From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]jt: There is a genealogy in Matthew also but we already know that Jesus is the foster son of Joseph because Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and the holy child born of her is the son of the Most High. Jesus is a legal heir to the throne of David through Joseph who is of the kingly line; and even though a foster son, he is the first born into the family.
Much of what you say below, Judy is good. However, blood line does seem to be important. Luke is the one who gives us the lineage of Christ back to Adam, not Bill. (Luke chapter 3). JD
Maybe someone can help me here but as I remember, Matthew goes through
Joseph and Luke actually goes through Mary (?) I am not sure of your point
above, however. One of the most powerful sermon illustrations I have ever heard
was the reading of geneology of the gospel of Luke. In the Matthew
text, Christ is tied to Abraham. In Luke, Christ is "..the son of
Enoch, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, THE SON OF GOD" (Lu 3"38)
and, so, again, blood line is a critical issue to the biblical writer.
jt: I've also heard that
each of the two genealogies is for a different purpose. What is the point
of the sermon you refer to and Luke 3:38 going back to
Adam since Adam is
the original man from whom all humanity came through procreation?.
The promise however, is not made to everyone who was ever descended from
Adam. God narrows it down to the seed of Abraham through Isaac and on from
there; so by this we see that the promise does not have to do with bloodlines
because Ishmael was just as much a son of Abraham after the
flesh.
