Surprising as this may sound, the answer is no.

We find the genealogies of Jesus listed in Matthew 1 and Luke 3. But Matthew 1 and Luke 3 describe different lines. Matthew 1 describes Christ’s legal genealogy through Joseph. Luke sets forth Mary’s physical line.

Matthew 1:16 tells us that Matthew’s record covers Christ’s lineage through His stepfather Joseph. It says “Jacob begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.”

A correct rendering of Luke 3:23 shows that Luke is setting forth Christ’s blood descent. However, the translation of the New King James Bible is misleading. It gives the impression that Joseph was the father of Heli, and that therefore, Luke is also setting forth Christ’s physical descent of Joseph. This is incorrect, as Joseph was not the SON of Heli, but of Jacob, as Matthew 1:16 points out.

Luke sets forth Christ’s physical genealogy through His mother Mary, NOT through His stepfather Joseph. Accurately translated, Luke 3:23 should read:

“Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age (being, as was supposed the son of Joseph), which was of Heli.” The parenthesis should start with the words “being, as was supposed,” and it should close after “the son of Joseph.” The word “son” in “son of Heli” is not found in the original Greek. Jesus, who was supposed to be the son of Joseph, was, through Mary, a grandson of Heli. Heli was the father of Mary.

Luke 3:23 tells us that Christ was considered to be the son of Joseph, since the people did not accept the truth that Jesus had been supernaturally conceived by Mary through God the Father’s Holy Spirit (compare, Luke 4:22; John 6:41-42).

But while Joseph—Christ’s stepfather—descended from Solomon (Matthew 1:6), Mary did not. She was a descendant of David’s son, Nathan (v. 31).

Who, then, was Nathan?

The Bengel’s Gnomen commentary writes:

“This Nathan, the son of David, is a man very memorable. [Note] Zechariah 12:12 [where in the future repentance of the Jews,‘the families of the house of David,’ and those of the ‘house of Nathan mourn apart’]…”

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible adds:

“Nathan’s sons that are mentioned are Azariah, Zabud, and Ahishar, 1 Kings 4:5 which last is thought to be the same with Mattatha: that Nathan was the son of David, as the order of things here directs, which was the son of David, is clear from 2 Samuel 5:14.”

2 Samuel 5:14 reads: “Now these are the names of those who were born to [David] in Jerusalem: Shanmmua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon.”

1 Chronicles 3:5 adds: “And these were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea [i.e., Shanmmua], Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon—four by Bathusba [i.e. Bathsheba] the daughter of Ammiel.”

Some claim that Nathan was Solomon’s older brother, as he is listed before Solomon in the two passages quoted above, while others say that he was Solomon’s younger brother, and that Solomon was the oldest of David’s and Bathsheba’s [surviving]sons.

The Bible tells us in 2 Samuel 12:15-23 that David and Bathsheba’s first son died, due to David’s sin, and 2 Samuel 12:24 continues: “Then David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in to her and lay with her. So she bore a son, and he called his name Solomon.”

From this it follows that Solomon was indeed born before Nathan, and that Solomon was Nathan’s older brother. Some claim that the oldest is always listed first, and that therefore Nathan must have been older than Solomon, but the Bible nowhere states that this has to be always the case. If it were different, then David and Bathsheba, after their first son died, would have had three sons before Solomon. The biblical record does not support this.

It has been suggested that by giving Solomon the last place of the four sons of Bathsheba, it was a signal that nobody should disdain them because of David’s transgression with Bathsheba. Also, in the case of Nathan, his importance is clearly emphasized by the fact that he, and not Solomon, would be a physical ancestor of Jesus, through Mary. But as the surviving firstborn son of David and Bathsheba, Solomon would be appointed king. The sons of David who were born earlier revealed themselves as not being qualified (1 Chronicles 3:1-4). For instance, Amnon raped his halfsister; Absalom murdered Amnon and organized a revolt against David; and Adonijah also rebelled against David for the succession.

We should understand that the Bible nowhere states that Jesus had to descend physically from the royal line that runs through Solomon. In fact, that royal line became unfaithful, disobedient and apostate. Rather, God chose Nathan to become the forefather of Jesus, after the flesh, and it is interesting that we know very little about Nathan. On the other hand, Joseph, as Jesus’ stepfather, was a descendant of Solomon, as we saw. This, too, has important implications for the role of the Messiah.

