.
• Matt 1:18-20 . . Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His
mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she
was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being
a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away
secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream, saying: Joseph, son of David, etc, etc.
That passage clearly informs us that Joseph was related to David. Our next
step won't be so easy as it will require a bit of sleuthing; and we have to do
this so that anybody can follow it rather than only seminary professors.
««« »»»
I've compared the genealogies given by Matthew and Luke in several
different Bibles-- Catholic and Protestant, and even the Jehovah's Witnesses
--in every version both genealogies are Joseph's; which is problematic
because it means that Joseph had a father leading back to Solomon, and
another father leading back to Solomon's brother Nathan.
If we're to accept both genealogies as true, inspired, and reliable; then I
think we have to concede the possibility that one of Joseph's fathers was via
birth and one was via adoption. Fortunately the Bible gives us two
precedents for this situation, which, if applicable, spares us the trouble of
twisting Luke 3:23 to say that it's Mary's genealogy instead of Joseph's.
It's kind of weird for kin to adopt each other's children, but Jacob did that
very thing with his two grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim in Gen 48:5-6.
Manasseh and Ephraim are one example. Another is located in the book of
Ruth where a boy ends up with two fathers: one by birth and one by
adoption.
There's a law in the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God
regarding men who die leaving behind no son to perpetuate their name. The
man's widow is required to seek out the deceased husband's nearest
unattached male kin to remarry. Their first son from the union is to be
reckoned her deceased husband's posterity.
Long story short, Ruth got together with a man named Boaz and they
produced a little guy named Obed. His family history is interesting because
Obed is Boaz's paternal son while Elimelech's adopted son: two fathers of
the same boy.
Obed was an important kid because anon he became the father of David,
from whom came not only Joseph, but also Christ. (Rom 1:3)
FAQ: If Joseph wasn't Jesus' natural father, then how was the lad his son?
A: Same as above: via adoption. When it came time to circumcise the boy in
accord with the law of the covenant; Joseph stood with Mary to name her
baby; just as he was instructed to do (Matt 1:21-25, Luke 2:21). From that
point on, Jesus was known as Joseph's son-- not just by people who knew
the family, but by his mother too. (Matt 13:55, Luke 2:41-48, John 1:45,
and John 6:42)
_
• Matt 1:18-20 . . Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His
mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she
was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being
a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away
secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream, saying: Joseph, son of David, etc, etc.
That passage clearly informs us that Joseph was related to David. Our next
step won't be so easy as it will require a bit of sleuthing; and we have to do
this so that anybody can follow it rather than only seminary professors.
««« »»»
I've compared the genealogies given by Matthew and Luke in several
different Bibles-- Catholic and Protestant, and even the Jehovah's Witnesses
--in every version both genealogies are Joseph's; which is problematic
because it means that Joseph had a father leading back to Solomon, and
another father leading back to Solomon's brother Nathan.
If we're to accept both genealogies as true, inspired, and reliable; then I
think we have to concede the possibility that one of Joseph's fathers was via
birth and one was via adoption. Fortunately the Bible gives us two
precedents for this situation, which, if applicable, spares us the trouble of
twisting Luke 3:23 to say that it's Mary's genealogy instead of Joseph's.
It's kind of weird for kin to adopt each other's children, but Jacob did that
very thing with his two grandsons Manasseh and Ephraim in Gen 48:5-6.
Manasseh and Ephraim are one example. Another is located in the book of
Ruth where a boy ends up with two fathers: one by birth and one by
adoption.
There's a law in the covenant that Moses' people agreed upon with God
regarding men who die leaving behind no son to perpetuate their name. The
man's widow is required to seek out the deceased husband's nearest
unattached male kin to remarry. Their first son from the union is to be
reckoned her deceased husband's posterity.
Long story short, Ruth got together with a man named Boaz and they
produced a little guy named Obed. His family history is interesting because
Obed is Boaz's paternal son while Elimelech's adopted son: two fathers of
the same boy.
Obed was an important kid because anon he became the father of David,
from whom came not only Joseph, but also Christ. (Rom 1:3)
FAQ: If Joseph wasn't Jesus' natural father, then how was the lad his son?
A: Same as above: via adoption. When it came time to circumcise the boy in
accord with the law of the covenant; Joseph stood with Mary to name her
baby; just as he was instructed to do (Matt 1:21-25, Luke 2:21). From that
point on, Jesus was known as Joseph's son-- not just by people who knew
the family, but by his mother too. (Matt 13:55, Luke 2:41-48, John 1:45,
and John 6:42)
_
- 1
- Show all