The Genealogy of The Messiah

Matthew 1:1–17
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By tracing Jesus’ ancestry back to King David, through the line of Davidic kings, Matthew connects Jesus with his royal heritage (vv. 1-17). Jesus is thus the fulfillment of God’s promise to raise up a king through David’s line. The genealogy in this passage is traced through Joseph, Jesus’ legal (not natural) father. This genealogy traces Jesus’ right to the throne of David, which came through Solomon and his descendants (v. 6). Despite six centuries of vacancy on the royal throne, the Messiah must be of royal descent. Matthew presents Jesus as both Israel’s rightful ruler and as one identified fully with His people.

The genealogy in (Luke 3:23-38) is that of Mary, his natural parent, showing his blood line back to David. Luke’s genealogy makes it clear that Jesus was a physical descendant of David through another son named Nathan (Luke 3:31). It shows that the messianic promises made to David’s line are fulfilled in Jesus, son of Abraham.

Fourteen generations is given by Matthew to emphasize the three major periods of Israel’s national history: theocracy, monarchy, hierarchy. Matthew’s genealogy answered the important question a Jew would probably ask about anyone who claimed to be King of the Jews. Is He a descendant of David through the rightful line of succession? As you can see Matthew’s answer was a dogmatic yes!

Application

How well do you know your genealogy? What kind of people were your ancestors? What has been passed on to you spiritually from your forebears? It has been my desire to pass on to my children the great Spiritual heritage given to me and my wife through our parents. Then it is our hope that we will be able to see this heritage passed on to our children and grandchildren.