The Roots Of Jesus And A Race Through Time

Luke 3:23-38
Introduction
Matthew 22:42 (NLT)
42 “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “He is the son of
David.”

Many geneticists believe all human beings on the planet earth have a
common ancestry. With DNA we can trace mitochondrial markers back to
their ancient human beginnings. What scientists are just now beginning to
discover, Bible believers have known in every generation. We share a
common ancestry. All people on the planet earth have a common origin, a
common maternity. I say a common maternity because the mitochondrial
markers are passed from mother to child.

We share a common origin. In this day of ethnic diversity, political

correctness, and racial animosity, God’s Word tells us there is only one race,
the human race.

We share a common human condition known as sin. We share a common

Savior. Jesus is God’s provision for all humanity. Jesus represents all of us.
We sometimes slip into the artificial racial, or national designations that
blind us, and cause a kind of cultural alzheimer fog- where we forget—that
we are human, we not only share a planet, we share relationship with one
another. Transcending all of that—is the fact that Jesus as Son and Savior
offers an opportunity to any of us to share in God’s grace, forgiveness and
reconciliation.

Why is the genealogy of Jesus important? Is Jesus qualified to be the

Savior, the promised Son? The genealogy of Jesus is more than a human
pedigree, it is a prophetic pedigree. The Bible is Jesus’ family album.

What proof does He have that He is God’s messenger, God’s Messiah? In

this passage of Scripture Luke demonstrates that even the roots of Jesus, his
genealogy, prove He is the Messiah. His roots give Him the right to claim
Messiah-ship, to claim that He is the Savior, the Son of God. If God did
become a human being, what might we expect? Could we expect Him to
predict and communicate His entry into the world? Could we expect Him to
have an unusual entrance into this life? Could we expect Him to be without
sin? Could we expect Him to have a keen or profound sense of difference
from other men?

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Luke has at least two purposes, in tracing Jesus’ ancestry from either his
mother or supposed father Joseph (v.23)-back to David (v.31) and Abraham
(v.34). Luke establishes Jesus’ credentials qualifying him to be Israel’s
Messiah. Second, by taking Jesus’ ancestry all the way back to Adam, Luke
establishes Jesus as the Messiah for all mankind. Jesus is the Savior of the
world, the whole world, your world. Jesus is nothing less than the perfect
son of God (see v.38; 4:3,9). Luke wants to show Jesus’ connection to
David, to Abraham, to Adam.

Do you know anything about your family tree?

In the ancient world pedigree was important. The Bible is filled with
genealogies, Adam, Cain, Japheth, Ham, Shem, Abraham (you can imagine
their lists are pretty short).

. Numbers 1:18 (NKJV)

18 and they assembled all the congregation together on the first day of the second month; and
they recited their ancestry by families, by their fathers’ houses, according to the number of
names, from twenty years old and above, each one individually.

There are a number of reasons proof of ancestry was important in the world
Jesus grew up in. Your ancestry determined where you lived, as the children
of Jacob where given tribal allotments (Num.26:34-35). The transfer of
property required accurate knowledge of one’s family tree (Ruth 3-4); it
served as a basis for taxation (Luke 2:4); the priests needed ancestral proof
of their descent from Levi (Ezra 2:61-62); it could demonstrate the nobility
of one’s pedigree (Phil.3:5)”(see Marvin Pate’s commentary Moody Gospel
p.108). Luke is writing to Gentiles, people who—if they believe in a God,
that God is transcendent, removed, untouchable, unknowable. Luke had to
demonstrate that Jesus was fully human. He was a man, born of a woman,
filled with human feelings and human emotions, yes and even human
limitations.

The gospel of Matthew was written by a Jew for Jews. The genealogy of
Jesus is in the very first chapter. The theme of Matthew’s gospel is “Jesus is
the King of the Jews”. There Jesus’ pedigree is traced through his adopted
father—Joseph. Mark’s gospel was written to Romans. It is only 14
chapters and reads like a made for TV movie. Roman Italians had a very
short attention span. Like Americans they wanted you to get to the point.
For the poor and for slaves, things like fancy genealogies just didn’t matter.
Mark’s gospel emphasizes humility, humanity, and service. Dr. Luke is a
Greek physician. The Greeks were looking for the perfect man. John’s

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gospel was written to the world looking for God. In John’s gospel Jesus is
portrayed as the God-man.

