to understand that for them, it was understood within their historical and cultural context, making the differences, no problem for them.
By the other side, one can see that both of Jesus’ parents are descendant of the King David making Jesus, biologically and legally heir of the Davidic throne.
There is also a curios fact in Joseph lineage, where appear the name of Jechonias (Matthew 1.11-12; who is Jehoiachin in 2 kings 24.6, 8; Jeconiah in 1 Chronicles 3.16, and Coniah in Jeremiah 22.24, 28; 37.1. ) In Jeremiah 22:24-30 God curse Coniah, stating that no descendant of his would ever sit on the throne of David (v.30): “Thus saith the LORD, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.” (emphasis mine)
Here rests the importance of the genealogies; If Jesus were biological descendant of Joseph, He could not sit in the throne of David, “his father” according to the prophecy in Jeremiah 23.5 “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.” (my

Get Access