Knowing The Word in Luke 3:23-38

3:23 Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda, 27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Sala, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah ,36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan, 38 the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Comments

The genealogies of Jesus recorded in Luke and Matthew show Jesus to be a real man; however, they have some significant differences. Luke gives the line from Adam to Abraham while Matthew does not. They are practically the same from Abraham to David but diverge from that point on. Here are some observations of and suggestions for their differences:

1. Luke tells us how old Jesus is when he begins his ministry. No other gospel writer does that.

2. Luke begins his record with Jesus and goes backwards until he gets to Adam, who he calls “the son of God” to help us see Jesus in his true relationship as “the Son of God.”

3. Luke was a traveling companion of Paul during his missionary journeys. Paul called Jesus the “second Adam” who was victorious for us after the “first Adam” failed. Luke links the two together, likely under the influence of Paul.

4. Luke, the gospel writer to the Gentiles, links Jesus back to Adam to show that Gentiles were always in the plans of God.

5. Matthew begins with Abraham, the father of the Jews, and links Jesus to him, showing Jesus as the fulfilment of the promise of God to Abraham.

6. In one theory that explains the differences from David forward, Matthew gives us the genealogy of Joseph, the legal father of Jesus, while Luke gives that of Mary, the actual line of Jesus.

7. In a second theory, Matthew gives us Joseph’s genealogy through Jacob, his actual/biological father, while Luke gives it through Heli, his legal father. In this theory, when Heli died childless, Jacob, his brother, who had the same mother as Heli but a different father, married Heli’s widow and Joseph is their child.

8. In a third theory, Matthew gives us the legal descendants of David, the men who would have been legally the heir to the Davidic throne if that throne had been continued, while Luke gives us the descendants of David in that particular line to which, finally, Joseph, the husband of Mary, belonged.

9. We cannot, however, explain the differences with certainty.

Application

Do you think of Jesus more as divine or human in your relationship with him? Having both understandings in mind can help you approach Jesus not only as the one who intercedes for you in heaven seated as the right hand of the Father but also as a person who has experienced life on earth and knows what it is like to be a human being.

Prayer

Jesus, you know what it is like to be human. You understand my joys and sorrows, my victories and failures, my heart and my head. You know me through and through because you created me in your image. Let me join with the psalmist today and praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and it is all because of you.