Apparent Discrepancies Are Made Clear: The Genealogies of Christ Fill Us with Hope and Encouragement

Is Jesus’ Grandfather Jacob or Heli?

In his footnotes in the Recovery Version of the New Testament, Witness Lee, a prolific Christian writer during the last century and a co-worker of Watchman Nee, clearly answers this question:

[In Matthew 1:16] the genealogy says that “Jacob begot Joseph,” but Luke 3:23 says, “Joseph, the son of Heli.” Luke’s record was “according to law” (a literal translation of “so it was thought” in Luke 3:23), indicating that Joseph was not actually the son of Heli but was reckoned his son according to the law. Joseph was the son-in-law of Heli, Mary’s father. This may be a case according to Num. 27:1-8 and 36:1-12, in which a regulation was made by God that if any parents had only daughters as heirs, the inheritance would go to the daughters, who would then have to marry a man of their own tribe in order to keep their inheritance within that tribe. Even such a regulation in the Old Testament is related to the genealogy of Christ, showing that all Scripture is a record of Christ. (10)

Matthew 1:16 And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

Luke 3:23 And He, Jesus, when He began to minister, was about thirty years old, being, so it was thought, the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

[Matthew] [Luke] [Jesus’ grandfather] [David’s son]
[Chart] [We’re related] [He is everything]

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