The birth narratives in both Matthew and Luke help answer the question, “Who is Jesus and where did he come from?” One of the ways each book does this is by recounting Jesus’ genealogy. The problem is: the genealogies are different.
The Old Testament predicted that the Messiah would come from the line of David. Both Matthew and Luke provide genealogies of Jesus that confirm he was a descendent of David—therefore, a legitimate Messiah. He was a legitimate claimant to the throne of Israel.
But they differ in an important way: Matthew follows the line of David’s son Solomon, while Luke follows the line of Nathan, another Son of David. The end result is two distinct genealogies. How do we account for this?
Some argue that either Matthew or Luke got it wrong. They created or borrowed a genealogy in order to provide Jesus with a legitimate ancestry. Or they accuse later Christians for artificially creating a genealogy to provide Jesus with a Davidic lineage after the fact.
Yet there are three other possible explanations for the two different genealogies. Let’s explore these below.
#1. One of the genealogies is actually Mary's. The simplest solution is that we have genealogies of both parents of Jesus—Joseph and Mary.
In this case, Luke gives us Mary’s genealogy, while Matthew gives us Joseph’s genealogy. This makes good sense, since Luke’s birth narrative focuses on Mary. Luke tells the story from her perspective.
This proposal is sometimes linked to the judgment pronounced against the line of Solomon by Jeremiah, who prophesied that no descendant of Jehoiakim (Jeremiah 36:30) "Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning Jehoiakim king of Judah: “He shall have no one to sit on the throne of David, and his dead body shall be thrown out to the heat of the day and the frost of the night."
or his son Jechoniah (Jeremiah 22:24–30)
22 The wind will sweep away all your shepherds, And your lovers will go into captivity; Then you will certainly be ashamed and humiliated Because of all your wickedness.
23 You who live in Lebanon, Nested in the cedars, How you will groan when sharp pains come on you, Pain like a woman in childbirth!
24 “As I live,” declares the Lord, “even if [g]Coniah (JEHOIACHIN) the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were a signet ring on My right hand, yet I would pull [h](JEHOIACHIN) you [i]off (FROM THERE);
25 and I will hand you over to those who are seeking your life, yes, to those of whom you are frightened, that is, to Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Chaldeans.
26 I will hurl you and your mother who gave birth to you into another country where you were not born, and there you will die.
27 But as for the land to which they long to return, they will not return to it.
28 Is this man Coniah a despised, shattered jar? Or is he an undesirable vessel? Why have he and his descendants been hurled out And cast into a land that they had not known?
29 O land, land, land, Hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says: ‘Write this man down as childless, A man who will not prosper in his days; For no man among his descendants will prosper Sitting on the throne of David Or ruling again in Judah.’”
would sit on the throne of David. Jesus avoided this judgment because he was the legal descendant—i.e. through Mary—rather than the physical descendant of David—through Joseph. Matthew, on the other hand, follows Joseph’s side of the story. Matthew’s narrative moves through the dreams Joseph has.
One problem with this suggestion is that throughout Luke’s birth narrative, he stresses that Joseph is a descendent of David. He never mentions Mary’s Davidic descent. So, despite Luke’s emphasis on Mary in his birth narrative, it would be surprising if his genealogy is Mary's.
#2. One genealogy is a royal or legal genealogy, and the other is a physical genealogy. Another possible explanation for the two different genealogies is that Matthew presents a royal or legal genealogy, while Luke gives a physical, or actual, genealogy.
In other words, Matthew lists the official line of Davidic kings, not Jesus’ actual ancestors. His point is to show that Joseph is related to that line.
In this view, Luke would be giving us the actual, physical descendants—in other words, a genealogy in the way we’re accustomed to thinking about it.
This may help provide a theological point, but it doesn’t solve the larger problem created by having two genealogies: Joseph can’t have two fathers.
#3. Joseph had two fathers. How can someone have two fathers? That’s a fair question—it’s not physically possible.
However, there are two reasons the text can actually be read this way.
First, some suggest that Mary had no brothers to carry on her father’s name at her marriage, so Heli (Joseph’s father according to Luke) adopted Joseph as his own son. This would then give Joseph two genealogies—his own genealogy and Mary’s genealogy.
Second, it’s also possible to read Joseph’s genealogy in the context of the Old Testament law of levirate marriage.
Levirate marriage is described in Deuteronomy 25:5: "If brothers are living together and one of them dies without a son, his widow must not marry outside the family. Her husband’s brother shall take her and marry her and fulfill the duty of a brother-in-law to her."
In other words, this law states that a brother of a man who died should marry his brother’s widow to produce heirs for him.
