Man, I only saw this thread just now. I see there are many questions that need answering. While I can't answer every single question I will focus on the one. I will focus on the Genealogy of Jesus. I have a Bible Study on this very topic if we ever have a week where there isn't a set passage to study.
The Genealogy in Matthew is the very first thing we read in the New Testament. While it is very tempting to skim over the names, we would be doing a disservice as we would miss what the Genealogy teaches us. The Genealogy proves that Jesus is the Messiah.
Here is the underlying question of the Genealogy: Is Jesus eligible to be the Messiah? We will answer this by looking at the Genealogy.
Let's first read both Genealogies and ask the tough questions.
Matthew 1:1-17 NIV
1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham:
2 Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers,
3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
4 Ram the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed the father of Jesse,
6 and Jesse the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife,
7 Solomon the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asa,
8 Asa the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Jehoram,
Jehoram the father of Uzziah,
9 Uzziah the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah,
10 Hezekiah the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amon,
Amon the father of Josiah,
11 and Josiah the father of Jeconiah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon.
12 After the exile to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud,
Abihud the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
14 Azor the father of Zadok,
Zadok the father of Akim,
Akim the father of Elihud,
15 Elihud the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.
17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.
Luke 23:31-38 NIV
21 When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
23 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, 24 the son of Matthat,
the son of Levi, the son of Melki,
the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,
25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos,
the son of Nahum, the son of Esli,
the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath,
the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein,
the son of Josek, the son of Joda
27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa,
the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel,
the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melki,
the son of Addi, the son of Cosam,
the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,
29 the son of Joshua, 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 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 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 Kenan, 38 the son of Enosh,
the son of Seth, the son of Adam,
the son of God.
We are going to focus on Matthew's Genealogy and ask some questions. There are 3 names blotted out in Matthew's text. We can compare this to 1 Chronicles 3:10-16. 3 names are blotted out (Ahazia, Joash and Amaziah)
The Kings of Judah
10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam,
Abijah his son,
Asa his son,
Jehoshaphat his son,
11 Jehoram his son,
Ahaziah his son,
Joash his son,
12 Amaziah his son,
Azariah his son,
Jotham his son,
13 Ahaz his son,
Hezekiah his son,
Manasseh his son,
14 Amon his son,
Josiah his son.
15 The sons of Josiah:
Johanan the firstborn,
Jehoiakim the second son,
Zedekiah the third,
Shallum the fourth.
16 The successors of Jehoiakim:
Jehoiachin his son,
and Zedekiah.
First and foremost we do not know why Matthew blotted out the names. The best we can do is make an assumption. When Joram became King he killed his Brothers:
2 Chronicles 21:4 NIV
"When Jehoram established himself firmly over his father’s kingdom, he put all his brothers to the sword along with some of the officials of Israel."
In Deuteronomy 23:7-8 Israel receives the commandment that the Egyptians were not to enter into the assembly of the LORD for 3 generations. Joram may have received a comparable punishment by the Priests that he could not register his sons for 3 generations, hence the gap.
"7 Do not despise an Edomite, for the Edomites are related to you. Do not despise an Egyptian, because you resided as foreigners in their country. 8 The third generation of children born to them may enter the assembly of the Lord."
Background to Deuteronomy 23 is the law of Exclusion from the Assembly.
This explains why Matthew finishes off in verse 17 the way he does so that nobody can come along and adjust the names. It also claims authentic value concerning descent but doesn’t claim an accurate biological (historical) description.
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The next problem is the curse on Jeconiah where none of his offspring will sit on the throne of David.
Jeremiah 22:24-30 NIV
24 “As surely as I live,” declares the Lord, “even if you, Jehoiachin son of Jehoiakim king of Judah, were a signet ring on my right hand, I would still pull you off. 25 I will deliver you into the hands of those who want to kill you, those you fear—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the Babylonians.[d] 26 I will hurl you and the mother who gave you birth into another country, where neither of you was born, and there you both will die. 27 You will never come back to the land you long to return to.”
28 Is this man Jehoiachin a despised, broken pot,
an object no one wants?
Why will he and his children be hurled out,
cast into a land they do not know?
29 O land, land, land,
hear the word of the Lord!
