Bible Study Lesson:
Matthew 1:1-17
You may wonder what can we possibly learn from Jesus’ genealogy? It is just an account of the family tree of Jesus. Why then, does Matthew give a detailed account of Jesus’ lineage?
- Matthew is primarily writing to the Jews. So, it is important for him to establish his (Jesus’) roots. After all, Kings don’t appear suddenly, they must belong to a royal lineage. If Jesus is Messiah, he must fulfill the most basic requirement. He must be from the line of Abraham and King David.
- Compare this genealogy with the one given by Luke in Luke 3: 23-38. Luke was writing mainly to Gentiles. So he begins with Adam, while Matthew begins with Abraham.
Group Exercise:
Try to trace back your own family roots. How far can you trace back? Genealogy sounds often boring, unless you are related to it. It is often very exciting to find and discover our family roots. We, humans have this inner sense of eagerness to find where we came from. Scientists have even gone back further than Adam (or first human) to answer this question.
Historical Perspective:
- There had been 400 years of silence from God to the Jews.
- No Prophets, No communication from God!
- Expectation grew for the ‘Messiah’ – the deliverer, Savior among the Jews, especially since the Jews were ruled by the Romans.
- ‘Messiah’ – means the anointed one. (‘Christ’ in English) Matthew clearly declares true identity of Jesus. He is long-awaited Messiah, the savior, Son of David and Abraham.
- It is quite unusual that he mentions four women in the ancestral line of Jesus. Rahab and Ruth had played prominent roles in the history of Israel.
- Joseph is referred as ‘husband of Mary’, not as ‘father of Jesus‘ – pointing toward the virgin birth.
Applications:
God works through history. His actions are not random, but very planned. Matthew also establishes strong connection with Old testament. New testament does not nullify OT, but it is built on OT.
——————————
If you are blessed with this Bible study, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by sharing it on Twitter, Facebook or your preferred social media network. Thank you!
12 replies on “Jesus’ Genealogy in the Bible – Matthew 1:1-17 | Bible Study”
[…] out: Geneology of Jesus, the Messiah (Matthew 1: 1-17) Share and […]
[…] of the Lord’ appeared in a dream.3 times to Joseph, and 1 time to the Magi (Check out Geneology of Messiah – Mat 1:1-17, Joseph – Father of Jesus – Mat 1:18-25, Magi’s Visit – Mat […]
I have to address this topic because it is somewhat confusing to me and I am unable to reconcile them. I have read many, many explanations of how these apparent discrepancies are reconciled, but I cannot accept them.
Matthew traces Joseph’s line through Solomon and the successive kings of Judah. But Luke gives a completely different account, tracing Joseph’s line through Nathan, a son of David, one of Solomon’s siblings. They seem to start with David and end with Jesus, but the names are different. Anyone can make a list and compare to see them.
Both gospels state that Jesus was begotten not by Joseph, but by the Holy Spirit. So, where is the legitimacy of the genealogy? It’s more legitimate and accurate to just say he was a begotten son of God.
I think that the authors of the two gospels had a clear intention to show that Jesus came from David’s line to justify Jesus to Jews and Gentiles at the time they wrote.
There have been alot of explanations by theologians about why the names are different. To me this seems to be a rationalization in the face of a definitive explanation.
I have heard that Matthew records the “legal” genealogy of Jesus through Joseph to appeal to Jews while Luke outlines the “biological” genealogy of Jesus through Mary to appeal to Gentiles (who were not unfamiliar with the concept of a virgin birth).
The reason why I bring this up is because it has alot to do with how we view Jesus and how we want to come to terms with who he is.
But, I want to end the post here as I don’t want to get into the whole issue of bible inerrancy.
How am I supposed to reconcile the obvious differences in the genealogires?
The differences do not diminish my faith and hope in Jesus one bit as I try really hard to be a good Christian. All I know is that Jesus the Son of God and that I am saved through him.