“The genealogy of Jesus Christ is immeasurably more than a list of ancient

names; it is even more than a list of Jesus’ human forbears. It is a testimony
to God’s grace and to the ministry of His Son, Jesus Christ, the friend of
sinners, who “did not come to call the righteous, but sinners” (Matt.9:3). If
He has called sinners by grace to be His forefathers, should we be surprised
when He calls them by grace to be His descendants?”(John MacArthur Jr.
Matthew p.9).

There are two genealogies listed in the New Testament for Jesus. The
simple explanation is the genealogy in Matthew traces Christ’s ancestry
through his adopted father Joseph. The genealogy in Luke traces the
ancestry of Jesus through His biological mother. There are many Bible
scholars that disagree with that simple explanation.

Matthew’s gospel records the paternity of Jesus from Abraham—Jesus was a

Jew. “Luke’s list ascends from Jesus to Adam and is written for all
mankind”(W.H. Griffith Thomas p.21). Thomas further notes Matthew’s
genealogy through Joseph (Mary’s husband) gives the royal lineage, through
his foster father and guardian. Even though Joseph was not Jesus’ biological
father he had the right to David’s throne.

Luke’s gospel records the genealogy of Mary, Jesus’ mother. “Matthew

shows Jesus as King of the Jews, while Luke depicts Him as Savior of the
World” (ibid p.21). There is no genealogy in Mark. A servant doesn’t need
one. There is no genealogy in John. The mighty God has none. The Jews
were expecting a King. Kings must have a royal lineage. God had made
promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The King would be from the tribe of
Judah, from the son of Jesse, and David. God’s promises and prophecies are
sure. No conscientious Jew would dispute Christ’s claim to be a son of
David. But Jesus is not simply a Jewish savior, Jesus is the son of Adam.
He is the savior of the world.

Luke has 57 names, Matthew has 41. Luke’s list is structured along the lines
of 11 groups of seven people in each group, while Matthew’s list is based on
three sets of 14 generations.

Jesus; the Son of Man (v.23)

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Luke 3:23 (NKJV)

23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed)
the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

Why did Jesus begin his ministry “at about thirty years of age”?

In both Jewish and Greco-Roman culture 30 was the appropriate age to

begin public service. At thirty priests began their duties (see Num.4:3,47).
At thirty Joseph entered Pharaoh’s service (Gen.41:46). David’s reign as
King of Israel began at the age of 30 (2 Sam.5:4). Jesus, the son of David,
follows in his father’s footsteps. Since Luke does not give us his precise
age, we can’t use this verse to identify with certainty the exact year of Jesus’
birth. At 30 a Scribe began his teaching ministry. Thirty was thought to be
the age of maturity and development. Jesus lived 30 years, growing,
developing, learning, experiencing, working, understanding life and love and
responsibility. Jesus worked, Jesus took care of his family. Jesus could
relate to people in the everyday circumstances of life. I think Jesus
experience of human growth and human life makes him completely aware of
our human experiences.

Jesus; the Son of David (vv.24-31)

Luke 3:24 (NKJV)

24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph,

The names in verses 24-26 are not mentioned in the Old Testament.

We all have family trees. What makes Jesus’ family tree so interesting is-it
qualifies him to be God’s chosen Son. We receive our role in God’s family
through Jesus. In a sense, the only genealogy that counts for us is the one
that connects us to Jesus, Jesus’ biology makes our roots less relevant. God
makes His children out of Jews and Gentiles, males and females, Asian,
black, Hispanic, it does not matter.

Luke 3:27 (NKJV)

27 the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of
Neri,

Jonan may be the son of Zerubbabel cited in 1 Chronicles 3:19. Rhesa could
be an unmentioned son of Zerubbabel or it could be a transcription of the
Aramaic word resa which means ‘prince’. Shealtiel is listes as the the father

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of Zerubbabel however 1 Chronicles 3:19 (LXX)—Maxoretic text lists
Pediaiah. Machen argues that because Shealtiel and Pedaiah were brothers
(1 Chron.3:17 a levirate marriage was involved.

(v.27) This Zerubbabel is well known in the Bible. He was appointed

governor of Judea by the Persian authorities when the Jews returned from
Babylonian exile. He supervised the rebuilding of the temple (Ezra 3:2, 8)
and was exhorted by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah to finish the task
(Hag.1:1-15; Zech. 4:6-10).

Isaiah 11:1-4 (NKJV)

1 There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of
counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.
3 His delight is in the fear of the Lord, And He shall not judge by the sight of His eyes, Nor decide
by the hearing of His ears;
4 But with righteousness He shall judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the
earth; He shall strike the earth with the rod of His mouth, And with the breath of His lips He shall
slay the wicked.