We state the following in our free booklet, “The Fall and Rise of Britain and America”:

“God promised that the kingly rule would not depart from Judah (Genesis 49:10), and that a descendant of the house of David… would always rule over at least one tribe of Israel (2 Samuel 7:13; 2 Chronicles 13:5)… God had promised King David: ‘… your house (dynasty) and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever’ (2 Samuel 7:16). This promise was unconditional: ‘…I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom… If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you’ (2 Samuel 7:12, 14–15). God spoke to King David about his son Solomon in 1 Chronicles 22:10: ‘He shall build a house for My name, and he shall be My son, and I will be his Father, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom over Israel forever.’

“This promise to King Solomon was conditional: ‘Only may the LORD give you [Solomon] wisdom and understanding, and give you charge concerning Israel, that you may keep the law of the LORD your God. Then you will prosper, if you take care to fulfill the statutes and judgments with which the LORD charged Moses concerning Israel…’ (1 Chronicles 22:12–13).

“King Solomon, however, broke his Coronation Oath. God later said to King Solomon: ‘Because you have done this [gone after other gods], and have not kept My covenant and My statutes, which I have commanded you, I will surely tear the kingdom away from you and give it to your servant’ (1 Kings 11:11).

“Although Solomon’s son remained king over the house of Judah, Solomon’s servant Jeroboam became king over the house of Israel. Also, we find that Mary, mother of Jesus, did not descend from Solomon, but from David’s son Nathan (compare Luke 3:31, explaining that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a descendant of ‘Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse…’).

“Even in the very last generation, at the time of Christ’s return, there would still be a king sitting on the throne of David. God says, through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘Behold, I will fill all the inhabitants of this land—even the kings who sit on David’s throne…’ (Jeremiah 13:13…).”

When Jesus returns, He will occupy the throne of David. He will do so, as He was a physical descendant of David and his son Nathan, through His mother Mary, and as He was a legal descendant of David through his son Solomon, through His step-father Joseph.

We might also note God’s great mercy in that both genealogies include men and women who had sinned, at times greatly, but they repented and obtained forgiveness. Their sins were blotted out and not to be held against them anymore. This would include David, Solomon, other men, and several women who are specifically named or being referred to.

The women specifically mentioned by name in the legal genealogy of Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 1, are the harlot Rahab; Mary, the wife of Joseph (verse 16), who was a righteous woman; Tamar, the daughter in law of Judah (verse 3), who played the harlot with him since he had broken his promise to give her one of his sons in marriage (compare Genesis 38:1-30); and righteous Ruth, a non-Israelite from the tribe of Moab (verse 5). One more woman is mentioned, without naming her directly, in verse 6, where we read: ‘David the king begot Solomon by her [who had been the wife] of Uriah.’ This refers to Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, whom David had killed, after Bathsheba became pregnant as a result of David’s adulterous affair with her.

So we see that Tamar, Rahab and Bathsheba are listed in the legal genealogy of Jesus, the stepson and foster child of Joseph. They are listed because they deserved to be listed–not because of their weaknesses and sins, but because of their subsequent repentance and faith. For instance, Rahab clearly was a harlot and she was known as such, but she acted upon faith, repented and changed her lifestyle, and she is today memorialized in God’s Word as one of the ancestors of Jesus’ stepfather Joseph. In addition, she was an ancestor of Mary, the mother of Jesus–which means that Jesus Christ was a direct physical descendant of Rahab! (Compare Luke 3:32 with Matthew 1:5, showing that Boaz, an ancestor of King David, was the son of Salmon and Rahab).

In addition, Matthew lists Jeconiah or Coniah in Christ’s legal genealogy, and Luke lists Coniah’s son and grandson in Christ’s physical genealogy, even though they clearly would have known about Coniah’s curse in the book of Jeremiah (compare Jeremiah 22:30; 36:30). It is obvious that they did not feel that God’s curse disqualified Jesus from inheriting and sitting on the throne of David. Writing under godly inspiration, they must have known that somehow, God’s curse which was pronounced against Coniah did not prevent Christ’s Messiahship. God did in fact reverse the curse, apparently due to Coniah’s repentance, and/or that He did not apply Coniah’s sin and the resulting curse to Coniah’s grandson Zerubbabel, due to Zerubbabel’s repentance and his plea for his grandfather Coniah (For further discussion, note our Q&A on Coniah’s curse).

In conclusion, Jesus was a descendant of David [compare Romans 1:3] and He is the rightful heir of David’s throne both in the physical and the legal sense. Legally, He “descended” from Solomon, and physically, from Nathan, and He will return very soon to occupy David’s throne which will then be established in Jerusalem, when His rule over all of mankind begins.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link

The question as to the timing of ordinations can be quite confusing and puzzling. How does one know whether a person should be ordained to a particular office?

We have discussed this question, in general,  in numerous Q&As.

