The two genealogies are not a contradiction—Matthew gives Joseph’s legal royal line back to Abraham, and Luke gives Mary’s bloodline back to Adam.
Matthew’s genealogy shows Jesus’ legal right to David’s throne through Joseph, while Luke’s genealogy shows His physical descent from David through Mary. Together they establish Jesus as the rightful King promised in the Abrahamic covenant and as the woman’s Seed promised in Genesis.
Matthew 1:1 — This verse introduces Matthew’s genealogy by calling Jesus the son of David and the son of Abraham.
Luke 3:38 — This verse ends Luke’s genealogy with Adam, showing the bloodline reaches all the way back to God.
Genesis 3:15 — This is the promise of the woman’s Seed, which Les connects to the virgin-born bloodline of Christ.
Matthew 1:1 says, "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." Matthew’s genealogy then moves from Abraham down to "Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ" (Matthew 1:16). Luke’s Gospel gives a different genealogy, recorded in reverse order, and Luke 3:23 notes that Jesus "was supposed" to be the son of Joseph. This list reaches back through David, Abraham, and Seth to "Adam, which was the son of God" (Luke 3:38). Genesis 3:15 also provides the earliest promise: "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."
Les teaches that Matthew’s genealogy is Joseph’s legal line and intentionally stops at Abraham because Matthew presents Jesus as the King promised in the Abrahamic covenant. Luke’s genealogy, on the other hand, is Mary’s bloodline and reaches all the way back to Adam because all human beings are sons of Adam. He describes how the two lines split after Solomon—one branch leads to Mary, the other to Joseph—making Joseph the legal father while Mary supplies the bloodline. Les also emphasizes that Mary’s blood did not flow through Jesus; His blood came from His Father, so He had divine, sinless blood that could pay the sin debt.
Les says Matthew’s genealogy only goes back to Abraham because Matthew depicts Jesus as the King, and the promise of a king is found in the Abrahamic covenant. Since Abraham is where God made the promise of a nation, a land, and a government ruled by the Messiah, the genealogy stops there. It does not go back to Adam because the royal throne claim is tied to Abraham, not to the beginning of humanity.
Les explains that Luke chapter 3 gives the genealogy of Mary, which is the bloodline of Christ. It reaches all the way back to the last verse, where it says Adam was the son of God. Les points out that every human being is a son of Adam, so the bloodline naturally goes back to Adam, whereas the royal throne aspect only needs to go back to Abraham.
Les says that most people agree Luke 3 is the genealogy of Mary, while Matthew 1 is the genealogy of Joseph. Joseph was not Jesus’ blood father, but he was His legal father. This distinction is important because one line provides the legal right to David’s throne and the other provides the physical bloodline from David through Mary.
Les ties the genealogies to the promise of the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15 and to Matthew 1:18, where Mary was found with child of the Holy Ghost before she and Joseph came together. Because Joseph was not the physical father, none of Mary’s blood, which was just as corrupt as any other person’s blood, flowed through Jesus. His blood system came from His Father, so His blood was divine and sinless.
Les shows that the angel addressed Joseph as "thou son of David" in Matthew’s account. This demonstrates that Jesus was placed in the royal family through Joseph’s legal line, even though Joseph was not His physical father. The genealogy split after Solomon, with one branch leading to Mary and the other to Joseph, so Jesus has both a legal claim and a blood claim to the throne.
Matthew’s Genealogy Stops at Abraham
Les explains that Matthew intentionally limits the genealogy to Abraham because Jesus is presented as Israel’s King and the royal promise is tied to the Abrahamic covenant.
Mary’s Bloodline Goes Back to Adam
Les contrasts the two genealogies: Luke gives Mary’s bloodline all the way to Adam, while the royal throne claim only needs to go back to Abraham.
Matthew Is Joseph’s Line
Les identifies Matthew 1 as Joseph’s genealogy and Luke 3 as Mary’s genealogy, with Matthew stopping at Abraham because the king promise came through Abraham.
Luke’s Genealogy Belongs to Mary
Les confirms that Luke 3 is generally considered Mary’s genealogy and points to its final verse where it reaches Adam and God.
Mary’s Blood Did Not Flow Through Jesus
Les teaches that Mary’s corrupt blood did not course through the baby Jesus; His blood came from His Father, fulfilling the Genesis 3:15 promise of the woman’s Seed.
Genealogy Splits After Solomon
Les shows that after David and Solomon, the genealogy split into Mary’s bloodline and Joseph’s legal line, allowing Jesus to have both claims.
Joseph Is Called Son of David
Les connects Joseph’s legal fatherhood to the angel’s address "thou son of David," placing Jesus in the royal family.
Divine Blood and Incorruption
Les teaches that from His Father Jesus received an incorruptible, sinless nature and divine blood, enabling Him to pay the sin debt.
Matthew 1:1: The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
This verse establishes Jesus’ royal descent from David and Abraham, which is the basis of Matthew’s genealogy.
Matthew 1:16: And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
This verse distinguishes Joseph as the husband of Mary while showing Jesus was born of her, not Joseph.
Matthew 1:18: Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
This verse records the virgin birth, which is why Joseph’s line is legal rather than physical.
Matthew 1:20: But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
The angel calls Joseph a son of David, showing Jesus’ legal connection to the royal family.
Luke 3:23: And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
Luke says Jesus was only supposed to be Joseph’s son, which opens the way for Mary’s bloodline.
Luke 3:38: Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
This verse closes Luke’s genealogy with Adam and God, showing the full reach of Mary’s bloodline.
Genesis 3:15: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This is the first promise of the woman’s Seed, which Les connects to the virgin-born bloodline of Christ.
Les says Matthew’s genealogy stops at Abraham because Matthew presents Jesus as the King promised in the Abrahamic covenant. The royal throne promise begins with Abraham, so the genealogy does not need to go back any further.
Yes, Les agrees with the common view that Luke 3 is Mary’s genealogy, while Matthew 1 is Joseph’s. Mary’s line is the bloodline that goes all the way back to Adam and to God.
Joseph was Jesus’ legal father, and the angel called Joseph "thou son of David." Through Joseph, Jesus had a legal claim to David’s throne. Through Mary, He also had a physical bloodline from David.
Les says none of Mary’s blood, which was corrupt like any other person’s blood, flowed through Jesus. His blood came from His Father, so He was born without a sin nature and with divine, sinless blood.
Watch the Teaching: Why Two Genealogies of Jesus? Matthew vs Luke Explained