Matthew also did a genealogy but traced it through Joseph. He emphasized Jesus’ claim to the throne of David while Luke focused on Jesus’ descent from God. As you will see, Mary was also descended from David, so the legal claim to the throne of David is valid though Luke’s genealogy as well.

Luke began his tracing of Christ’s genealogy immediately after His baptism by His cousin John. When John baptized Jesus, God spoke and said "Thou art My beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased." (Luke 3:22). The complete list of Luke’s genealogy of Christ is found in Luke 3:23-28.

At this time I need to clear up some confusion. The Bible states Joseph’s father was Jacob. The Jerusalem Talmud indicates that Mary’s father was Heli. Yet, Luke names Heli as Joseph’s father. During ancient Biblical times, it was common for a son-in-law to be called son. Thus, Joseph was the son of Jacob, and the son-in-law of Heli. So Luke has rightfully called Joseph the son of Heli and in doing so the genealogy is actually traced through Mary.

The Holy Spirit miraculously conceived Christ in Mary. As her husband, Joseph was considered the father of Jesus. Although not Jesus’ genetic parent, Joseph was nonetheless His legal parent and this entitled Jesus to all rights as such and gave Him rightful legal claim to the throne of David as Joseph’s legal heir.

However, an unusual curse in Jeremiah 36:1-32 gives new insights into the virgin birth of Jesus.

The king of Israel was a man named Jehoiakim. This king angered God by destroying by fire a scroll the prophet Jeremiah had written. In His anger, God cursed Jehoiakim by indicating that none of this children would sit on the throne of David. (Jeremiah 36:29-31). Scripture shows that although King Jehoiakim had children, none ever reigned as King David had.

Joseph, the "father" of Jesus, was descended from Jehoiakim. Joseph’s genetic offspring could not lay claim to David’s throne due to the curse. Jesus did lay claim to David’s throne (Luke 1:32, Acts 2:30, Hebrews 12:2). If Jesus were born of Joseph, the curse would have been contradicted. God had promised David that one of his biological descendents would reign on the throne of his kingdom forever. Due to the curse, Joseph was excluded from being the father of the future King of Israel.

It was impossible to fulfill the requirements of both curse and promise by natural means. The Messiah had to be both heir to and offspring of David, but could not be the genetic descendant of Jehoiakim. This required a miracle.

The solution was the miracle of the virgin birth. Although Joseph was descended from Jehoiakim, Mary was not. Her descent is traced through David’s son Nathan. God’s promise to David is fulfilled through Mary.

The virgin birth also addressed God’s curse on Jehoiakim. Kingship, in ancient times as today, was an inherited right. Through Joseph, Jesus inherited a legal claim to the throne of David and was exempt from the curse as Joseph was not His genetic father.

Thus, the miracle of the virgin birth accomplished God’s Will in two ways. First, it granted Jesus a legal claim to the throne of David while maintaining the integrity of the curse God pronounced on Jehoiakim. Second, God fulfilled His promise to David that one of his descendants would reign forever.

There is historical reason to accept this genealogy. Many first century Jews were literate, vocal opponents of Christianity. Unlike modern scholars, they had access to the original genealogical records. Had the genealogies been inaccurate, it would have been easy for a first century Jew to prove that they were. Although the Jews were both predisposed to and capable of refuting the genealogies, they did not. One might conclude that their silence is testimony to the accuracy of the gospel writers.