The genealogy of Jesus Christ is a significant aspect of His human nature, as it establishes His rightful place within the lineage of Israel and fulfills Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah. The New Testament provides two genealogical accounts of Jesus, found in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, each serving distinct theological purposes and emphasizing different aspects of His human heritage.

Matthew's Genealogy (Matthew 1:1-17):

Matthew's account traces the lineage of Jesus through Joseph, His legal father, highlighting Jesus' royal descent from King David and Abraham. This genealogy is structured into three sets of fourteen generations, emphasizing the fulfillment of God's covenant promises to Abraham and David. Matthew 1:1 begins, "This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." The genealogy underscores Jesus' legal right to the throne of David, a critical aspect for the Jewish audience to whom Matthew was writing.

Key figures in Matthew's genealogy include:

· Abraham: The patriarch with whom God made a covenant, promising that through his offspring all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).
· David: The king to whom God promised that his throne would be established forever (2 Samuel 7:16).
· Solomon: David's son, known for his wisdom and the building of the Temple, representing the height of Israel's monarchy.

Matthew's genealogy also includes several women, such as Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba, highlighting God's grace and the inclusion of Gentiles in His redemptive plan.

Luke's Genealogy (Luke 3:23-38):

Luke presents a genealogy that traces Jesus' lineage through Mary, His biological mother, back to Adam, emphasizing His universal humanity. Unlike Matthew, Luke's genealogy moves backward from Jesus to Adam, underscoring the theme of Jesus as the Savior for all humanity. Luke 3:23 states, "Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli."

Key figures in Luke's genealogy include:

· Adam: The first man, highlighting Jesus as the "second Adam" who brings redemption to humanity (1 Corinthians 15:45).
· Noah: A righteous man through whom God preserved humanity during the flood.
· Abraham: As in Matthew's account, Abraham is a pivotal figure, linking Jesus to the covenantal promises.

Luke's genealogy emphasizes Jesus' connection to all of humanity, reinforcing the message that His mission and salvation extend beyond the Jewish people to the entire world.

Theological Significance:

The genealogies of Jesus Christ serve to affirm His true humanity and His fulfillment of Messianic prophecies. They establish His legal and biological descent from David, fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would come from David's line (Jeremiah 23:5). Additionally, they highlight the inclusivity of God's redemptive plan, incorporating both Jews and Gentiles, men and women, and sinners and saints into the lineage of the Savior.

These genealogies also reflect the divine orchestration of history, as God sovereignly worked through generations to bring about the birth of His Son at the appointed time (Galatians 4:4). Through the genealogies, the New Testament writers affirm that Jesus is both fully divine and fully human, uniquely qualified to be the mediator between God and humanity.Matthew 1:1-17
The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Luke 3:23-38
And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Christ Clothed with the True Substance of Human Nature.
... Christ is common to the whole human race, inasmuch ... to prove that the body which Christ
assumed was ... males, thus subverting the elementary principles of nature. ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 13 christ clothed with.htm

Whether it was Fitting for the Son of God to Assume Human Nature ...
... On the contrary, (Lk.3), the genealogy of our ... was not fitting that He should assume
human nature in Adam ... Reply to Objection 3: Since Christ ought especially to ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether it was fitting for 2.htm

Guiltless and Without Sin.
... And in Matthew His genealogy stops at Abraham ... that David knew that God would raise
up Christ out of ... did not assume a human person, but the human nature, so that ...
/.../kuyper/the work of the holy spirit/xviii guiltless and without sin.htm

The Seven Books of John Cassian
... How the Creed has authority Divine as well as human. ... Chapter V. He shows by proofs
drawn from nature itself, that ... How Christ could be said by the Apostle to be ...
//christianbookshelf.org/cassian/the seven books of john cassian /

Christ, to Perform the Office of Mediator, Behoved to Become Man.
... 15:47), unless it be that a human condition was ... Osiander confidently affirms, that
because Christ was in the ... which made it necessary to restore nature to its ...
/.../the institutes of the christian religion/chapter 12 christ to perform.htm

Exposition of the Orthodox Faith
... is united in its entirety to the human nature, in its ... or ye say that there is one
nature to be ... Chapter VI.--Concerning the question, when Christ was called. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/john/exposition of the orthodox faith/

Introduction
... Col.4:14), and as such, a student of human nature and a diagnostician of the human
frame ... hence it was peculiarly fitting that he should present Christ not as ...
//christianbookshelf.org/pink/why four gospels/introduction.htm

Annunciation to Joseph of the Birth of Jesus.
... Luke 1:35). All New Testament writers recognize Jesus as at once both human and
divine. Christ's physical nature was begotten of the Holy Spirit ...
/.../mcgarvey/the four-fold gospel/ix annunciation to joseph of.htm

Faustus Recurs to the Genealogical Difficulty and Insists that ...
... plain, could not be omitted in the genealogy; for, from ... think the less of the true
Christ, because the ... provide a temple for Himself in human nature, while His ...
/.../faustus recurs to the genealogical.htm

Matt. I. 1
... minded, he hath both composed the genealogy, and brought ... it must be something higher
than human nature.' On the ... they are, the less they can know of Christ. ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on the gospel of saint matthew/homily iii matt i 1.htm

What is the Christian view of human cloning? | GotQuestions.org

What is the human soul? | GotQuestions.org

What does it mean to be human? | GotQuestions.org

Human: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus