The genealogies of Scripture can sometimes seem pointless and boring, requiring real effort to read through or perhaps resignation to being skipped altogether. But they actually carry a significant amount of importance towards not only the truthfulness of Scripture, but validation by placing those people, places, and events within their historical setting. Perhaps no book utilizes genealogies as predominately as Genesis, weaving “these are the generations of” no less than ten times throughout the book (toledots). Several other Old Testament books utilize long genealogical lists in order to trace and maintain the history of Israel, especially the kings, but we also find considerable genealogies in Chronicles and the New Testament books of Matthew and Luke.
Each of these New Testament books, and in reality, the Old Testament books too, are concerned with the genealogical origin of Jesus, with Matthew beginning with Abraham and Luke ending with Adam. Some people have chosen to focus on discrepancies or omissions between the two, but that really isn’t case at all. Both have different audiences and different divinely inspired agendas. Matthew is writing to a primarily Jewish audience and highlights the origin of the Jews, with Abraham, as well as their dynasty, with David, and deportation to Babylon. This sets up a 14 + 14 +14 generational scheme in order to arrive at the birth of Christ. While it may not include every genealogy, and purposefully so, what it does do is set Jesus’ birth within a historical framework. Luke begins with Jesus and by working backwards towards Adam, places Jesus in the lineage of all humanity, setting Him up as a type of second Adam.
Matthew, a Jewish tax collector chosen to be one of Jesus’ disciples (Matt. 9:9), provides evidence for the Jewish descent of Jesus by tracing His genealogical descent from Abraham, through David, and to those who had been exiled to Babylon. By doing so, Jesus is definitively a Jew and thereby born under the law. He is also a descendent of David and thereby heir to the throne of David. He inaugurates a new Exodus and restoration from exile that Israel had experienced, thereby becoming the new and true Israel.
Luke, a gentile and close associate of Paul having accompanied him on his later missionary journey’s and writing both his gospel account and Acts, begins his genealogical account with Jesus and works backwards. Interestingly, Luke mentions Jesus age at about thirty years, which would have been the age at which priests would begin their ministry (see also Ezekiel). Luke then proceeds to work back through Joseph to David, Judah, the Patriarchs, Noah, and eventually Adam. By doing so, he establishes the one line of humanity from Christ to Adam, helping his largely gentile readers see the original purpose of God’s redemption was one people from those in Adam to those in Christ (by faith alone).
The genealogies of Jesus aren’t throw away passages. They can be studied and meditated on like the rest of Scripture should be. When we do that, we walk away with some amazing truths about our Lord. The two New Testament genealogies are complimentary and provide for us the perfect foundational background and summary expectations for the life and ministry of Jesus. Rather than skipping over them or reading through them quickly, there is great value in taking our time to understand the history that led up to His birth and the context into which the historical Jesus was born, raised, died, and rose again.
