A Jewish male always traced his lineage through his father. Joseph was Jesus’ legal father under the principle known today as the marital presumption. This legal rule directs that a child born to a woman is presumed to be the child of her husband.

Illustrating the royal ancestry of Christ through David and Joseph his descendant gave Matthew an opportunity to illuminate in Jesus Israel’s heritage and hope. The Messiah’s biological connection, however, was nonetheless with Mary alone. She joins the very short list of women noted in Jesus’s genealogy, but Mary is singularly called upon to bear the Son of God Himself.

Furthermore, while the others in the lineage of Christ were believers in YHWH, Mary is categorically the first Christian, the first to believe in Jesus the Christ, her son but her Lord and Savior, publicly proclaiming her faith to Elizabeth, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46-47 ESV).

In this genealogy there are three fourteens of generations or a symbolic six sevens leading up to the generation of the Messiah (in the final seven). The number 7 symbolizes completeness, possibly used here by Matthew to achieve a literary fullness of the Messiah sent and ordained by God to save His people.

The most wonderful thing about the lineage of Christ is that He has made us part of His family. Yes, you and I as believers in Jesus the Messiah are now in that line of royal lineage, as “those who are made holy are of the same family”
(Hebrews 2:11–13).