JOSEPH W. TKACH
PASTOR GENERAL

February 1989

Dear Friend:

Thank you for your question concerning the differences between Matthew 1 and Luke 3.

These two chapters, both giving genealogies of Christ, at first appear to be contradictory. Actually, however, they complement each other.

The genealogy in Matthew 1 is clearly that of Joseph, Mary's husband. Matthew recorded it for legal purposes. He was writing to prove to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah, and the Jews' custom in keeping records was to trace descent through the father. Legally, the Jews of Jesus' day looked on Jesus as a son of Joseph (John 6:42).

Also, Joseph's lineage was given to emphasize the fact that Jesus had been born of a virgin. Because of a curse that God placed on one of Joseph's ancestors, Christ could never sit upon the throne of David if Joseph had been His natural father.

Jechonias (Matt. 1:11-12), called Coniah in Jeremiah 22:24-30, was so evil God cursed him and his descendants and said, "Write this man down as childless ... for none of his descendants shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling anymore in Judah" (verse 30, New King James Version). Jeconiah, as his name is spelled in the Old Testament, had children (I Chron. 3:17) but was childless as far as having any descendants on the throne of David, ruling the separate nation of Judah.

How, then, could Christ be a descendant of David and qualify to sit on the throne? Enter the genealogy in Luke 3.

This genealogy is actually Mary's. According to Jewish usage, Mary's genealogy was given in her husband's name. The original Greek merely says Joseph was "of Heli" (Luke 3:23). In fact, since Joseph's father was Jacob (Matt. 1:16), Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli.

Unlike Joseph's lineage, there was no block to the throne of David ruling over Judah in Jesus' genealogy through Mary. Her ancestor was David's son Nathan, not Solomon or one of David's other children (Luke 3:31). To fulfill His promise to establish David's throne forever, God honored Nathan by making him the ancestor of the promised King who would sit on David's throne through eternity (Luke 1:31-33).

But how could Mary transmit David's royal inheritance -- the right to the throne -- to her son, since all inheritances had to pass through male descendants? According to Israel's law, when a daughter was the only heir, she could inherit her father's possessions and rights if she married within her own tribe (Num. 27:1-8; 36:6-8). Mary had no brothers who could be her father's heirs. Joseph became Heli's heir by marriage to Mary, and thus inherited the right to rule on David's throne, even over Judah. This right then passed on to Christ.

Both genealogies had to be recorded to establish Christ's right to rule on David's throne. Joseph's genealogy shows that Christ was a legal descendant of Jeconiah and thus legally could not sit on the throne of David in the nation Judah by inheriting the right solely through Joseph.

Further, the genealogies prove the virgin birth: The curse on Jeconiah's line would have passed on to Christ if He were Joseph's natural son, but He wasn't -- He was begotten by the Holy Spirit and was the Son of God.

Jesus was Mary's son descended from Nathan. Jesus can inherit rule over Judah because of Mary's marriage to Joseph, whose genealogy shows he was Heli's son-in-law.

Thank you again for your inquiry. Whenever we may be of additional assistance to you in your study of the Bible, we hope you will let us know.

PERSONAL CORRESPONDENCE DEPARTMENT