Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm20081119.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Luke: Jesus, The Son Of Man For All Mankind
Part X: Clarifying How Jesus Is The World's Savior By His Genealogy
(Luke 3:23-38)
  1. Introduction
    1. In Luke's era, a Jew's genealogy was as important to his identity in Israel as is one's birth certificate today.
    2. However, as Gentile Luke wrote to a Gentile reader, Theophilus, he used the genealogy of Jesus Christ to go far beyond just identifying Him as a descendant of Abraham to show He was the Savior of the world:
  2. Clarifying How Jesus Is The World's Savior By His Genealogy, Luke 3:23-38.
    1. The genealogy of Jesus in Luke 3:23-38 is that of Mary and not that of Joseph for the following reasons:
      1. The Luke 3:23-38 KJV genealogy begins with the claim that Jesus "was supposed" to be Joseph's son.
      2. The verb rendered "was supposed" is the Greek word, enomizeto that means either "according to legitimate calculation" or "as was supposed," Norval Geldenhuys, Luke (NICNT), 1979, p. 153, ftn. 3.
      3. Since Luke's genealogy looks beyond Jewish origins to the start of the human race in Adam (Luke 3:34, 38), the correct meaning for enomizeto should not be "according to legitimate calculation" with a Jewish emphasis, but "as was supposed" to mean Joseph was not the real earthly father of Jesus, Ibid.
      4. It was not customary to include a woman's name in either Jewish or Roman genealogies, Ibid., p. 151. Thus, the use of the unusual phrase, "as was supposed" was given to show Heli was not Joseph's father, but Mary's, and that Luke was reporting how Jesus was a descendant of Heli through Mary, Ibid.
    2. As such, Luke's genealogy uniquely ties Jesus' human origin to the entire human race (as follows):
      1. Opposite Matthew's genealogy that starts with Abraham, the father of the Jews and moves forward in time to Jesus to show He is the King of the Jews (Matthew 1:1-17), Luke's genealogy starts with Jesus and moves back in time to Abraham and beyond him even to Adam, the first man, Luke 3:23, 23, 38. Thus, Luke laid claim to the universality of Jesus as the Savior Who represents all the sons of Adam!
      2. Luke's genealogy, in differing from Matthew's genealogy, shows how Jesus would gain David's throne and still qualify to be holy and blessed in victory over a divine curse on the ruling line (as follows):
        1. Luke 1:32 stated that God would give unto Jesus the throne of His father David.
        2. However, the right to rule came by Coniah of the line of Solomon, and Coniah's seed was cursed so none of his seed could prosper on David's throne, Jer. 22:28-30. [The "Coniah" in Jeremiah 22:28 KJV is elsewhere called "Jeconiah" or "Jehoiachin" or "Shallum," Z. P. E. B., vol. Three, p. 416.]
        3. Well, the lineage of Jesus in Luke 3:23-38 leaves Jesus as the rightful AND YET uncursed King: (1) The genealogies of Luke and Matthew differ from David to Shealtiel, for Luke traced the line back through David's son, Nathan where Matthew traced the line through David's son Solomon who had the right to David's throne, Bible Knowledge Commentary, New Testament, p. 212. (2) Since Mary's line is recorded in the Luke 3 genealogy, and it traces back through David's son, Nathan (Luke 3:31), Jesus does not have the curse of Coniah upon Him since He is not of Coniah's seed due to His virgin birth through Mary, Luke 1:30-37! (3) However, for the right to rule on David's throne, Jesus had to be heir of the ruling line of Solomon and his cursed seed in Coniah, and this right comes by Joseph who is of that cursed line, and that through his marriage to Jesus' mother, Mary. Jesus thus has right to rule on David's throne by marriage! (John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord, 1974, p. 104! (4) In this way the Father would give Jesus the throne of His father, David!
    3. Jesus' lineage was never critiqued by the ardent Jewish opponents of Christianity in its early years, and, if that lineage had any questionable point, it would have been an easy target to use to discredit the Christian faith, Ibid., Geldenhuys, p. 152. Thus, Luke's genealogy of Jesus that survived early, knowledgeable critics offers great evidence that He is the Son of David, of Abraham and of Adam, father of all humanity!
Lesson: Even the genealogy of Jesus shows He is BOTH the HOLY as well as the TRUE Heir to David's throne as the Savior of the Jew and the Gentile, the whole human race that came from Adam!

Application: May we rejoice in the CERTAINTY of the PEDIGREE of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Who in every way FULLY delivers ANY human from hell by faith in His substitutionary death, and Who will RIGHTLY RULE on David's throne over the whole human race with blessing and glory.