Joseph of Nazareth: Background

When I was a boy I remember going to my maternal grandparents home and leafing through an old, oversized Bible.  I was fascinated by a chart that recorded the lineage of my grandfather’s family dating back to the 1500’s in England.

As an only child, the Bible was left to my Mom when both her parents died. Years later, visiting my parents in Florida, I asked my Mom if I could see the Bible. She replied, “I don’t have it anymore. I sent it to grandpa’s brother in Canada. He’s the one who should really have it.”

Surprised, I asked if she had made a photocopy of the geneaology. She said, “I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t think of it at the time.” Ugh! I knew that in the intervening years my great uncle had died, so the Bible could’ve ended up anywhere. Oh well.

 For most people, genealogies aren’t as important today as they were in biblical times. They were especially important to the children of Israel in order to prove their credentials as Jews. That’s why there’s so many genealogies in the Bible, especially in the Old Testament.

Like me, you probably skip over these lists when your’re reading the Bible. After all, it’s boring to read a bunch of names who, for the most part, you’ve never heard of. However, there are two genealogies in the New Testament that are vitally important. The ancestory of Jesus Christ is presented in Matthew 1 and Luke 4.

Matthew 1 traces Jesus’ ancestry through his adopted father, Joseph. The list starts with Abraham and moves forward in time until it reaches Joseph, the son of Jacob. In that culture, an adopted father was viewed as a child’s legal father.

Since Joseph’s ancestry can be traced back to Abraham, Jesus is legally a Jew. More importantly, Jesus’ ancestors came from the house of David through Solomon. This means that Jesus Christ has a legal claim to throne of Israel, the main criterion for the Messiah.

The genealogy of Jesus includes well-known characters, like Abraham, Isaac, Ruth, and David. It also lists ordinary folks, such as Hezron; Ram; Nashon; and Akim. There are a few questionable characters, including Rehab and Tamar. And two who were downright evil: Manasseh and Abijah. The list also is unusual for its time because it lists five women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.

The other genealogy in Luke 3 traces Jesus’ ancestry through his mother, Mary. Luke’ s list starts with Joseph and moves backwards through time to Adam. It’s meant to emphasize that Jesus was fully human, as well as the legal heir to the royal throne through David’s less well-know son, Nathan.

Scholars point to a discrepancy in the two lists. In Matthew, Jesus’ father is listed as Jacob; in Luke, it’s Heli. Why? The Jerusalem Talmud indicates that Mary was the daughter of Heli; therefore, Joseph was the son of Jacob and the son-in-law of Heli. So the two genealogies reveal that Jesus had a legitimate claim as King of the Jews both through His father and mother. Through Joseph, Jesus had a legal claim to the throne of David; through Mary, His claim is through bloodline.

In God’s divine plan, He interwove the stories of many individuals over time, to ensure that His Son had a legal and familial claim as Messiah. Moreover, biblical scholars have identified over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament related to the coming Messiah. Jesus fulfilled every one of them.

On this Christmas Day, 2012, let us rejoice that the tiny baby, born in a manager in a stable, is the promised Messiah. He truly is the King of King and Lord of Lords. To you and your family, Merry Christmas.

 ©2012 Designed to Serve®