MPV Commentary

23. He began to be about thirty years old—that is, he was entering his thirtieth year. The Greek word can also be translated as "was about thirty years of age when he began his ministry," which makes better sense and is likely the true meaning. At this age, priests would typically begin their office (Numbers 4:3).

Being considered the son of Joseph, Jesus was supposed to be descended from David through Joseph's line. However, there has been much debate about whether Luke's genealogy represents Jesus' actual descent or his adoptive father's lineage. Some argue that it is the natural sense of this verse and that Matthew's genealogy provides a more direct connection to Joseph. Others propose that Luke's genealogy represents Mary's line, with Joseph being her husband and thus Jesus' stepfather.

This view is supported by the fact that in Jewish custom, a man's name was often used instead of his wife's when listing descendants. This would explain why Joseph's name appears here instead of Mary's. Regardless of which interpretation is correct, it is clear that Jesus' descent from David was not disputed by early Christians or their enemies.

When comparing the two genealogies in Matthew and Luke, we see that Matthew focuses on Jesus' connection to Abraham and David, while Luke emphasizes his relationship to Adam, highlighting his role as the promised "Seed of the woman" (Genesis 3:15).

24-30. Son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri.

Note that in Luke 3:27, Salathiel is called the son of Zerubbabel, while in Matthew 1:12, he is referred to as the father of Zerubbabel. It is likely that these are two different individuals.

38. Son of God—Compare Acts 17:28.