In this case, Heli—Joseph’s father according to Luke’s genealogy—and Jacob—Joseph’s father according to Matthew’s genealogy—were either brothers or half-brothers. When one died, the other married his widow, producing Joseph and his offspring. This would leave Joseph with two fathers—both Heli and Jacob—one a natural father, and the other a legal father. From the text, we can’t tell which one is his natural father and which one is his legal father.
The important point is that this could explain why Joseph might have two fathers and therefore two distinct genealogies.
The Genealogy of Jesus the Messiah
MATTHEW 1: 1 The [a]record of the genealogy of [b]Jesus the [c]Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered [d]Judah and his brothers.
3 Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, and Hezron fathered [e]Ram.
4 Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, and Nahshon fathered Salmon.
5 Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, (OLD TESTAMENT BOOK) and Obed fathered Jesse.
6 Jesse fathered David the king.(INSERT FATHER ABRAHAM HAD MANY SONS CHILDRENS' SONG:)
David fathered Solomon (HAD AN OLD TESTAMENT BOOK OF A SONG) by [f]her who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, and Abijah fathered [g]Asa. 8 Asa fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered [h]Joram, and Joram fathered Uzziah. 9 Uzziah fathered [i]Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, and Ahaz fathered Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered [j]Amon, and Amon fathered Josiah. 11 Josiah fathered [k]Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. (IRAQ, I SPENT 4 MONTHS THERE, INCLUDING IN THE SOUTH AT UR, AT ABRAHAM'S ZIGGURUT)
12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah fathered [l]Shealtiel, and Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel fathered [m]Abihud, Abihud fathered Eliakim, and Eliakim fathered Azor. 14 Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, and Achim fathered Eliud. 15 Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, and Matthan fathered Jacob. 16 Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the [n]Messiah.
17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the [o]Messiah, fourteen generations.
Conception and Birth of Jesus
18 Now the birth of Jesus the [p]Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been [q]betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
19 And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to [r]send her away secretly. 20 But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for [s]the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for [t]He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this [u]took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through [v]the prophet would be fulfilled: 23 “Behold, the virgin will [w]conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him [x]Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 [y]but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he named Him Jesus.
FOOTNOTES (C/O SERMON CENTRAL.COM)
Matthew 1:1 Lit book
Matthew 1:1 In Heb Yeshua (Joshua), meaning The Lord is salvation
Matthew 1:1 From Gr Christos, which means Messiah (Heb for Anointed One)
Matthew 1:2 Gr Judas; a name of a person in the Old Testament is given in its Old Testament form
Matthew 1:3 Gr Aram
Matthew 1:6 I.e., Bathsheba
Matthew 1:7 Gr Asaph
Matthew 1:8 Also Gr for Jehoram in 2 Kin 8:16; cf. 1 Chr 3:11
Matthew 1:9 Gr Joatham
Matthew 1:10 Gr Amos
Matthew 1:11 Jehoiachin in 2 Kin 24:15
Matthew 1:12 Gr Salathiel
Matthew 1:13 Gr Abioud, usually spelled Abiud
Matthew 1:16 From Gr Christos, which means Messiah (Heb for Anointed One)
Matthew 1:17 See note v 16
Matthew 1:18 See note v 16
Matthew 1:18 Unlike engagement, a betrothed couple was considered married, but did not yet live together
Matthew 1:19 Or divorce her
Matthew 1:20 Lit that which
Matthew 1:21 Lit He Himself
Matthew 1:22 Lit has happened
Matthew 1:22 I.e., Isaiah
Matthew 1:23 Or be pregnant
Matthew 1:23 Gr Emmanuel
Matthew 1:25 Lit and did not know her intimately
Genealogy of Jesus
LUKE 3: 23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years old, being, as was commonly held, the son of Joseph, [k]the son of [l]Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, (FAMOUS NOW FOR JEANS) the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, (MINOR PROPHET IN THE OLD TESTAMENT) the son of Nahum, the son of [m]Hesli, 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 [n]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 [o]Joshua, (OLD TESTAMENT BOOK) the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of [p]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 [q]Salmon, the son of [r]Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of [s]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 [t]Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of [u]Heber, 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 Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
Footnotes (C/O SERMONCENTRAL.COM)
Luke 3:23 Also spelled Heli
Luke 3:25 Also spelled Esli
Luke 3:27 Gr Salathiel; names of people in the Old Testament are given in their Old Testament form through v 38
Luke 3:29 Gr Jesus
Luke 3:30 Gr Judas
Luke 3:32 Gr Sala
Luke 3:32 Gr Naasson
Luke 3:33 Gr Arni
Luke 3:35 Gr Ragau
Luke 3:35 Gr Eber
