Family History of Jesus

The genealogical records of Jesus connect Him to several prominent Old Testament people, including Abraham and King David, which made Jesus eligible to be the Savior and King that God had promised.

Around 4,000 years ago, God told an old man to leave his country and his family and move to an undisclosed place. God also promised this 75-year-old man with no children that He would make him famous, build a great nation of his descendants, give him all the land he would need for that nation, and use one of his descendants to bring blessing to all peoples of the world. Could that really happen?

It seemed impossible, but when Abraham was 100 years old, that promised son, Isaac, was born. We follow Abraham’s descendants through Isaac and Jacob and others and find that by the time their family left Egypt, they were a nation of around two million people. Those people became the nation of Israel in the land God promised them, sometimes called Canaan, sometimes Palestine.

Around 3,000 years ago, one of Abraham’s descendants, named David, became King of Israel. God reiterated the promise He made to Abraham, promising David that God would make him famous, give Israel their land once and for all, ensuring peace, and that his descendants would reign forever on David’s throne.

A few years later, the nation was divided. Then, the northern half, Israel, was taken captive, dispersed throughout Assyria, and never heard from again. After that, the southern kingdom, Judah, went into exile in Babylon, returning to the land 70 years later, broken but hopeful.

The Jews remembered the promises. They heard more and more predictions and promises of one who would come to save them. He would come from David’s line. Genealogies became extremely important to the Jewish people as they wondered who would be the one to deliver them and establish their land forever. “Son of David” became a crucial title for the one who would come to be the Messiah, Savior, Deliverer.

So, genealogies were kept carefully. Linear genealogies traced a person’s lineage from son to father to grandfather, etc., citing only one person per generation. Closed linear genealogies include every generation. Open linear genealogies leave one or more generations out but follow the single familial path. Horizontal genealogies include several or all of the sons of a father side by side (thus the term horizontal) in the list. The Bible includes all three types of genealogies.

Around 2,000 years ago, Jesus was born. One man (Matthew) traced His genealogy back to David and Abraham through Joseph, the one assumed to be His father. Matthew linked Jesus to David, showing his legal connection to royalty. Could Jesus be the One spoken of by Isaiah, “born of a virgin”? Matthew mentions Mary while others don’t.

Another historian (Luke) traced Jesus’ line all the way back to Adam, showing His humanity. Could He be the Satan conqueror God promised to Adam and Eve so long ago—the One who would deal with the sin issue once and for all—blessing all the peoples of the world like no one has ever or could ever bless them? Jesus’ extraordinary pedigree qualifies Him to fulfill these prophecies and so many more.

Another historian (John) wrote this:

In the beginning, the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it.