3320.—Genealogy of Christ
By William Henry White
(1) Did Jesus descend through Solomon's or Nathan's line of descent? (2) Who was the father of Mary the mother of Jesus? W. H. W. (1) The genealogy given in Matthew 1 is on the royal side through the legal father of Jesus, Joseph. In law Jesus was the child of Joseph, and Matthew traces that lineage through the royal family, showing that Jesus was entitled to the throne of Israel through David, Solomon, Rehoboam, etc. Jacob therefore of verse 16 is the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. (2) Luke traces the literal blood descent of Jesus from Adam to Mary the mother of Jesus; but as the descent was reckoned through the males, Mary's name is not mentioned, but Mary's husband's name, as in Luke 3:23. Joseph the father of Jesus is there called the son of Heli. The son-in-law was counted as the son, so that Mary's father was Heli, and Heli is traced back to Nathan. The one genealogy traces the royal line back to David, the other genealogy traces the lineage back to Adam, the father of the race. When the two lines are compared from David on, it will be seen that they meet in Zorobabel and Salathiel (Matt. 1:12; Luke 3:27), so that the blood of Solomon as well as the blood of Nathan was in both Joseph and Mary.