Sermon Central
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Genealogy Of Jesus Christ Series
Contributed by John Lowe on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: I have read the Bible several times, but to be honest I must admit that I sometimes skip the genealogies. But it occurs to me that since the Spirit of God used so much ink to give them to us that there must be something in there that we need to know.
Genealogies are important, because they are history, and both Gentile history and Jewish history are in the hands of almighty God, fulfilling His purposes.
Verses 24-38
24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,… 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
25 the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,
27 the son of Joannas, 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 Elmodam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Jose, 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 Jonan, the son of Eliakim,
31 the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, 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 Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,
38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
The genealogy concludes with this, “the son of Adam, the son of God.”
1. Some suggest this refers to Adam; he was in a peculiar manner the son of God, being, more than any of his offspring, the offspring of God by creation.
2. Others refer it to Christ, and so they make the last words of this genealogy communicate his divine and human nature. He was both the Son of Adam and the Son of God that he might be a proper Mediator between God and the sons of Adam, and might bring the sons of Adam, through him, to become the sons of God.
Summary
Luke reminded his readers that the Son of God was also the Son of man. He was born into this world and identified with the needs and problems of mankind. And since Joseph and Mary were both in David’s line, these genealogies prove that Jesus of Nazareth has the legal right to David’s throne.
Both Matthew and Luke present genealogies of Jesus (Matt. 1:1–17; Luke 3:23–38), though with some differences. Matthew traces Jesus’ lineage back to Abraham while Luke traces His lineage back to Adam. There are also certain differences in the names; these differences may be explained by what each writer wanted to portray. Both Joseph and Mary were descended from David by different branches of the family. Thus, it may be that Matthew gives Joseph’s descent, which is the legal descent of Jesus, while Luke gives Mary’s descent, which is the actual connection of Jesus with the race that He came to save.
