Matthew's Genealogy of Jesus

Posted by Brian Tubbs Feb 25, 2007

In his book Knowing Jesus Through the Old Testament, Christopher J.H. Wright argues that Matthew's genealogical passage was designed to introduce and position Jesus as both the "Davidic Messiah" and the ultimate "King of the Jews." It was a genealogy whose significance was not lost on the readers of Matthew's day.

While modern readers often breeze through the genealogies without giving them much thought other than how tedious they might be, ancient readers understood their import. And, in Matthew's case, the genealogy of Jesus was more than merely important. It was a confirmation of Jesus' identity and purpose.

Here is an excerpt from Wright's book on this subject. Read it and let us know (in the discussion boards) what you think:

Matthew...states at the outset what he will develop and demonstrate through his Gospel, that Jesus was the expected Messiah, of the royal line of David, with the rightful claim to the title "King of the Jews." He establishes this further by tracing Jesus's descent through the royal line of kings descended from David that ruled over Judah (vv. 6-11). Probably this represents an 'official' genealogy, whereas Luke (3:23-38) has recored Jesus's actual biological parentage (or rather, that of Joseph his legal, but not biological father). The two lists are not contradictory, but rather trace two lines through the same "family tree" from David to Jesus.

As a Christian who grew up being taught (and believing) in the infallible, inerrant nature of God's Word, I must admit that the conflicting genealogies caused me, at times, problems with my theology. How could the Bible be inspired and infallible - and yet contradictory in parts? (We will deal with the other contradictions in later blogs and articles). With the genealogy, however, further study showed me that the authors of Matthew and Luke (and, I believe, the authors were, in fact, Matthew and Luke) were NOT providing genealogical lines in the same rigorous, scholarly spirit that modern historians are known for. Rather, Matthew and Luke were highlighting specific ancestors in Jesus' family tree in order to showcase certain dimensions of Jesus' heritage and identity.

In Matthew's case, he wanted to demonstrate, from the outset that Jesus was the rightful "King of the Jews" and the fulfillment of the messianic prophecy that had sustained the Jewish nation for generations. According to Wright, Matthew shows that the Old Testament story has "run its completed course in preparation for [Jesus], and now its goal and climax has been reached."