(v.31) Nathan was the third son born to David. He was born in Jerusalem (2
Sam.5:14). He should not be confused with Nathan the prophet.

Jesus qualified as the Davidic heir.

2 Samuel 7:12-13 (NKJV)

12 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you,
who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
13 He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

Psalm 132:11 (NKJV)

11 The Lord has sworn in truth to David; He will not turn from it: “I will set upon your throne the
fruit of your body.

Psalm 18:43 (NKJV)

43 You have delivered me from the strivings of the people; You have made me the head of the
nations; A people I have not known shall serve me.

Over and over again Jesus is called “the son of David” (see Matt.12:23;
15:22; 20:30-31). For generations Jews were looking for the Messiah, the
promised deliverer of Israel. The people expected a great military leader, a
general, a liberator from the yoke of foreign dominion. In fact, they
expected Him to make the nation the center of a universal rule. He would
under God conquer the world, establish his throne and execute a fiery

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judgment upon the nations and the people of the world. There was plenty of
prophetic pronouncements that caused them to come to that conclusion.

If Luke can demonstrate that Jesus fulfills all the prophecies as they relate to
King David, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he can go along way towards
convincing the prophecy literalists.

Psalm 89:3-4 (NKJV)

3 “I have made a covenant with My chosen, I have sworn to My servant David:
4 ‘Your seed I will establish forever, And build up your throne to all generations.’ ”

Jesus; the Son of Adam (vv.32-38)

Luke 3:32-35 (NKJV)

32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,
33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of
Judah,
34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,

Luke’s list from David to Abraham parallels Matthew 1:2-6, except that
Luke adds tow names—Admin and Arni—that Matthew does not have,
neither of which are mentioned in the Old Testament. The others are known
from the Old Testament, Jesse, David’s father (I Sam.16:1); Obed, Jesse’s
father (Ruth 4:17,21,22) Boaz, husband of Ruth (Ruth 2-4); Sala, Boaz’s
father (I Chron.2:11), Nahshon (Num.1:7); one of the leaders of the tribe of
Judah who helped Moses take the census in the wilderness (Num.1:7);
Amminadab, father of Nahshon (Num.1:7); Hezron, one of the leaders of the
tribe of Judah (Gen.46:12); Perez, twin brother of Zerah born to Judah and
Tamar (Gen.38:29); the patriarchs: Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham; Terah
(Gen.11:26,27) and Nahor (Gen.11:22), Abraham’s father and grandfather.

(v.35) “Serug is a name probably taken from Sarugi, west of Haran

(Gen.11:20 LXX); Reu was a Semite whose name means “friend of God”
(Gen.11:18). Peleg (Gen.11:16) means ‘division’, no doubt—with reference
to the Tower of Babel (Gen.11). Heber probably means “Hebrew” making
him the father of the Hebrew people. Shelah and Arphaxad are found in
Genesis 11:10-13; Cainan occurs only in the LXX of Genesis 11:10-13.
Jesus’ family is full of significant historical figures” (Pate, p.111).

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Some people are well known. Some people are unknown. Some had an
authentic walk with the Lord. Jesus represents both the well known and the
unknown people in the world.

The Lord is aware of everyone, the famous and infamous, the known, the
barely known and the unknown. God’s reward is not based on fame, but
faith, not public accolade but personal trust and faith and obedience to
Christ. God honors the faithful. Have you ever heard the testimony of well
known Christians who point to less known people who pointed them in the
direction of Jesus Christ? God often gets people’s attention through a
grandparent, a relative, or a friend the world never knows.

Adam is called the son of God because he has no biological father. He was
created directly by God. Angels are called “sons of God” because they were
created directly by God.

Jesus is the second Adam.

Adam failed in his obedience to God. Jesus the true Son of God, succeeds
when tested (see Luke’s temptation account in the next chapter; 4:1-13).

Jesus; the Son of God (v.38)

Jesus is the Adamic heir—fully man, fully God. Jesus is the only being in
the history of the world who can fully represent man before God and God
before man. This was the function of a priest, the High Priest. The High
Priest bore the name of God before men, and He carried the names of men
before God.

Hebrews 2:17 (NKJV)

17 Therefore, in all things He had to be made like His brethren, that He might be a merciful and
faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

1 John 2:1-2 (NKJV)

1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we
have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole
world.

The Scriptures teach Jesus did live a perfect life. He never sinned
(2Cor.5:21; Heb. 4:15).