Question: .

I have been debating the genealogies of Jesus with some Jewish people on the net. They claim Jesus could not become the king because: 1) The descendancy passes through the father and Joseph was not the father of Jesus. 2) If there could have been descendency through Joseph it would have been blocked due to the curse on Jeconiah, Jer. 22:24 and 22:30. 3) The only way to the throne is through Solomon on Mary's side but the descendency passes through the male not the female. What would be your reply?

Thank you,

-Jerry

Answer:

First, I would not accept what appears to be the basic premise of the argument - that the genealogy of Matthew is the proof of kingship for Jesus. Genealogies in the Ancient Near East had many purposes - and we could debate what the purpose of Matthew's is - and that of Luke's. So, in brief, Jesus' claim to the throne of David does not lie solely with the genealogy we find in Matthew.

However, since that is in question:

1) Matthew only claims Joseph to be the legal father. I am surprised that a non-Christian would allow for the virgin birth of Jesus, that God the Father was responsible for the paternal line of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus. If they wish to accept the Virgin Birth, then I believe there is no need to discuss Jesus' "right" to the throne - the discussion is over.

2) There are many things in this genealogy that would "disqualify" Jesus in the eyes of the Jews - let's talk about an ever greater obstacle - the presence of Gentile women. In fact, that is one of the purposes of this list. To show the humanity of the God-man, for that was a real issue for the original audience to whom Matthew wrote) and that is one of the primary rules of biblical understanding - first strive to understand what the text meant for the original audience before advancing to contemporary applications and understandings. For details on the discussion of Jeconiah (Jehoiachin) I would refer you to the excellent discussion on pages 61-69 of the Expository Bible Commentary, Volume 8 (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). This section mentions another excellent resource in discussing this issue, R. E. Brown, "Birth of Messiah". This is a classic work on this question, and answers this and many other questions/objections - including your point 3, the Mary and Solomon issue.

In the name of the King of Kings,

Greg Albrecht