Why Genealogy Matters
February 1, 2026
Dr. Bradford Reaves
Crossway Christian Fellowship
Luke 3:23-38
The Scripture We Tend to Skip
Over the last several years, DNA testing has become almost a form of entertainment. You’ve seen the commercials. You spit in a tube, mail it off, and six weeks later your phone lights up with an alert telling you that you’re 12% this, 8% that, and somehow related to someone you’ve never met.
Most people do it just for fun. They’re not looking for anything serious. They’re just curious. That was the case for
a man who took one of these tests a few years ago. He wasn’t suspicious, he wasn’t searching for answers—he was just bored one afternoon and thought it would be interesting to see what came back.
When the results arrived, the ethnicity breakdown looked odd, but that happens. What caught his attention was a notification labeled “Close Family Match.” Closer than a cousin or an uncle, but a sibling. Which was strange—because he was an only child.
At first, he assumed it was a mistake. But as he clicked through the details, the evidence was undeniable. After some very difficult conversations with his parents, he discovered the truth: he had been conceived through a donor, and no one had ever told him.
Later, he reflected on that moment and said something unforgettable: “Nothing about my life changed that day—but everything about how I understood myself did.”
He didn’t move. He didn’t change jobs. His relationships didn’t disappear overnight. But his origin story changed. His understanding of inheritance changed. His sense of identity shifted. That’s what genealogy does. Genealogy answers questions we don’t always want to ask—but can’t avoid forever:
• Where did I come from?
• What’s been passed down to me?
• Why do certain patterns keep repeating?
Genealogy is boring…Until it explains you. In Luke 3, God has just spoken from heaven at Jesus’ baptism: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” And then Luke does something unexpected. He opens the family record. And in doing so he lists names to answer the deepest human question: Why is the world the way it is—and how is God going to fix it?
Most of us have a rhythm when we read the Bible. We lean forward for miracles, parables, and stories where something dramatic happens. But when we come to genealogies—long lists of unfamiliar names—we are tempted to skim, skip, and assume they don’t apply to us. That’s not us at CrossWay. Yet the reality is simple and profound: if genealogies didn’t matter, God would not have included them. Luke 3:23–38 is not filler, not background noise, and not a historical appendix. It is God’s Spirit-inspired verification that Jesus Christ is exactly who He claimed to be. Christianity is not built on vague spirituality or emotional impressions; it is grounded in real people, real history, and real bloodlines.
DNA tests reveal things we didn’t choose but still have to live with. Luke shows us something even more profound. You were born into Adam’s family line…But Jesus entered that line so you wouldn’t have to stay there. And that’s why genealogy matters.
Why Luke Places the Genealogy Here
Luke intentionally places this genealogy immediately after Jesus’ baptism. At the baptism, heaven opens, the Spirit descends, and the Father declares, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). Luke then moves from divine declaration to historical documentation. In essence, he is saying: Yes, Jesus is the Son of God—and now let me show you that He is also fully human, legally qualified, and historically anchored. Biblical faith is never blind; it is rooted and verified.
Luke and Matthew: Two Genealogies, One Messiah
At first glance, Luke’s genealogy appears to conflict with Matthew’s. The names differ, the order differs, and even the direction differs. But this is not contradiction—it is intentional, Holy Spirit breathed theology. Matthew writes primarily to a Jewish audience. His genealogy begins with Abraham, moves forward in time, and emphasizes Jesus’ royal right as King by tracing His line through David’s son Solomon (Matthew 1:1–17). Luke, however, writes primarily to Gentiles. He begins with Jesus, moves backward in time, traces the line through David’s son Nathan, and ends not with Abraham but with Adam (Luke 3:38). Matthew answers the question, “Is Jesus Israel’s promised King?” Luke answers, “Is Jesus the Savior of all humanity?” Together, the genealogies proclaim one unified truth: Jesus is both Messiah and Redeemer.