It doesnt matter what line Joseph came thru…. it is Mary’s line that only matters. She is the direct line to Abram. Joseph does not. The couple are NOT distraught… Hello… they both were visited by an angel and the Holy Spirit who told them what to expect… Mary was trained in the synagoge since the she was able to walk… she was from a very very wealthy religous family and was taught by the very rabbis / teachers at the synagoge. If you are going to teach the word of God please make sure you are TEACHING the WORD of GOD.
Thanks for your comment. But can you provide some biblical basis for Mary being from “very very rich family”?
Jesus genealogy of Bible is nice article, thank you for sharing a little bit information about it…
Thank you for the post..
One of the most widely held theories suggests that Matthew’s account follows the lineage of Joseph, while Luke’s genealogy is that of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This interpretation would mean that Jacob was Joseph’s biological father, and Heli (Mary’s biological father) became Joseph’s surrogate father, thus making Joseph Heli’s heir through his marriage to Mary. If Heli had no sons, this would have been the normal custom. Also, if Mary and Joseph lived under the same roof with Heli, his “son-in-law” would have been called “son” and considered a descendent. Although it would have been unusual to trace a genealogy from the maternal side, there was nothing usual about the virgin birth. Additionally, if Mary (Jesus’ blood relative) was indeed a direct descendant of David, this would make her son “the seed of David” in keeping with Messianic prophecies.
There are other more complicated theories, and with each there seems to remain an unresolvable problem. Yet in both genealogies we do see that Jesus is a descendant of King David, qualifying him, according to Messianic prophecies, as the Messiah.
One interesting commentary points out that by beginning with Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, Matthew’s genealogy shows the relationship of Jesus to all Jews—he is their Messiah. This coincides with the overarching theme and purpose of the book of Matthew—to prove that Jesus is the Messiah. On the other hand, the overriding purpose of the book of Luke is to give a precise record of the life of Christ as the perfect human Savior. Therefore, the genealogy of Luke traces all the way back to Adam, demonstrating the relationship of Jesus to all of mankind—he is the Savior of the world.
While I was not there and I do not have all the answers I am very proud of you for asking and still holding on to your faith. However Jesus came is fine with me because I am so glad that he did come to us. My prayers are with you and I hang in there, do what is right, seek out those that are lost.
“We, humans have this inner sense of eagerness to find where we came from. Scientists have even gone back further than Adam (or first human) to answer this question.”
Does this mention implies that B-SEO accepts science’s explanation re our origen or do one only accept the Genesis version
@H Huyser,
BibleSEO believes in seven day creation mentioned in the book of Genesis in the Bible. You can actually read about the ‘Doctrine of Man’ bible study (http://bibleseo.com/small-group/doctrine-man-bible-biblical-anthropology/), especially the question “Who created man according to the bible?” discuss about it. Hope you check it out. Thanks for asking.
Christian.
This is very confusion to me raises many questions.
1-luke contradict himself by giving a human genealogy to Jesus kindly shade some light on this issue our Muslims scholars are having their on theory
2-In his genealogy Matthew cites 26 person between Adam and Jesus, while Luke has 42 name’s in his list thus there is a discrepancy between them of 16 people.
3-if one accept 40years as the average age of a person then there is a gap of 640 years between the two record of Jesus supposed lineage descent.
4-kindly justify 2 contradictory list of Jesus ancestry.
5-If Jesus is God’s son why then is his father not mentioned as such in either list.
Kindly answer me so that l can shade some light to my Muslims friend who are asking me this questions.
Be blessed
1- if Jesus is God’s son why has he not mentioned on either list?
2-Luke contradict himself by giving a human genealogy to Jesus in his genealogy Matthew cites 26 persons between Adam and Jesus while Luke has 42 names in his list thus their is a discrepancy between them of 16 people.
If one accept 40 years as the average AGR of a person then there is a gap of of 640 years between the two record of Jesus of supposed lineage descent.
Kindly shade some light on this issue our Muslims scholars are asking me so that it can come clear to them.
Thanks and be blessed I’m a born again sister not shaken by anything
The conception of Jesus other Christians believe he was flesh and blood son of Joseph while believing in the immaculate conception others conclude that he was the “son of God”but divided whether this term should be taken literally or figuratively what’s your take on that?
Thanks and be blessed I’m a lady from Saudi Arabia mailing