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Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38 give the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew recorded Joseph's lineage, while Luke gave the family tree of Mary.Interpretation principals To better understand the genealogy of Jesus, it is important to know some of the notions Jews had regarding ancestral records. This section discusses property rights, prophecies, and Jewish use of the word son. Property rights Jews carefully maintained accurate genealogical records. They did so primarily because property rights in Israel were linked to family heritage. When the Jews settled in Israel, the tribes were given portions of the land as an inheritance. Families within each tribe were given parcels of that land. The land could be farmed, developed, or sold. Every 50 years a dispossessed family could lay claim to the parcel of land which their ancestors had received when it was originally distributed. Individuals who could not trace their family had no inheritance in the nation of Israel. They were treated as dispossessed foreigners. This factor alone contributed strongly to the Jewish preoccupation with genealogies. Prophecies Prophecies also contributed to Jewish interest in genealogies. God had promised several people that the messiah would be one of their descendants. To prove this descent, it was important to maintain accurate genealogical records. The table below shows the promises and their fulfillment. Person Promise Fulfillment Adam Genesis 3:15 Luke 3:38 Abraham Genesis 22:18 Matthew 1:1-2Luke 3:34 Judah Genesis 49:10Micah 5:2 Matthew 1:2-3Luke 3:33 Jesse Isaiah 11:1, 10 Matthew 1:5-6Luke 3:33 David 2nd Samuel 7:12-13 Matthew 1:1 & 6Luke 3:31 Use of the word "Son"The Jews did not use the word son in a limited sense, as we do today. Matthew 1:1 states Jesus was the "son of David, the son of Abraham." This appears to indicate that David was the father of Jesus, and Abraham was his grandfather. A Jew would have understood that Matthew did not mean there was only one generation between these men; but that Jesus was a descendant of David, who was a descendant of Abraham. This fact is born out in the verses that follow (Matthew 1:2-17). In the Jewish mind, the word son could be applied to one who was not a literal, first generation son, as is commonly understood today. It could mean a descendant; which could be a grandson, great grandson, or son of a more distant generation. The custom of skipping generations can be called "genealogical abridgement."Genealogical abridgement Genealogical abridgement occurs not only in Matthew 1:1, but also in the Old Testament. Compare Ezra 7:3 with 1st Chronicles 6:7-10, and you can see how Ezra deliberately skipped six generations from Meriaoth to Azariah (son of Johanan). Son could also be used to describe kinship without sonship. Although Zerubbabel was the nephew of Shealtiel (1st Chronicles 3:17-19), he was called the "son of Shealtiel" (Ezra 3:2, Nehemiah 12:1, Haggai 1:12). Jair is another example of this principle. He was a distant son-in-law of Manasseh (1st Chronicles 2:21-23 and 7:14-15); yet, he was called the "son of Manasseh" (Numbers 32:41, Deuteronomy 3:14, 1st Kings 4:13). The point to remember is that the word son can be applied to several types of relationships. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Matthew wrote to the Jews to present Jesus as King of the Jews. The account is in Matthew 1:1-17. It begins by showing Jesus was a legal heir to the throne of David, by virtue of his lineage. This fact is immediately set forth in verse one, which states Jesus was the "son of David, the son of Abraham." His kinship to David the King of Israel is mentioned before that of Abraham, the father of Israel. Matthew's genealogy traces the ancestors of Joseph, the legal father of Jesus. Structure of Genealogy Matthew's structure descends from father to son, beginning with Abraham. Additionally, he divides the genealogy into three groups of fourteen generations, separated by important historic points (Matthew 1:17). Three Divisions The three divisions of Matthew's genealogy are: Abraham to the reign of King David (Matthew 1:2-6). David's kingdom to the Babylonian captivity (Matthew 1:6-11). Release from Babylonian captivity to Christ (Matthew 1:12-16). Names in Matthew's Account The names in each division appear below. Abraham to David David to Captivity Release to Christ Abraham David Jeconiah Isaac Solomon Shealtiel Jacob Rehoboam Zerubbabel Judah Abijah Abiud Perez Asa Eliakim Hezron Jehoshaphat Azor Ram Joram Zadok Amminadab Uzziah Achim Nashon Jotham Eliud Salmon Ahaz Eleazar Boaz Hezekiah Matthan Obed Manasseh Jacob Jesse Amon Joseph David Josiah Jesus Christ An Abridged Genealogy Matthew abridged the genealogy by omitting some names that appear in earlier records. Some speculate that the abridged arrangement was intended to aid in memorization. Genealogical abridgement has biblical precedent, as was disussed earlier. Repeated Names It is important to note that Matthew did not say there was a total of 42 generations (i.e. 14 multiplied by 3). He respectively indicated that there were 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 from David to the Babylonian Captivity, and 14 from the release to Christ. David's name was repeated because he was alive when the first division ended, and when the second division began. