Luke 2:1 - 7
In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration when[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 And all went to be registered, each to his own town. 4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, 5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed,[b] who was with child. 6 And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Questions:
ReplyDelete1. v4 - If Jesus is not Joseph's son, how can He be the Son of David?
https://www.quora.com/If-Jesus-wasnt-the-son-of-Joseph-then-how-can-he-be-from-the-line-of-David says:
ReplyDeleteThere had been a curse on the royal line since the days of Jeconias. In Jeremiah 22:30. We read “Thus says the Lord: ‘Write this man down as childless, A man who shall not prosper in his days; For none of his descendants shall prosper, Sitting on the throne of David, And ruling anymore in Judah.’”Joseph was in the line of this curse. Therefore, if Jesus had truly been Joseph’s son, He could not have sat on David’s throne.
But we find another genealogy in Luke 3. This is Mary’s line traced back to David through Nathan, not Jeconias (see Luke 3:31).
Therefore, Jesus was from the line of David because His lineage was traced from that of Mary, His mother, who was from the line of David.
https://www.cgg.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Library.sr/CT/BQA/k/184/Why-Does-Jesus-Have-Two-Different-Genealogies-Matthew-11-16-Luke-323-38.htm says:
ReplyDeleteAlso, Joseph's lineage is given to emphasize the fact that Jesus had been born of a virgin. Because of a curse that God placed on one of Joseph's ancestors, Jesus could never sit upon the throne of David if Joseph had been His natural father.
Questions and findings:
ReplyDelete1. v4 - If Jesus is not Joseph's son, how can He be the Son of David?
There seems to be (at least) two thoughts on this out there:
1. Jesus was Joseph's adopted son and that is perfectly legitimate to be a son of David (through Joseph).
2. Mary was a descendant of David through Nathan (the son, not the prophet). Furthermore, Jesus cannot be a descendant of David through the Joseph (and through the Judean kings) because of a curse saying that they will never sit on the throne.
The second explanation sounds good, but I am not taking the time (at least, more time) to find out for sure if it is true. Since the first explanation is reasonable if the second isn't true, I'm satisfied.
This is not about your question, but about how our images of that time have grown up so firmly around things not really stated in scripture. For example, they may have been in Bethlehem days not just hours before birth. Also in reading, "Jesus through Middle Eastern Eyes" the word "inn" is probably not what we think; it is the same word translated upper room in the last supper passage, that is the guest room. Very probably Mary and Joseph were in a distant relative's home, but one already filled with other relatives, so they had to share the main floor and put the baby in the manger located in the lowest area of the house where the animals slept. Doesn't change the basic message of his total humility, just perhaps the noise level!
ReplyDelete