Luke 3:23-38

Below is a sermon manuscript from January 25, 2026. Watch the sermon here.

Introduction

Who am I? When we answer that question today, it is often an inward turn. Many tend to answer that question not by grounding ourselves, by assessing heritage or rootedness, but by differentiating ourselves. It is often related to passions and interests, desires and direction. But this often is not enough; we then need to have these self-crafted identities validated by others. We are still looking for an external footing. 

This is very different than an inherited givenness. An understanding that I am Joanne’s daughter or Bill’s son. This directly relates us to others. It implies a connectedness, not mere self-invention. When it comes to Jesus, we have already seen so much of what differentiates him. He stands out. He is distinct. This is important. But it is not all. He is also part of a long line, and this has a lot to teach us. This is what we will be looking at this morning.

The genealogy communicates Jesus’ humanity and more

Before we look at the genealogy itself, one thing may stand out to those familiar with their Bibles: Luke’s genealogy is different from Matthew’s. A whole message could be devoted to sorting through those differences, and perhaps one or two people would enjoy that, but for our purposes this morning, it’s enough to note a few common Christian approaches.

As we consider them, we need to remember that each Gospel has its own aims and emphases, and we’ll see Luke’s purpose more clearly in a moment. Broadly speaking, Christians have reconciled these genealogies in three main ways: by tracing lineage through a royal or covenantal lens, by recognizing that biblical genealogies are often theologically selective rather than exhaustive, or by understanding Luke’s genealogy as tracing Mary’s line rather than Joseph’s. That last view fits well with Luke’s earlier emphasis on Mary and is also reflected in later Jewish tradition, which records Heli as Mary’s father.

 For our purposes, we will examine how Luke’s genealogy functions in the Gospel of Luke and why it matters for us today.

Jesus is situated in history

First, Luke situates Jesus in history. We have already seen Jesus’ mom and dad. Notice that Luke is careful to distinguish Joseph’s relationship with Jesus. Though Jesus was legally regarded as Joseph’s son, he was not Joseph’s biological descendant but Mary’s.

We have seen from the Angel’s that Jesus is the one who is to fulfill the prophecy. We have heard of the miraculous conception and John leaping in his mother’s womb. We have witnessed God speak from heaven, confirming Jesus. It all seems too surreal. But Jesus was a real person who had real relatives. 

A good illustration of the way that the genealogy of Jesus helps to confirm the gospel comes from the missionary work of Wycliffe Bible Translators:

When a Bible translator in Papua New Guinea started to translate Matthew’s Gospel, he thought, “The last thing I want to do is bog these people down with a genealogy.” So he began with chapter 2.

But the day came when all the other chapters were done. He called together the men who were helping him, and they decided on the best way to say “begat.” Then they proceeded with Matthew chapter one: “… Abraham begat Isaac. Isaac begat Jacob. Jacob begat …”

By the time they completed about six of these “begats,” the translator could sense the men were becoming excited.

“Do you mean that these were real men?” they asked.

“Yes,” he answered. “They were real men.”

“That’s what we do!” they added, referring to their custom of keeping track of genealogies. “We had thought that these were just white man’s stories. Do you really mean that Abraham was a real man?”

“Yes,” the translator said, “that’s what I’ve been telling you.”

“We didn’t know that,” they said, “but now we believe.”

That night they gathered the village together and said, “Listen to this!” Then they read the first chapter of Matthew. This chapter was the key for belief in the tribe.^[1]

Isn’t that remarkable? God uses genealogies in Scripture to grab the hearts and minds of people. But they emphasize the reality of Biblical history. Here are real people who lived real lives. Some model “what not to do,” others have a scattering of faithfulness and sinfulness. Some are only mentioned here. Perhaps living relatively ordinary lives. Yet a chain in a lineage from which the Messiah arises. Maybe it’s a Bible reflection here, a prayer there, that made its way down to Jesus. Maybe it’s a “don’t do this” that echoed throughout the family line. While the main connection here is Jesus, these names have a lot for us to think about as well. Unless the Lord comes, one day we will be names that lead to other names as well. Perhaps these are in physical descendants, or maybe those we impact in this life. God works through names that are long forgotten in history in a plan that encompasses all of history. 

Jesus is greater than John

We have already seen this in Luke’s gospel. But the genealogy is another indicator. How? Because we don’t have a genealogy for John. We have seen parallels throughout the first couple of chapters, but now there is greater and greater divergence. John said that Jesus was greater than him. We saw last week that God revealed who Jesus is – at least to John and Jesus, potentially to many others, but here we have another departure. John doesn’t have a genealogy. Luke could have given us one, but we don’t have it. Only Jesus. Jesus is the one the book is about. While John played a key role, he was not the central figure. Jesus is. The book is about Jesus. 

And that is why the names matter. That is why there is hope in the midst of history. Because of Jesus. Luke’s point is not ultimately about these names, it is about the one to whom they all lead. Every life here matters, but they matter because God was moving history toward Jesus. God is still moving history toward Jesus, when he comes again, and each well-lived life serves to point others toward Christ.

The genealogy of Jesus qualifies him as the messiah

Jesus is qualified to be the messiah of Israel

We have the audible claim for Jesus as the Son of God. Now we have Jesus’ lineage and external validation of who he is. The audience has been led by Luke’s hand throughout the narrative, seeing miracle after miracle. But one question was especially important among the Jewish people of Jesus’ day: does he have the right credentials? This mattered not because credentials themselves save anyone, but because these credentials were bound up with God’s promises. These were not arbitrary requirements. These were covenantal prerequisites. To claim to be the Messiah without meeting them would be to be an imposter.

