Note, first, the two of the four gospels they are found.
In Mathew, Jesus is portrayed as our KING
In Mark as Servant
In Luke as the Man
In John as the Son of God
Now, a Servant need not produce his genealogy; neither can God have one. It is a King who must have one, and a Man who should have one. Therefore it is that we have two genealogies, and not more than two. And that is why we have one in Mathew giving the Royal genealogy of Jesus as King; and one in Luke giving the Human genealogy of Jesus as Man. Hence, also it is that Mathew’s is a descending genealogy while Luke is an ascending one. For Kings must trace their descent, and man must trace his ascent. Mathew’s therefore, begins with Abraham, and comes down to Joseph, the Son of Heli, while Luke’s starts from Joseph, and goes upto Adam and God.
As far as David both the lists agree. In Mathew, after David, we have his son Solomon; while in Luke we have another son, Solomon’s elder brother, Nathan. From this point, therefore, we have two lines. One Mathew gives the Royal line or the Legal line through Solomon; the other Luke gives the Natural line or the Lineal line through Nathan. Both the lines meet in Joseph, the son of Jacob by birth and the son of Heli by marriage with Mary, Heli’s only daughter. (Ruth by marriage with Naomi’s son was called Maorni’s daughter Ruth 1:11-13; PI. read Neh 7:63; Num 36:11,12). Thus the two lines are united and exhausted in JESUS CHRIST.
Now the wonderful fact is that we have in genealogy of Luke 3, exactly 77 names, with GOD at the one end, and JESUS at the other.
On the otherhand, in Mathew, it is so arranged that it contains 42 generations, or Six sevens (6 x 7).
41 names are named in Mat 1. – 41
4 names are omitted – 4 (Ahaziah, Joash, Amasiah, Jehoiakim)
Add 21 names before Abraham – 21 (from Luke 3)
=====
66 names
So that while Jesus is the 77th name in the line which comes through Nathan, it is the 66th name which comes through Solomon.
When we remember, that Six is the human number, and Seven the Divine, we are thus pointed to the fact that Jesus was both Son of God and Son of Man.
In the original:
While, JESUS (in Greek) is composed of 6 letters and “CHRIST”, His divine title is composed of 7 letters.
| Mathew | Luke |
|---|---|
Hence, it does not say, in Luke 3:23, that Heli begot Joseph, but that he was “the son of Heli”. The words “the son” are in Italics, that means, it is not in the original. So it should read Joseph of Heli.
