Unique Qualities of Christ: His Lineage

Promised One

The things which qualified Jesus to be the promised Messiah are those qualities that no other man could possibly have. We will conclude our look at these unique qualities by examining Jesus’ lineage.

Lists of Names

There are fewer things in the Bible that cause the reader to want to turn the page than looking over list after list of names describing the lineage of various Bible figures. The book of Numbers has numerous such lists, for instance, which, while being of great value to the Israelite nation has little value in our era, other than to prove that God knew who His people were. However, the lineage accounts of Christ found in Mat. 1 and Luke 3 are of great importance.

Key Differences

The divergence between both lists, starting with the son of David (Solomon in Mat. and Nathan in Luke) is commonly explained as being a focus upon both of Jesus’ parents. Instead of creating a contradiction, this instead emphasizes the connection with the tribe of Judah through both His physical mother Mary and His adoptive father Joseph.

Truly Ancient

While necessary to establish that Jesus was the “seed of David” as promised through numerous Old Testament prophecies, His line goes back even further, through Judah back to Abraham, and through Noah all the way back to Seth and Adam. While all alive can trace an ancestry back through Noah to Seth and Adam, it is fitting to remember that this entire chain of man was what God saw when He promised Eve that her seed would bruise Satan’s head (Gen. 3:15).

Never Challenged

Most importantly, no enemy of Jesus ever questioned His lineage. While they found the idea of one of royal heritage coming from despised Nazareth distasteful, that was exactly what the prophets foretold. His birth in Bethlehem was no accident, foretold by the prophets as well (Micah 5:2). If anyone could challenge the lineage of Jesus as a “son of David” it was the Jewish authorities who kept meticulous genealogical records.

God’s Greatest Promise

It is that “chain” of man that ran through history to the promised “seed” that is the ultimate concern of the Old Testament. The “line” of that “seed” was attacked numerous times, and almost broken on several occasions. That God kept the line going says much about the One God promised to bring!