Written 2003
Old Testament Prophecies regarding Jesus’ lineage:
- Seed of Eve Genesis 3:15
- Seed of Abraham Genesis 22:18 (also Gen 12:2,3)
- Son of Isaac Genesis 21:12
- Son of Jacob Numbers 24:17 (also Gen 35:10-12)
- Tribe of Judah Genesis 49:10 (also Micah 5:2)
- Branch from Jesse Isaiah 11:1 (also Is. 1:10)
- Son of David Jeremiah 23:5
The Jewish writings attribute all of these references as directly related to the coming Messiah (or Christ), which is incredible because, although they believe the Messiah is yet to come, Jesus fulfilled all of them (as seen in the references below)!
New Testament Fulfillment of Jesus’ Lineage as the Christ:
- Seed of Eve Matthew 1:20
- Seed of Abraham Galatians 3:16 (also Matt. 1:1)
- Son of Isaac Luke 3:23,34 (also Matt. 1:2)
- Son of Jacob Luke 3:23,34 (also Matt. 1:2 and Luke 1:33)
- Tribe of Judah Luke 3:23,34 (also Matt. 1:2 and Heb. 7:14)
- Branch from Jesse Luke 3:23,32 (also Matt. 1:6)
- Son of David Luke 3:23,31 (13 other N.T. cites agree)
The Differing Lineages between Matthew and Luke:
Matthew traces Jesus’ lineage from his father, and Luke traces it from his mother. Reasons we believe this:
- Luke 3:23 says, “Jesus…being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli”. This wording suggests that the lineage is traced through Mary, and can be seen even more clearly through the Greek. However, genealogies written during that time period would have had to attribute Joseph’s name even if it was going through Mary.
- Matthew uses the Greek word “gennao” (meaning: to procreate; fig. to regenerate:- bear, beget, bring forth, conceive, be delivered of), that is translated “begot” in the New King James Version, for the lineage. This word means to physically procreate (to have sex and produce), and cannot be attributed to an adopted son or daughter. Whereas, Luke uses the word son (Greek: “huios”) in “Joseph, the son of Heli”. “Huios” does not need to mean a biological descendant, and in fact would be in the correct context if Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli (who was the biological father of Mary).
- Adding on to the above point, Joseph would have gained the right to become Heli’s pronounced son through his marriage with Mary.
- Luke’s narrative is focused on Mary leading into the lineage, and thus, it would be out of place for him to focus on Mary and then attribute a lineage to Joseph.
- THE BEST REASON OF ALL: The genealogy given in Matthew (presumably Joseph’s lineage) is traced through the Davidic king’s line (of which Jesus had to descend from), “David the king begot Solomon…” (Matt. 1:6). This kingship traces from David to Jeconiah, but according to Jeremiah 22:30, all of Jeconiah’s physical descendants could not become king. Therefore, if this was Mary’s lineage, Jesus could not inherit the Davidic kingship, and thus, he could not be the Christ! But, if Matthew recorded Joseph’s lineage, this would prove that Jesus had the legal right to the Davidic throne, because he was the eldest born son of Joseph – who would have been king had he not inherited Jeconiah’s curse. Jesus’ birth from a virgin made it so he did not have the curse of Jeconiah, yet since he was the adopted son of Joseph, he gained the rights to the throne of David….If Matthew recorded Joseph’s lineage (which all the evidence points to), it shows that Joseph, the father of Jesus, was the only one in the universe who could have been Jesus’ adopted father!!!
- Along with the evidence stated above, Luke’s genealogy (tracing through Mary) was the biological lineage of Jesus, and indeed it does fulfill all of the Old Testament prophecies listed earlier (prophecies written more than a thousand years before he was ever born)!!!
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