30 This is what the Lord says:
“Record this man as if childless,
a man who will not prosper in his lifetime,
for none of his offspring will prosper,
none will sit on the throne of David
or rule anymore in Judah.”
How do we answer this? We will need to go back to the Old Testament and understand the Law of Inheritance as in Numbers.
Numbers 27:1-11 NIV
27 The daughters of Zelophehad son of Hepher, the son of Gilead, the son of Makir, the son of Manasseh, belonged to the clans of Manasseh son of Joseph. The names of the daughters were Mahlah, Noah, Hoglah, Milkah and Tirzah. They came forward 2 and stood before Moses, Eleazar the priest, the leaders and the whole assembly at the entrance to the tent of meeting and said, 3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among Korah’s followers, who banded together against the Lord, but he died for his own sin and left no sons. 4 Why should our father’s name disappear from his clan because he had no son? Give us property among our father’s relatives.”
5 So Moses brought their case before the Lord, 6 and the Lord said to him, 7 “What Zelophehad’s daughters are saying is right. You must certainly give them property as an inheritance among their father’s relatives and give their father’s inheritance to them.
8 “Say to the Israelites, ‘If a man dies and leaves no son, give his inheritance to his daughter. 9 If he has no daughter, give his inheritance to his brothers. 10 If he has no brothers, give his inheritance to his father’s brothers. 11 If his father had no brothers, give his inheritance to the nearest relative in his clan, that he may possess it. This is to have the force of law for the Israelites, as the Lord commanded Moses.’”
Numbers 36:6-9 NIV
6 This is what the Lord commands for Zelophehad’s daughters: They may marry anyone they please as long as they marry within their father’s tribal clan. 7 No inheritance in Israel is to pass from one tribe to another, for every Israelite shall keep the tribal inheritance of their ancestors. 8 Every daughter who inherits land in any Israelite tribe must marry someone in her father’s tribal clan, so that every Israelite will possess the inheritance of their ancestors. 9 No inheritance may pass from one tribe to another, for each Israelite tribe is to keep the land it inherits.”
So if a Daughter is the only heir to the father, she would inherit all his possessions, inheritance and rights but only if she married within her tribe.
Deuteronomy 25:5-6 talks about the Levirate Marriage
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. 6 The first son she bears shall carry on the name of the dead brother so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
Matthan dies and so Estha marries Matthat. Matthan had a son, Jacob while Matthat had a son, Heli. Heli dies and so Heli’s Wife Marries Jacob as he and Heli are half-brothers. This is where Deuteronomy 25:5-6 applies and so Jacob’s son Joseph bears the name of the dead brother. Joseph also inherits the right to Marry Heli’s daughter Mary.
Mary is then conceived by the Holy Spirit and so Jesus is not affected by the curse of Jeconiah. (Matthew 1: 18-25)
Key takeaways:
Matthew’s genealogy traces Jesus’ royal pedigree because the Gospel’s central purpose was to prove that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
Luke’s genealogy traces Jesus’ relationship to all of humankind because the Gospel’s central purpose was to prove that Jesus was the Savior of the world.
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Key Bible Passages that promise the coming of the Messiah.
Genesis 12:1-3 Nations will be blessed through Abraham’s lineage.
Genesis 17:19 your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant.
Genesis 28:14 Nations will be blessed through Jacob’s offspring
Genesis 49:10: The sceptre will not depart from Judah
2 Samuel 7:12-13: When your days are over and you rest with your ancestors, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, your own flesh and blood, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Isaiah 7:14: Therefore the LORD himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son.
Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
Micah 5:2, Out of Bethlehem will come the Messiah.
Requirements to be the Messiah.
Descend from Abraham (who came through Shem of Noah’s sons) – Genesis 12:3
Descend from Isaac – Genesis 17:19
Descend from Jacob – Genesis 28:14
Descend from Judah – Luke 3:33
Descend from Jesse – Isaiah 11:1
Descend from David – 2 Samuel 7:12-13.
Cannot descend from Jeconiah – Jeremiah 22:24-30 (Isaiah 7:14 : The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son)
Be born of a Virgin – Isaiah 7:14.
Born in Bethlehem – Micah 5:2.
Does Jesus fulfil all these requirements? Yes he does! Jesus is therefore eligible to be the Messiah. What does it mean? We had better listen to what Jesus has to say.
