Today’s Passage: Luke 3:23-38

Ever been trundling along, kind of in a groove, and then the situation changes?

I feel like that when I get to this genealogy. Why did Luke “stick it here”? Plus, if we take the time to examine the genealogy given by Luke and compare it closely with the genealogy that Matthew gives us, we will find some discrepancies, as critical scholars have been quick to point out. Why does Matthew give one list and Luke another?

Without getting too technical, there are different possible solutions to this. One of the most common is the idea that Matthew gives us the genealogy of Joseph, and Luke simply gives us the genealogy of Mary.

Remember, Matthew was writing his Gospel to Jews, and to them the most important issue is not the virgin birth, but whether Jesus is the legal descendant of David, for the Messiah must be of the lineage of David, and that lineage legally comes through Joseph.

But there is a bigger difference—a difference that speaks to Luke’s, and thus to Jesus’ message.

Jesus Christ is not just for the Jews. Jesus is for the world, Jew and gentile. Jesus is for Romans and Greeks. Jesus is the new Adam, the author of the new humanity, the one who comes to redeem and to reconcile men and women from every tribe and nation. Not merely giving himself as a ransom for the lost sheep of Israel, but pouring out himself as a substitute for the sinful children of Adam’s race. Luke’s genealogy goes all the way back to Adam!