When I was candidating for pastor here, the elders asked to see my diplomas and transcripts. Not all places require certain degrees. But when they do, if you try to fake it, you’re an imposter. The question is simple: are you who you say you are? Do you meet the prerequisites outlined?

For Jesus, these were not random requirements. They were directly related to God’s promises. Generation after generation awaited a Messiah. They anticipated someone coming to save God’s people. Lineages, especially royal ones, were carefully preserved, in part because Israel was waiting for the Messiah and such claims would need to be verified. But generation after generation, there was no Messiah. There were prophets. There were acts of God. But the promised one had not arrived. Then there was silence. Long silence. And into that silence, Jesus is born.

Luke tells us plainly: yes, this is the long-awaited Messiah.This is not merely another significant figure God raised up. This is the One to whom everything and everyone else was pointing. And here in the genealogy we see that Jesus didn’t just look the part. He was fully qualified. He was Abraham’s son. He was David’s son.

Jesus is qualified to be the savior of all

Jesus isn’t just associated with Abraham and David. Luke takes his line all the way back to Adam. This is distinct from Matthew, who begins with Abraham. Here, we move from Jesus to Adam to God. The language also shifts. Instead of “father of,” we repeatedly hear “son of,” This leads up to a repetition of the line that we heard last week, that Jesus is the Son of God.

Jesus is God’s Son both in his uniqueness as the second person of the Trinity and as the one who came to do what Adam, and every human after him, failed to do. Jesus’ humanity, like Adam’s, was created uniquely by God. But it was also created in continuity with Adam. The descendant of Adam, the seed of Eve promised long before, has come to save the world from sin.

As Gregory of Nazianzus (329-390) said, “For that which He has not assumed He has not healed.”Jesus didn’t merely assume the continuity of Abraham and David. He assumed our humanity. With Adam came death. With Jesus comes eternal life to all who believe. Jesus is the Savior of the Jews, and he is the Savior of the world. 

Jesus is the climax and fulfillment to which all genealogies were pointing.

Luke situates us before we see the fulfillment firsthand

Jesus is qualified through genealogies, and Jesus brings genealogies to their fulfillment. He is what they were pointing toward! Throughout Luke’s Gospel, we have seen a steady movement. Pointing – pointing – pointing – all to the person Jesus, who is on the scene and who is ready to take up the mantle of ministry.  And he does so, as the passage tells us when he turns 30. New Testament scholar Garland says,

Thirty years old marks a “threshold age” in the ancient sources. Joseph was thirty when he entered the service of the Pharaoh (Gen 41:46), and David was thirty years old when he began to reign (2 Sam 5:4). The age signals to the reader that Jesus is now a mature, responsible man ready for his public career.^[2]

The point is clear: Jesus is here, He is ready, the time is now. But before his ministry, we have the genealogy. The last official genealogy in Scripture. And that is important. It sets the stage for what’s to come and helps situate us within this larger story.

This is the last genealogy list

Think about the pattern of genealogies throughout Scripture. They appear again and again, generation after generation, because God’s people were waiting, waiting for a Messiah who would undo what had gone wrong, who would bring sinners back into fellowship with God.

Luke’s genealogy brings that long line to its redemptive climax in Jesus. They effectively end here. Some might point out that genealogical references appear later. Paul appeals to his own lineage. But the way he does so only strengthens Luke’s point. Paul does not glory in his ancestry. He counts it as a loss compared to knowing Christ. What once marked privilege or identity now gives way to greater identity through union with Jesus. 

This also helps us understand the significance of Jewish genealogical care. Lineages, especially royal ones, were carefully preserved because Israel was waiting for the Messiah. But after Jesus came, and particularly after the destruction of the temple, the ability to verify such claims effectively ceased. That is not accidental. The purpose those records served had been fulfilled. Jesus is the promised Son. The promises have reached their goal.

And now, all who are united to him by faith are gathered into a family that stretches all the way back to Adam. The waiting has ceased, even as the story continues with each person who trusts in Christ. Have you turned to Christ? If not, today is the day. In the middle of a snowstorm, trust in the one who came to make you white as snow.

This is our hope today.
In an age that seeks to craft self-made identities as ultimate, by God’s grace, we are invited into something far greater; something that stretches back to the very beginning.

It is faith in Jesus that unites us to him, that brings us into this story. It is there that our identity truly lies, not in what we create for ourselves, but as those who are made by God, loved by God, and rescued by God.

This is why Christians across generations have been able to confess with confidence:

What is your only comfort in life and in death?

That I am not my own, but belong—body and soul, in life and in death— to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood,
and has set me free from the tyranny of the devil.
He also watches over me in such a way
that not a hair can fall from my head without the will of my Father in heaven; in fact, all things must work together for my salvation.

Because I belong to him, Christ, by his Holy Spirit, assures me of eternal life and makes me wholeheartedly willing and ready from now on to live for him.

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^[1] As quoted in Philip Graham Ryken, Luke, ed. Richard D. Phillips, Philip Graham Ryken, and Daniel M. Doriani, vol. 1, Reformed Expository Commentary (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2009), 144.

^[2] David E. Garland, Luke, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament: (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2012), 170.