Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. (Luke 3:23-38)

The Perfect Genealogy

The study of family lineage has always been a part of the human landscape. From early times, charting the course of a seed line has been a vital part of establishing bloodlines and kinships, whether to determine a monarchy or family curiosity. With the recent death of Queen Elizabeth II, the question of succession to whom would receive the crown was foremost on the minds of the world. Queen Elizabeth can trace her ancestry as a direct descendent of Henry VII (1457-1509). Through Victoria (1837-1901) and several other of her great-great-grandparents, Elizabeth is directly descended from many British royals. However, tracing her lineage throughout the generations back to the first man Adam is impossible. Many lineages show a lengthy course of history, but none compared to the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Genealogy comes from the Greek meaning “the making of a pedigree.” The family tree of Jesus is given by the gospel writers Matthew and Luke. Matthew’s gospel is directed toward the Jewish mind proving that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham. Jesus was of the tribe of Judah, the fourth son of Jacob and Leah. The pedigree of Jesus of Nazareth was necessary to establish the change in the priesthood, as pointed out in the book of Hebrews. As the High Priest of the new covenant, Jesus would disannul the Law of Moses through the priesthood of Melchizedek instead of Levi. Luke presents the humanity of Jesus, tracing his lineage back to Adam. As a first-rate historian, Luke thoroughly investigated the story of Jesus but knowing the family tree of Jesus would only come through divine knowledge. The Holy Spirit outlined the complete historical genealogy of Jesus to show that Jesus was the answer to humanity’s lost condition. Jesus emptied Himself of the divine to dwell on the earth as a man experiencing all of the trials and travails of human flesh. It would mean little if Jesus was not a man. The genealogy presented by Luke shows the incredible sacrifice Jesus made.

How many people can trace their pedigree without interruption to the Garden of Eden? The only man who has ever shown His genealogical history in complete form is Jesus Christ. His family pedigree is one of the testimonies of the divine nature of the word of God. The Jews valued genealogy to a level of worshiping lineages. Paul warned the early Christians against putting too much stock in foolish discussions about spiritual pedigrees or quarrels and fights about obedience to Jewish laws. The lineage of Jesus in Matthew and Luke’s gospel is the thumbprint of the Lord God to show divine royalty. Only through God’s divine providence can the lineage of Jesus be perfected through the word passed down from generation to generation. The past of Jesus affirms our future. He is the Son of God. Check His pedigree. It’s perfect.