NATIVITY By Mike Herron

natural soil of David’s house but was planted into David’s house.’ 3 Jesus, who came from heaven, was the King of Kings and Lord of Lords of all who ever ruled over the nation of Israel. 12 After the exile to Babylon: Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Akim, Akim the father of Elihud, 15 Elihud the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah. The names in the last section are not derived from biblical sources but Matthew most likely got them from the public Temple Records. ‘When Josephus…wrote his own autobiography, he began it with his own pedigree, which, he tells us, he found in the public records.’ 4 From the exile to Babylon unto Jesus encompassed almost 600 years. Jacob is the father of Joseph who was in the line of kingly succession from David. Matthew is careful to not list Joseph as Jesus’ father. Joseph was the legal, not the biological father of Jesus and accepted that responsibility through his marriage to Mary. 17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah. There are fourteen names in the first section from Abraham to David; fourteen in the second if you omit David and begin with Solomon and fourteen in the last section if you include Jesus. Most likely the number 14 is a Mnemonic; ‘a thing so arranged that it is easy to memorize.’ 5 God wanted us to ‘understand that all three groups had equal weight and importance as far as the Messiah is concerned.’ 6 The legal