In “What is the basis or reason for ordination?”, we said the following:

“Ordination, as a practice, is clearly set forth in the Bible… In the New Testament, we note that Jesus Christ, who is the Head of the Church of God (Ephesians 1:22), has established ministerial positions: ‘And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers’ (Ephesians 4:11). Speaking of the Church, Paul writes: ‘Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues’ (1 Corinthians 12:27-28).

“From the outset, the process of choosing ministers and deacons for particular service in the Church has been the result of careful consideration… Paul and Barnabas were prophets and teachers. They were subsequently ordained to the rank and function of apostles (Acts 14:14) for the particular job they would then fulfill in the Church… Paul specifically acknowledges this ordination for the proclaiming of the gospel… (2 Timothy 1:11; compare, also, Romans 11:13)…

“However, neither Peter nor Paul were able to do all of the work their commissions required. They ordained others to help in administering the Church of God… Paul instructed Titus to ‘appoint elders in every city’ (Titus 1:5).”

Such ordinations as deacons or elders have to be based on specifically enumerated spiritual qualifications (Titus 1:6-9; compare, also, 1 Timothy 3:1-13). Christ also made clear that especially the ordinations of ministers are to be done “for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God… that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” (Ephesians 4:12-14).

He also said that we ought to pray that God would send out laborers into His harvest (Luke 10:2).

We concluded in the above-mentioned Q&A that “God emphatically promises to help those who are ordained in His service” and that we in God’s Church “will ordain people as the need is made apparent to further the Work of God given to His Church.” That Work is preaching the gospel in all the world as a witness to all nations, and feeding the flock.

It is of course obvious that God must inspire those ordinations. We read about this principle in Hebrews 5:4, addressing the ordination to the office of high priest: “And no man takes this honor to himself, but he who is called by God, just as Aaron was.” It is THE Apostle, Jesus Christ (compare Hebrews 3:1), who directs the ministry to ordain people in His Church.

We elaborated in several Q&As on the statement, quoted above, that God promises to help those who are ordained in His service. In the Q&A, titled “Does John 3:34 imply that God gives His Holy Spirit in lesser and greater amounts?”, we stated:

“When a man or a woman is ordained to the office of deacon or deaconess, they receive an extra portion of the Holy Spirit to accomplish their responsibilities… To become a minister, a further ordination is necessary. And so, when a member or a deacon is ordained to the ministry, an additional extra portion of the Holy Spirit is given them at that time. [As we read in 2 Timothy 1:6-7], Timothy had received a measure of the Holy Spirit when he was baptized, but when he became ordained, he received an extra measure of the Holy Spirit to fulfill his work as a minister…

“When God’s ministers are raised in rank through an ordination and the laying on of hands, they will at that time obtain still more of God’s Holy Spirit to enable them to fulfill their added responsibilities, including spiritual discernment to make right decisions (compare Matthew 16:19; 18:18).

“… the Word of God also reveals that He allots His Holy Spirit to individuals for the work He wants them to do.”

In a subsequent Q&A, titled, “Is our salvation assured, or is it a big question mark in God’s eyes? Did He only give us a small measure of His Holy Spirit which may just barely enable us to overcome and inherit salvation?”, we clarified the following, lest someone would misunderstand:

“But this does not mean that God does not grant abundantly the necessary and needed measure of the Holy Spirit [for the inheritance of salvation] to EVERY converted Christian. The opposite is true. That is why we read in Titus 3:6 that God gave ABUNDANTLY of His Spirit to each and every one of us. Paul says in Ephesians 5:18 to every Christian, to ‘…be filled with the Spirit.’ But he also warned: ‘Do not quench the Spirit’ (1 Thessalonians 5:19).”

In another Q&A, titled “Is it possible for a Christian to receive more of God’s Holy Spirit?”, we added these comments:

“… when a man is ordained to the ministry, God grants helps through His Holy Spirit (Compare Luke 10:17-20; Mark 16:15-18).”

The same is true for ordinations of men and women to the office of deacon and deaconess. While women are not to be ordained as ministers, we do ordain women as deaconesses. We explain the following in our Q&A, titled, “Why did God use Deborah in the leadership role as prophetess and judge to Israel, and why is this recorded in God’s Word?”:

“In Romans 16:1-2, we read in the NKJV: ‘I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a SERVANT of the church in Cenchrea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.’ The RSV translates the word servant as ‘deaconess.’ ‘Diakonos’ is the masculine form and gives credence to the idea that Phoebe was a deaconess. Otherwise, Paul would have used a feminine form for servant… The ONLY ordained office within the Church of God that is held by women is that of DEACONESS–an appointment based on solid maturity and selfless service.”

