Life 100.3 Matthew 28

Why Do Matthew and Luke’s Genealogies of Jesus Differ?

Matthew and Luke use genealogies to show that Jesus descended from David, but both trace his lineage differently. For example, Matthew claims that Jesus descends from David through his son Solomon (Matt 1:6–7), while Luke says Jesus stems from another son of David, Nathan (Luke 3:31). Many other differences occur. Even Joseph, Jesus’s earthly father, is said to be the son of Jacob in one Gospel (Matt 1:16) and Heli in another (Luke 3:23). It raises the question: what is going on here? Why would both Gospel writers argue so differently about the lineage of Jesus? This article traces how...