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Women in Christ's Genealogy Matthew included five women in his genealogy of Christ. This is notable since it was not customary for Jews to include women in their records. Even more remarkable is the fact that Matthew included some women who had disreputable histories. The five women included were: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Tamar: Genesis 38:6-30 Tamar was the daughter-in-law of Judah. She was a childless widow, who was given to her brother-in-law after her husband's death. By this marriage, her offspring would continue the name and inheritance of the deceased. Such a union was later called a Leverite marriage (Deut 25:5-6). Unfortunately, Tamar's brother-in-law refused to have proper intercourse with her. God killed him for this. Afterwards, Judah would not give Tamar to any of his other sons. So Tamar disguised herself as a harlot and seduced Judah. Through him, she became the mother of Perez. Rahab: Joshua 2:1-24 Rahab was a harlot who lived in Jericho. She hid the spies of Joshua. Because of this, the Israelites spared her life when they conquered Jericho. She later became the wife of Salmon, and the mother of Boaz. Rahab's faith was later commended (Heb 11:30-31). Ruth: Ruth 1:1-4:22 Ruth was a foreigner from the land of Moab. She was the widow of a Jew. Her mother-in-law, Naomi, also lived in Moab. Naomi journeyed to Israel after her family died. Ruth's devotion was extraordinary. She left her own country to follow Naomi. While in Israel, Ruth was married to Boaz, one of Naomi's relatives. Ruth later became the mother of Obed, the grandfather of David the King. Bathsheba: 2 Samuel 11:1-27 Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah the Hittite, who was a soldier in the army of King David. She and David had an adulterous affair. When David discovered Bathsheba was pregnant, he tried to cover it up by summoning Uriah home from war, hoping that Uriah would have intercourse with his wife. Uriah came home to Jerusalem, but refused to lay with Bathsheba as long as the armies of Israel were at war. So, David sent Uriah back into battle, with orders that Uriah should be withdrawn from when the fighting became fierce. After Uriah was slain in this manner, David took Bathsheba as his own wife. God punished them for this by killing their first child. Bathsheba later became the mother of Solomon. Mary: Matthew 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-56 Mary was the mother of Jesus and the wife of Joseph. She was a virgin when Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Joseph was betrothed to Mary when he discovered she was pregnant. He intended to put her away secretly because this was shameful. However, an angel told Joseph what had happened. So Joseph took Mary as his wife, and kept her as a virgin until she gave birth to Jesus. During her pregnancy, Mary spent time with her relative Elizabeth, who was the mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:39-56). Mary was not a perpetual virgin, as she later became the mother of other sons and daughters (Matthew 13:55-56). Mary was a widow at the time of Jesus' death. While on the cross, Jesus committed her to the care of John, his apostle (John 19:25-27). --------------------------------------------------------------------------------Luke's Genealogy of Jesus This record is in Luke 3:23-38. Luke was a physician. He carefully investigated the life of Christ, and wrote the books of Luke and Acts (Colossians 4:14, Luke 1:1-4, Acts 1:1). Luke's Audience The original readers of Luke's works were Greek Christians. While Matthew wrote to the Jews, Luke wrote to the Greeks. Matthew's genealogy emphasized Jesus' claim to the throne of David. Since Luke's readers were less concerned about the fulfillment of Jewish prophecy, his genealogy focused on Jesus' descent from God. It placed no emphasis on Jesus being the descendant of King David. Reason for Differences Differences between the genealogies of Matthew and Luke may be attributed to the fact that Matthew traced the ancestry of Joseph, while Luke traced the t