Genealogy Proves the Real Humanity of Jesus
Luke opens by stating, “Jesus, when he began his ministry, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph” (Luke 3:23). Luke carefully acknowledges the virgin birth while affirming Jesus’ genuine humanity. Jesus did not merely appear human; He was born into a family, grew physically, experienced fatigue, sorrow, and temptation, yet without sin. Scripture affirms this clearly: “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things” (Hebrews 2:14). Because Jesus truly entered the human family, He understands our weakness, pain, and struggle. He did not redeem humanity from a distance—He redeemed us from within.
Genealogy Confirms Jesus’ Legal Right to the Throne
Luke traces Jesus’ lineage through King David, fulfilling God’s covenant promise that an eternal King would arise from David’s house (2 Samuel 7:12–13). Though Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father, he was His legal father, granting Jesus full legal standing as David’s heir. In Jewish law, legal fatherhood carried real authority and inheritance. Paul affirms this truth, writing that Jesus was “descended from David according to the flesh” (Romans 1:3). God fulfills His promises with precision, ensuring that Jesus inherits the throne without inheriting Adam’s sin.
Genealogy Reveals God’s Sovereignty Over Broken History
A careful reading of Luke’s genealogy reveals not a line of spiritual giants but a collection of flawed, forgotten, and broken people. These were men with failures, scandals, moral weakness, and obscurity. Yet God weaves redemption through every generation. This genealogy silently proclaims that God is not embarrassed by human brokenness. He specializes in redeeming crooked family lines. If God can accomplish His redemptive plan through this genealogy, He can work through ours as well.
Luke Traces Jesus Back to Adam: Savior of All Humanity
Luke concludes the genealogy with the words, “the son of Adam, the son of God” (Luke 3:38). This is not a casual ending; it is a theological declaration. Adam represents fallen humanity. Through Adam, sin and death entered the world. Jesus is presented as the Last Adam—the new representative of humanity. Scripture explains this contrast clearly: “For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). Jesus does not merely address Israel’s problem; He addresses humanity’s problem at its root.
Names That Preach: Eight Lives in Jesus’ Genealogy
Luke’s genealogy is not a random list. Every name is a sermon in miniature. Together, these men trace the story of humanity’s fall, God’s promise, Israel’s kingship, exile, restoration, and hope—culminating in Jesus Christ.
1. Adam – The Head of the Human Problem
Luke intentionally ends the genealogy with Adam, calling him “the son of God” (Luke 3:38). Adam represents the beginning of the human story—and the beginning of human failure. Through Adam came sin and death, not merely as individual acts but as a condition passed down to every generation (Romans 5:12). Adam stands in the genealogy as a reminder that our deepest problem is not environmental, political, or psychological—it is inherited. Luke includes Adam so we understand why Jesus had to come at all: humanity needed a new representative, a second Adam who could succeed where the first failed.
2. Seth – God’s Line Preserved in a Dark World
After Cain murdered Abel, it appeared as though the godly line had been extinguished. But God raised up Seth, whose birth marked the quiet continuation of God’s redemptive plan (Genesis 4:25–26). Scripture notes that in Seth’s days, “people began to call upon the name of the LORD.” Seth reminds us that even when sin dominates the headlines, God is preserving faithfulness behind the scenes. Redemption often advances quietly, not dramatically.
3. Abraham – The Promise That Could Not Fail
Abraham stands in the genealogy as the man to whom God made an audacious promise: “In you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:3). Luke includes Abraham to show that Jesus is the fulfillment of that promise—not just for Israel, but for the nations. Abraham’s life was marked by faith, fear, obedience, and failure, yet God’s covenant remained unbroken. Salvation has always rested on God’s faithfulness, not human consistency (Galatians 3:16).
4. David – The King Who Pointed to a Greater King
David is central to Luke’s genealogy because the Messiah must come from his line (Luke 3:31). David was Israel’s greatest king, yet also a deeply flawed man. His victories were real, but so were his failures. God promised David an eternal throne (2 Samuel 7:12–13), knowing full well that David himself was not the final answer. David’s presence in the genealogy reminds us that even the best human leaders fall short—and that every good king ultimately points beyond himself to Christ, the perfect and eternal King.
