Have you ever really studied the genealogies of Jesus? Most people do not. We tend, when reading Matthew's and Luke's accounts of Jesus' life, to read through the genealogies quickly, or skip them completely.

Skipping them is a mistake. They present critical truths about our Savior, link Him with Old Testament history and prophecy, and even dispel some false notions about the unique character and life of God's Son.

Once we become aware of the treasure trove of information and insight available in these two genealogies, they provide for literally hours of study that will illuminate our understanding of God's plan for our salvation.

The two genealogies aren't exactly alike. Matthew's account (1:1-17) is written from a largely Jewish perspective, connecting Jesus with the promises made to Abraham and David (Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:16; Isaiah 11:1-2; Acts 13:21-23; John 7:42).

Matthew begins with Abraham and proceeds forward to Joseph, the husband of Mary, who gave birth to Jesus. Matthew omits a few kings to divide the family tree into three lists of 14.

1. 14 patriarchs
2. 14 kings
3. 14 generations from the Babylonian captivity to Jesus

Luke's account (3:23-38) appears to be written with the Gentile reader in mind. Luke's purpose was different. He connects Jesus with the first man--Adam--and even with God. This is important because Jesus' birth, life, and work fulfill, not only the promise made to Abraham and the Jewish nation, but also what God declared to Satan in the Garden of Eden--the woman's seed (Eve's offspring) would deliver a deadly blow to the tempter's head (Genesis 3:14-15). This passage from the "book of beginnings" is the Bible's first reference to the gospel. And, Luke shows that Jesus fulfills all of mankind's needs.

Also, Luke's genealogy is in reverse order to Matthew's. He begins with Jesus and works his way backward to Adam, who is referred to as the "son of God." God, without employing normal reproductive processes, miraculously created Adam's fleshly body; yet, Adam was fully human. Likewise, God, without normal reproductive processes, created Jesus' fleshly body, and Jesus was fully human.

So, these two genealogies together show that, in Jesus, God fulfilled His promises in the Garden of Eden, to Abraham, to David, to Israel as a nation, and to the sinful world as a whole. They show that Jesus was heir to the throne of Israel and that Jesus filled the description of the Messiah found in the Old Testament prophecies.

Many people are troubled by the fact that while Jesus had no earthly father (Mary was a virgin), both genealogies list Joseph, Mary's husband (Matthew 1:16; Luke 3:23). Joseph was Jesus' father legally, though certainly not biologically. Under Jewish custom and the old law, this is not as unusual as some might think. Under the old law, if a man died without having a son, his brother could take his wife, impregnate her, and raise up children to receive the dead brother's inheritance. The living brother would be the biological father, but the dead brother would be the legal father, and the children would inherit the dead man's land and possessions in Israel (Mark 12:19).

Because Romans 1:3 says Jesus was born of the seed of David, many have sought answers to what they consider to be a dilemma. Some theorize that Mary was of the same family lineage, and that Jesus is genetically connected to David through his mother. This is an interesting theory but short on biblical evidence. And, it is counter to the Jewish custom of basing genealogy on paternity. Interestingly, there are no recorded challenges to Jesus' royal bloodline by the Jews or other of His enemies during the first century.

Also interesting is that, in spite of the paternal nature of such lists, four women are mentioned in the genealogies. Each of these women is unusual. Each, by special providence, became a mother in the lineage of Jesus, perhaps pointing to the special providence in Jesus' birth through Mary.

1. Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah, is the young woman who presented herself to her father-in-law, disguised as a prostitute, after her husband died leaving her without children, and her brother-in-law refused to produce a child with her, in keeping with the law cited earlier.
2. Rahab, the Canaanite harlot of Jericho who saved the spies, showed faith in God, was incorporated, as a Gentile, into Israel, and was the mother of Boaz, the husband of Ruth.
3. Ruth who was once a heathen Moabitess became the great-grandmother of King David.
4. Bathsheba was the adulterous wife of Uriah the Hittite, but also mother of King Solomon.

Each is a part of Jesus' family tree. Most people tend to hide the "black sheep" in their families, but Scripture seems to go out of the way to declare their places. Have you ever wondered why? Perhaps it is to prove that Jesus is not who He is because of His "bloodline." He didn't inherit sin-free genes or a "pure" bloodline. The stained family tree may foreshadow Jesus' role as the "friend of sinners," or even as "kinsman" to sinners (Romans 8:3).

Jesus' earthly lineage, like ours, is composed of both good and bad people, sinful and repentant people. And, while the promise to Abraham avowed that the whole world would be blessed through Abraham's seed, there are converted Gentiles in that lineage.

As a final point, let's notice that the genealogy of Jesus precludes him from ever being a king in Judah. Jesus' kingship, like his priesthood, is different.

Let's let the genealogy explain. In Luke 3:27, we learn that one of his ancestors was named Shealtiel. Now notice, in Jeremiah 22:28-30, that the prophet wrote that no descendent of Coniah would ever rule in Judah anymore. Coniah also is called Jeconiah, or Jehoiachin. And, who was he? We learn in 1 Chronicles 3: 17-18 that he was the father of Shealtiel. Thus, if Coniah's descendents would never occupy the throne of Judah, and Shealtiel was descended from Coniah, and an ancestor of Jesus, then Jesus could never reign in Jerusalem (Judah). Of course, He never has and never will. He reigns in heaven. And that destroys all the premillenial speculation about an earthly reign of Christ.

These genealogies serve many important purposes and teach many lessons, of which the above are just a few.

We see that Jesus was the fruit or fulfillment of all God's promises: He was the Son of David--the true king; He was son of Abraham--the true Jew; He was the son of Adam--the true man; He was the Son of God--the divine man, the beginning of a new spiritual race. (John 1:4) (Edited KMG)