NATIVITY By Mike Herron

Amminadab, …Ram, …Hezron, …Perez, the son of Judah, 34 SON OF JACOB, THE SON OF ISAAC, THE SON OF ABRAHAM, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 … Serug, …Reu, …Peleg, …Eber, …Shelah, 36 … Cainan, …Arphaxad, …Shem, THE SON OF NOAH, …Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, …Jared, …Mahalalel, …Cainan, 38 … Enosh, …Seth, THE SON OF ADAM, THE SON OF GOD. 2 Mary was a princess descended from David’s son Nathan (vs. 31) while Joseph’s genealogy came through David’s royal son Solomon. Both Joseph and Mary were in the distant line of succession to David’s throne that would be inherited forever by their son Jesus. The only similarity in the genealogies of Luke and Matthew is the section from David to Abraham (vs 31-34) and the mention of Zerubbabel and Shealtiel in vs. 28. From Abraham to Adam we have the same genealogy as found in the Book of Genesis (5:3-23, 11:10-26) including the familiar names of Noah and Enoch. The fact that Jesus did not have a human father ‘helps us to understand why the legal guilt and moral corruption that belong to all other human beings did not belong to Christ.’ 3 If Jesus had been birthed from a human father, he would have inherited the first Adam’s sin. Being conceived by the Holy Spirit was an assurance that he would be sinless. The fact that he had a human mother ‘refutes the heresy (docetism) that Jesus was not really a man but only appeared to be one.’ 4 Jesus was the second Adam, the beginning of a new creation. He was divine and took upon himself sinless human nature. We are human and through the new birth we ‘share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. ’ (2 Pet 1:4 NIV) Mary, the daughter of Heli, gave birth to Jesus who offers forgiveness and new life for all. Because of what Christ has done for us, our names are in the eternal genealogy of Heaven, the Lambs Book of Life.