5. Shelah – Grace That Redeems Moral Collapse
Shelah’s inclusion reaches back to one of the most uncomfortable stories in Genesis—Judah and Tamar (Genesis 38). This chapter exposes moral failure, deception, and desperation, yet God redeems the situation and preserves the Messianic line. Shelah stands as a testimony that God’s redemptive purposes are not derailed by human sin. Grace does not excuse wrongdoing, but it can redeem what seems irreparably broken. The Messiah’s lineage is honest, not sanitized.
6. Boaz (Through Obed) – Redemption Through Ordinary Faithfulness
Luke names Obed, the son of Boaz, quietly pointing us back to the book of Ruth (Luke 3:32). Boaz was not a king or prophet—he was a faithful man who honored God in daily life. His role as a kinsman-redeemer provides one of Scripture’s clearest pictures of what Christ would one day do for us. Boaz reminds us that God often advances His greatest work through ordinary obedience. Faithfulness in the small things can echo into eternity.
7. Neri – The Royal Line Without a Throne
Neri appears during a period when David’s royal line no longer ruled (Luke 3:27). After the Babylonian exile, the throne was empty, the kingdom dismantled, and God’s promise appeared dormant. Yet Luke shows us that the royal bloodline was preserved even when the crown was gone. Neri represents waiting hope—the truth that God’s promises may seem delayed, but they are never abandoned. The King was still coming, even when there was no throne in sight.
8. Enoch – A Glimpse of Life Beyond Death
Luke includes Enoch, a man whose story interrupts the genealogy of death with astonishing hope (Luke 3:37). Genesis tells us, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him” (Genesis 5:24). Enoch never experienced death. His presence in Jesus’ genealogy whispers a powerful truth: death is not inevitable for those who walk with God. Long before the resurrection of Christ, God planted signs of victory over the grave.
How These Names Lead Us to Christ
• Adam shows us the problem.
• Seth shows us preservation.
• Abraham shows us promise.
• David shows us kingship.
• Shelah shows us redeeming grace.
• Boaz shows us redemption through love.
• Neri shows us hope in silence.
• Enoch shows us life beyond death.
• But none of them could save us.
• They carry the line—but Jesus fulfills it.
Adam and Christ: Two Representatives, Two Outcomes
Adam disobeyed God in a garden, bringing death and separation. Christ obeyed God perfectly, resisting temptation in the wilderness and ultimately bearing the curse on the cross. Adam hid from God; Christ reveals God. Adam passed down sin; Christ offers new birth. Paul declares, “The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Every person is born in Adam, but only those who trust Christ are reborn into life.
Why This Matters for Us Today
First, our faith is historical, not mythical. Christianity does not begin with “once upon a time” but with names, dates, and real events. Peter affirms, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths” (2 Peter 1:16). Because Jesus has a genealogy, we know He lived, fulfilled prophecy, and stands firmly in history.
Second, our past does not disqualify us. God’s redemptive plan advances through broken people and broken families. No lineage is beyond God’s grace.
Third, Jesus understands us. He knows family pain, generational sin, cultural pressure, and human weakness. We pray not to a distant deity but to a sympathetic Savior (Hebrews 4:15).
Finally, in Christ we receive a new family line. “For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith” (Galatians 3:26). Earthly genealogies may carry pain, but heavenly adoption brings forgiveness, identity, and hope.
Identity and Invitation
Luke gives us a genealogy to prove that Jesus is not a myth, symbol, or idea. He is fully human, fully divine, historically verified, and eternally sufficient. The question is not whether genealogy matters—the question is which genealogy you are living in. In Adam there is death; in Christ there is life. You cannot change your first birth, but you can receive a second. “But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12). Your name can be written into God’s family story. This is not boring history; it is redeeming grace. This is not merely a list of names—it leads us to the Name above every name: Jesus Christ, Son of Man, Son of David, Son of God.
