The Genealogies of Jesus - Contradictory or Complementary?

* Introduction

I have heard some people make mention of the fact that Jesus seems to have two genealogies, which are mentioned in two of the books of the Gospels. These individuals declare that the genealogies are different; therefore, there must be a contradiction. As a Christian I really have no issue with this, however, some will grab on to anything which appears to be a contradiction in order to disprove the accuracy of the Bible.

Now, apparently I have not made it clear enough that I do not consider myself to be a scholar of any sort, and in matters of the Bible, even I am still learning. Nevertheless, I can read and understand the principles and ideals held within the Bible, and I do welcome the challenges presented to me because it only serves to make me seek out the answers that I have not really considered or, concerned myself with.

* Establishing the Genealogy of Jesus through Joseph

In the book of Mathew, the writer is establishing a genealogy, which starts at Abraham, and covers the generations to Jesus, who is Christ. This genealogy establishes the validity of the ancestry of Jesus through Joseph, the husband of Mary. So, if Jesus was born to a virgin, why should we be concerned with the genealogy of Joseph at all?

How can we count Joseph's genealogy as Jesus' if he were not even really his father? In Jewish tradition, if a man adopts a child as his own, then that child is the offspring of that man as if he was born to him, and is afforded all of the endowments of the father.

In prophecies concerning the arrival of the Messiah, he had to be descended from a particular line. Abraham was told that it was his seed through which the nations of the world would be blessed. As a matter of clarification, in the Bible, "Nations" is a term often attributed to peoples and not necessarily a particular government, or race.

The writer in Mathew is simply establishing the lineage of Jesus from the perspective of Joseph's genealogy back to the time of Abraham, which would fulfill the promise that God had made to Abraham.

* Establishing the Genealogy of Jesus through Mary