NOW JESUS HIMSELF WAS about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,
the son of Heli, 24the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melki,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, 26the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Josech, the son of Joda,
27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri, 28the son of Melki,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer,
the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, 30the son of Simeon,
the son of Judah, the son of Joseph,
the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,
31the son of Melea, the son of Menna,
the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan,
the son of David, 32the son of Jesse,
the son of Obed, the son of Boaz,
the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
33the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram,
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez,
the son of Judah, 34the son of Jacob,
the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham,
the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35the son of Serug, the son of Reu,
the son of Peleg, the son of Eber,
the son of Shelah, 36the son of Cainan,
the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem,
the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,
the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,
the son of Kenan, 38the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
Original Meaning
KEEPING RECORDS OF ancestry was popular in Judaism. One need only read Genesis 4–5; 10; or 1 Chronicles 1–9 to see how important tracing one’s lineage was in Jewish thinking.1 The Greeks also loved to trace their roots (Diogenes Laertius, Life of Plato 3.1–2; Plutarch, Parallel Lives, Alexander 2.1).2 Thus, when Luke records Jesus’ ancestors, the readers would have appreciated what he was doing.
Ancestry can be revealing. In the case of Jesus, this is especially so. Several features stand out about Luke’s genealogy in comparison to Matthew 1:1–17. (1) Luke puts his genealogy in a different place than Matthew. Matthew opens the book with his list, while Luke places it between Jesus’ baptism as Son and the temptations that test him. Luke is answering the question: Is Jesus qualified to be God’s promised Son? (2) Luke’s list goes in an opposite order from Matthew’s—going from the present to the past. (3) Luke’s list goes farther than Matthew’s. Matthew stops with Abraham, while Luke goes all the way back to Adam. With this touch, Luke indicates that Jesus’ story is humanity’s story.
(4) There are also some differences in the listing, the explanation for which is not entirely certain. Matthew traces Jesus through Solomon, while Luke passes through Nathan. Jesus’ grandfather in Matthew is named Jacob, but in Luke he is Heli.3 Some think these differences cannot be reconciled, while others believe they can be. Some argue that Luke supplies Mary’s line, while Matthew has Joseph’s, since Luke tells the story from Mary’s perspective. The problem with this approach is that a line based on Mary would be unprecedented, especially when no other single woman appears in the line. Others suggest Joseph’s line is being traced in two different ways: Matthew gives the natural line, while Luke has the royal line. Others make the same distinction but argue it goes the other way. Still others make the distinction between the physical line and the legal line, noting the presence of some levirate marriages in the list (Deut. 25:5–10), especially at the grandfather level. Nolland suggests that perhaps Eli (=Heli) lacked sons and adopted Joseph, so that Luke’s list reflects an adoption.4 Luke’s line may also be a legal one because of the curse of Jeconiah (Jer. 22:30), for Matthew mentions him and Luke does not. There is no way to establish the superiority of one of these options over the other, except to note that a reconciliation between the lists is possible in a variety of ways.
The overall intention of Luke’s list is clear. He wants to show Jesus’ connection to David, to Abraham, and to Adam. Each connection allows a point to be made about who Jesus is and whom he is qualified to serve. The connection to David establishes his rights as regal heir; Jesus can be king of Israel.5 “Son of God” in this sense involves the right to rule as the Promised One, the Son of David (1:31–35; cf. 2 Sam. 7:6–16). The connection to Abraham links Jesus to the national promise and hope. The connection to Adam allows Luke to argue that Jesus represents all humanity. So in Jesus God has carefully designed affairs so that as Son Jesus can realize both the hope of the Old Testament and the hope of creation.
As Luke introduces his genealogy, he gives the age of Jesus at the start of his ministry as being about thirty (3:23). He also notes that Jesus was “thought” to be the son of Joseph, reaffirming his earlier assertions about the miraculous birth through Mary. Despite this qualification, legal paternity was still the source of ancient ancestry, so it is likely the line is Joseph’s. It is this distinction that makes Luke’s line a “legal” line.
Bridging Contexts
LUKE’S GENEALOGY CLEARLY serves an authenticating role for Jesus’ right to serve God as mediator for humanity. Since the ancestry is unique and applies only to him, there is not much bridging that needs to occur. We need only to reflect on this passage that shows the richness of background in Jesus’ family.
The fact that this list of ancestry extends to Adam makes a fundamental point. The promised king of Israel is also the head of the human race. God’s promise to Israel becomes our promise in Christ. Gentiles have been grafted into blessing alongside Jews who believe in Jesus. Anyone who trusts Jesus becomes a child of Abraham (Rom. 4; 11; Gal. 3:26–29) and shares in this line of promise. This list of names spanning the centuries declares that God is about something special, even unique, in his creation. Association with Jesus and the promise is an opportunity to blessing that God took centuries to prepare.
It is important to appreciate the uniqueness of this list. We all have genealogies, but none of them qualifies us to be God’s chosen Son. We receive our role in God’s family through him. In a sense the only genealogy that counts for us is the one that connects us to Jesus, for his work makes our biological roots less relevant. He makes his children out of Jews and Gentiles, males and females, blacks and whites, Croats and Serbs (Gal. 3:29).
Contemporary Significance
WHAT GENEALOGIES LIKE this show is that no person is an island unto himself or herself. We come into the world reflecting a heritage and representing someone. Jesus is no exception. His family is full of significant historical figures besides David, Abraham, and Adam: for example, Zerubbabel, Jesse, Boaz, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Shem, Noah, and Enoch. In this list are some who walked closely with God and some whose walk was uneven. In a sense, Jesus represents them, much as he does us. In the list is also a variety of humanity. Some of the people are well-known Old Testament people who made a great mark; others are known to us only in this listing. Jesus represents both the well-known and the unknown of the world.
Churches mirror this truth. Some who function in the Christian community receive much public attention; others are barely known. Yet God knows them all and honors all faithfulness, no matter how much public acclaim such faithfulness receives when it is done. One of the great examples of such truth is to hear the testimony of great saints, only to realize that God got their attention through a grandparent, relative, or friend the world never knew. God’s work often takes mysterious twists and turns.
Finally, Jesus’ roots go back to Adam, the figure through whom all of us are connected to one another. In a day when ethnic diversity and hatred are raised to almost religious levels, we do well to reflect that even in our diversity humanity is one. In his provision for humanity, Jesus represents all of us. It is easy to let our nationality, race, or social status blind us to this fundamental truth. As human beings we not only share a planet, we share a relationship to each other. Transcending that is the fact that Jesus, as Son, offers an opportunity to any of us to share in God’s rich blessing.
Jesus came to reconcile us to each other (Eph. 2:11–22), and he is in a unique position to accomplish that goal. God’s plan of salvation indicates that he did not want to be a tribal god of only one people or of only one region. He came for everyone.