Thanks for all your input and discussion during the "Mark: My Words" campaign. It was a great success. In fact, it worked so well we are continuing with the blog. We will once again be following the reading plan posted at www.fourseasonschurch.org. During the next four weeks we will be studying the Christmas story. On Sundays we will be talking specifically about the experiences of Joseph and Mary.
Our readings for this week begin in the Old Testament, where we read of an important promise made to David.
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Thanks for continuing with the blog. I really enjoyed studying the book of Mark together. I look forward to the readings and checking the blog each day. It has made me not only read the words, but think about what I'm reading. I hate to admit this, but that's new for me. I'm looking forward to studying (really studying) the Christmas story with my church family.
The blog is a great idea. It is an opportunity to not only study the Bible, but gain insight from others in my Church family.
Is anyone else having trouble following and/or understanding Jesus' family tree?
Yes! The genealogies obviously don't match. My Bible(Archeological Study Bible)has an explanatory page saying, in essence, that even the experts don't agree. The main thought seems to be that one is Joseph's family tree and the other is Mary's. This doesn't make sense to me since both culminate in Joseph.
Am I missing something? I don't understand why the Jeremiah passage is here. I don't find that name in either list.
Thank you Teddy. I thought I was crazy! My study Bible says that the Luke 3:23-38 passage is Mary's geneology. I thought the study notes were misprinted! The Jeremiah reading today?? King Jehoiachin--the last King in David's line, who's he, besides the last king in David's line? I don't get it.
The important thing is that Jehoiachin was the last RULING king of David's line until JESUS, a king of David's line (see the genealogies) but also the ETERNALLY RULING king.
Added Comment: If you have an Archeological Study Bible there is a note on page 1292 that explains who Jehoiachin was. He ruled Judah for only three months before he was taken captive to Babylon. Four clay tablets were found in a building next to N's palace that were receipts for oil rations for Jehoiachin and his entourage
Jehoiachin is listed in the genealogy of Matthew, but with a Greek spelling. Jechoniah (Matt 1:11) is Jehoiachin. The interesting part is the the promise made regarding him in Jeremiah. It is interesting because the Lord spoke against him saying, "None of his descendants will succeed in sitting on the throne of David or ruling again in Judah" (Jer. 22:30). This would be a serious problem if Jesus was the physical child of Joseph. Since He is not, this potential problem is overcome. Jehoiachin is not listed in the Luke geneology, which, as you have already discussed, varies enough that people believe it is really Mary's line. From my point of view, it helps to think of it in personal terms. I am Louis Rowe's son, but the next step in my genealogy could go to my paternal or maternal grandparents. In either case, I'm still Louis' son. We need to remember that the genealogies listed (even though they both include Joseph), are not Joseph's, they are Jesus'.
The passage from Numbers is interesting because it explains the legal inheritance rights of a woman (in certain instances). This was pretty progressive stuff really. We don't know if Mary had brothers, but if she did not, her (and her son) would have legal rights to the family inheritance (and as previously mentioned, she was of the line of David). The concern raised in Numbers 36 is about what happens when such a woman marries. If she marries outside of her tribe, then the property would be taken away from the family tribe at Jubilee and added to the tribe of the husband. The workaround (legally) was NOT to take the inheritance from the woman, but rather to restrict who she could marry. She had to marry someone from the same tribe. Both genealogies go through Judah, the tribe of Joseph and Mary. So, upon marriage, Mary's inheritance now belongs to Joseph. This is another reason Joseph why might be listed in both genealogies.
All this may seem trivial. But the details mattered significantly to the Jews. Jesus has certain birth rights afforded Him because of His mother. And certain legal rights because of His (earthly) father. And of course, eternal rights granted Him by His true Father in Heaven.
This can get confusing. Mike, I am looking forward to how you are going to tie this together. Also, was there a reason they were trying to restrict who women married?
This restriction is only for women who owned property. The reason was to preserve the land as it was distributed by the Lord according to tribe. For instance, if a woman who owned land from the tribe of Judah, married a man from the tribe of Benjamin, the land would then belong to the tribe of Benjamin. The Lord set up a system where the land was automatically returned to the original owners every 50 years (as well as slaves being freed and debts forgiven). This type of scenario would interrupt this national "reset". To keep this from happening, they insisted that a woman who owned property must marry within the tribe to keep the land in the tribe. For more on the distribution of the land, read Numbers 34 and Joshua 13-22.
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