Who Is Correct?

Who Is Correct?

Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38

            There are those who claim that every word in the Bible is true—no questions, no exceptions.  At the other end of the spectrum are those who claim that nothing in the Bible is true.  Most people fall somewhere in the middle.  At the heart of this controversy is an important question, the one that Pilate asked Jesus:  What is truth? 

            In today’s climate of distorted truths, half-truths/half-lies, and out-and-out lies this question might seem to have little if any relevance, but it most certainly does.  For one thing there are different kinds of truth.  I know this answer will not be received well in some quarters, but hear me out. 

There are mathematical truths, such as 1+1=2.  In our arithmetic system this is considered true.  If you have one apple, and someone gives you another apple, you will have two apples. 

There are factual truths.  J.S. Bach was born in 1685 and died in 1750. 

There are natural truths.  In our world, the law of gravity prevails.  If you throw something in the air, it will come down.

            In this light, the Bible cannot be said to be completely true.  Science and other historical documents have proved that portions of the Bible are not true in this way. 

But there are other kinds of truths—for example, spiritual truths.  In this regard, the Bible can be said to be completely true.  The one great truth of the Bible is that it is a record of how God interacts with humanity.  At heart, the message of the Bible is this:  God created the cosmos and everything in it.  God cares for God’s creation and loves God’s creatures.  God sent Jesus Christ to earth to provide reconciliation between God and humankind.  If we are reconciled to God, we will inherit the kingdom of God.

            Back to factual truth.  There are two versions of Jesus Christ’s genealogy in the New Testament.  The first is in Matthew’s Gospel, the second is in Luke’s.  Matthew begins his gospel with his version of Jesus’ lineage.  Luke waits until he describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry to list his ancestors.  This is not the only difference.

            Matthew lists 42 generations from Abraham to Jesus.  Luke gives us many more—in fact, Luke goes all the way back to Adam (to God, actually).  Matthew names five women:  Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary.  Luke mentions no women at all.  Matthew says Jesus was descended from David through Solomon.  Luke says his Davidic ancestor was Nathan.  There are other places where the genealogies don’t match up, but these are the most prominent ones, except that Matthew begins with Abraham and works forward.  Luke begins with Jesus and works backward—personal preference, I’m sure, and not something that affects the internal organization of the lists.

            So—which one is correct?  Or is neither correct?  The one thing we know for certain is that they can’t both be correct; at least not so far as factual correctness is concerned.

            At this point I should mention that some people question why we trace Jesus’ ancestry through Joseph.  Jesus was, after all, God’s Son.  Joseph had nothing to do with his conception. 

            By Jewish custom, if a man claimed a child as his, that was the end of the discussion.  By this custom, Joseph was Jesus’ legal father.

            We know genealogies were very important in Jewish families, which is why the two gospel writers who relate the story of Jesus’ birth also give us his ancestry.  We also know that Luke gives us a more accurate listing of the line of kings from David to the Babylonian exile.  Finally, we know (because he tells us) that Luke’s gospel is—insofar as it was possible at the time—a research document.  He assures Theophilus—and his other readers—that before he wrote he spoke to many people who had intimate knowledge of Jesus’ life.

            So—what is the answer to our question?  Quite likely there are factual errors in both lists, but that’s not the important point.  What’s important is that each one tells us spiritual truths, truths about Jesus which will help us understand who he is and what his background is.  Jesus was a legitimate, legal descendant of David through his earthly father, Joseph.  He was a son of the Torah and a child of Abraham.   He had every right to call himself King of the Jews—far more right than Herod, who was neither a descendant of David nor a Jew.  Jesus was indeed King of kings through his ancestry, and Lord of lords through his Father. 

What more truth do we need?