Bible Question: I would like to know why there are two different fathers for Joseph, the person taking care of the baby Jesus. The lists are in Matt and Luke. |
Bible Answer: I would agree with Tim. The best answer, which follows the context, is that Matthew gave the genealogy of Jesus through his adopted father Joseph whereas Luke followed the genealogy through Mary. Perhaps more clarification would be helpful. The context of Matthew focuses upon the experience and involvement of Joseph, whereas Luke focuses on Mary and treats Mary as the primary source. Matthew says nothing directly of Mary's encounter with the angel or of Mary's travel to visit Elizabeth, but it includes Joseph's decisions, his encounter with an angel in his dream, his decision to take Mary as his wife but remain celebate until after the child's birth, the visit of the Magi and Joseph's dream after they left, etc. It is also more directly connected to establish Jesus as the Messiah who would inherit the kingdom of David -- which passes through Jehoiachin (Jeconiah), the last king assigned by the Jews rather than by a conquering power. However, although this would be the natural expected line of descent of kingship, Jeremiah had also prophesied that no blood descendant of Jehoiachin would ever sit on the throne (Jer 22:30). Thus prophecies regarding the re-establishment of the progression of the throne of David through a permanent future king (through the lineage under which the kingship passed down) would have seemed impossible -- until we see Jesus come as the adopted descendant of Jeconiah with all rights of inheritance, but not a blood descendant. Nevertheless, Jesus was also a true blood descendant of David's son Nathan through his mother Mary and her father Eli. I believe that adding parenthesis to the Luke 3:23 description would better fit the intent of the text -- "being (as was supposed the son of Joseph) the son of Eli..." Since Luke explicitly points out that Jesus was not really Joseph's son, but only supposed/thought to be so, it would be quite illogical to then immediately give the genealogy through Joseph. In addition, Jewish genealogies were very carefully recorded, particularly for descendants of David, and the writer of Matthew and/or Luke (whichever wrote later) likely had access to the other's writing as well. Therefore, the blood father of Jesus is Mary's father Eli, who is descended through David through his son Nathan, not through the kingly line of Solomon. Thus he meets the test of being a blood descendant of David (through Nathan, Eli, and Mary) and also receiving the passing of the kingship itself directly through Solomon and Jehoiachin/Jeconiah through adoption as Joseph's oldest son (adopted and treated as a son and heir before any other children were conceived). |