Rivers Posted December 22, 2011 Posted December 22, 2011 What are some good explanations for why Matthew and Luke have different genealogies for Jesus? I know that Matthew wanted to show where Jesus fits into the family of Abraham and that Luke wanted to show how Jesus fits into the human family. But does anybody have any theories for how these two genealogies can be reconciled?
Freedom Posted December 22, 2011 Posted December 22, 2011 There are a number of theories but it is most important to remember that their style of righting was much more geared towards telling a story rather than sharing the facts. It is anachronistic to attach the books for historical inaccuracies if they do exist. They are taking what they know of the history to teach a gospel message. Matthews genealogy shows Jesus's relationship to all jews, where as Luke's shows Jesus's relationship to all mankind. Matthew is showing a historical progression rather than trying to be accurate. It begins with the families origins, it rise to power through David, its decline and eventual arrival at Jesus's humble birth. Some have argued that one genealogy is that of Mary and the other of Joseph but this theory is problematic to me. The bottom line is that there is no way to reconcile the differences. What is key is that both link Jesus to David.
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