The Greek words in Romans 16:1-2 are “ousan diakonon”, describing the female deacons of the church. This was used as an official title. Also, in 1 Timothy 3:8-10, males are described in respect to the ordinations of deacons. The Scripture then continued in verse 11 with, “the women likewise.” The New King James Bible renders this passage quite inaccurately, saying, “Likewise their wives must be reverent.” The word “their” has been added, and the word “wives” should be translated as “women.” In the original Greek, it says, “Women in like manner…” This does not refer to the wives of deacons, but it refers to the ordination of female deacons or deaconesses.

We see that Phoebe, a deaconess, was a helper of many, including Paul.

The first record of ordaining men as deacons can be found in Acts 6. As mentioned above, the word “deacon” is derived from the Greek word, “diakonos,” meaning “servant” or “helper.” A need had arisen in the Church to ordain faithful men for fair and equitable daily distribution of necessities to widows. The ordination of deacons was done to free the apostles from such tasks and to give them more time for prayer and the ministry of the word (verses 1-4). A separation of tasks was accomplished. While the deacons would look after widows in this particular case, the apostles would concentrate on preaching the Word of God.

Many times, where there are local congregations, deacons and deaconesses would look after physical necessities for, during and after services, and they might look after members who are in physical need. They might open their houses for assembling with other scattered members on the Sabbath, when there is no Church congregation nearby.

But their task may not be limited to such endeavors, nor might it even be the primary responsibility of many deacons today.

The Church of God is to do a worldwide Work today of proclaiming the good news in all the nations. The actual preaching and proclaiming of the gospel through speaking and writing is mainly accomplished through the ordained ministry, but in order to fulfill such a monumental task, many physical needs have to be met. For instance, messages need to be recorded and then posted on the Internet; or, if internet service is limited or not available, they need to be duplicated and distributed via CD, DVD, or other current media. Written texts need to be proof-read, and booklets must be finalized for printing. Master files need to be kept up-to-date. Websites need to be administered. Feast sites need to be located and Feast arrangements need to be made. Literally dozens if not hundreds of tasks are to be accomplished, and the need for the ordinations of faithful members, being filled with the Holy Spirit, to the offices of deacons and ministers is great.

Today, many tasks are being carried out by ministers and their wives which actually could be carried out by deacons, if there were ordained qualified deacons in place. We are admonished to pray to God that He will send laborers into His harvest, who could be ordained as deacons or elders. As the Word of God spread after seven faithful men were ordained as deacons in Acts 6, so the same can be expected within the Church today. In Acts 6, the concept of ordinations of deacons was introduced, as a need for such ordinations had arisen in the local Church congregation. Today, as explained, such a need is not limited to a local Church congregation, as this is a worldwide Work with technical possibilities and responsibilities which were totally unknown and did not exist at the time of the early Church.

In this regard, ordinations are made with the anticipation that those ordained will grow in their offices. They already showed by their actions and conduct that God had set them aside to be ordained, inspiring the Church ministry to make “official” what God had already decided. For instance, as Acts 13 shows, Paul and Barnabas were ordained to the office of apostle to carry out the work to which God had called them (verse 2). We should note, however, that they had been carrying out important ministerial tasks prior to their ordination as apostles. We find, in Acts 11:26, that Barnabas and Saul assembled with the church at Antioch for one year “and taught a great many people.” Then they went to Jerusalem to bring the elders of the Church relief from the famine that plagued the areas. Acts 12:25 continues to report that “Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem [to Antioch] when they had fulfilled their ministry…”

In the past, men were ordained to the office of high-ranking ministers in the Worldwide Church of God under Herbert Armstrong, the late human leader of the Church, because they were heads of departments which were crucial for the proclamation of the gospel, even though they themselves might not have preached much, if at all, in local Church congregations. Paul pointed out that he had not been called to baptize—this task was mainly reserved for others—but to preach the gospel in that part of the world which was known at that time. Jesus Christ did not baptize at all, but He had His early apostles do this.

As we said above, ordinations are desirable “for service in the Church” and for the furthering of the Work–not necessarily within a particular Church congregation, but the Church as a whole, for the administering of the Church worldwide. Those who will be ordained will be receiving an extra portion of the Holy Spirit to be able to accomplish their particular responsibilities—which in this day and age would also include technical abilities and computer skills for those who would be entrusted with such tasks.

Ultimately, Christ will decide as to who should be ordained, and He will make His Will known to the leading ministers in His Church. But all within the Body of Christ should pray to God that His Will becomes manifest and understood by the ministry, and that His Will be carried out.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link