“My Remarks on Fasting” (Luke 4:1-2)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/6/2026 9:09 PM

My Worship Time                                                                     Focus:  “My Remarks on Fasting”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                     Reference:  Luke 4:1-2

            Message of the verses:  “Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil.  And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

            Now before I begin to look at these verses I want to write about something that I think is very important.  Now I worked at the Ford Motor Company’s Cleveland Plant in Cleveland Ohio for 34 years, and retired when I was 52 years old on June 30^th, 1999.  I became a believer on January 26, 1974, and it was my desire to do something after I retired, and that something was fasting.  I read many books about fasting, as there are different kinds of fasting, but the one that I wished to do was to go completely without food.  I did this first fast in Michigan where my future son-in-law lived as his family had an older rustic cabin in the woods.  I learned that the best way to fast is to cut your eating down a  little bit at a time in order to prepare your body for your upcoming fast.  I did that and on the last day before the fast I had a light lunch.  The purpose of doing this was to lean your body from food so that when you began to fast you were not hungry.  That system worked for me even though this first fast of mine was not very long, about 10 days.  Now the reason I bring my experience up is to write about what I think Jesus’ fast was all about.  The one thing I did while fasting was to drink a lot of water, and I do believe that Jesus did drink a lot of water while he fasted too, but I have no proof of that, but I do know that you can go a very long time without food, but only three days, maybe four days without water.  I know if you are doing a fast for a long period of them you will not be hungry, but when you body lets you know that you are hungry again that is when you must eat or you will then starve yourself to death.  Now we know that Jesus had a perfect body as He did not have a sin nature like everyone else has who has been born.  Jesus, it says faster for forty days and then He became hungry, and that meant He had to have food to eat or He will starve to death, which in His case would not happen.  It is my belief, as stated earlier that Jesus drank water, as also stated I can’t prove He did, but one can not go without water, and if I understand things about Jesus, that would mean going without water would mean He would be doing something that no man can do, so that is why I believe He had a source of water.  One more thing, and that is in one of the books I was reading about fasting it told the story of a man who went around six months without eating, but of course did drink water.  This man must have been very heavy when he began his fast and was using up that weight in order to keep his body working.  Fasting is something that is good for you if you know what you are doing.  If you desire to fast then get some good books on how to fast in order to help you with your fast.  My mind was very clear while I was fasting and that is another benefit of fasting.  I did another fast later on, and that one lasted about a month, and the only thing I changed was to drink one class of tomato juice each day.  I guess there is one more thing I want to write about and that if you are a believer fasting can become something that is spiritual for you.  If you are wanting an answer from the Lord over something important to you then fasting can help you to focus on that desire more clearly.

            I will begin to look at these verses in tomorrow mornings SD in order not to have to start and stop my progress in looking at these verses.

5/6/2026 9:45 PM

“The Temptation of the Messiah” (Luke 4:1-13)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/6/2026 10:27 AM

My Worship Time                                 Focus:  Introduction to “The Temptation of the Messiah”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                   Reference:  Luke 4:1-13

            Message of the verses:  “1 Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness 2for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry. 3And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” 4And Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE.’”  5And he led Him up and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6And the devil said to Him, “I will give You all this domain and its glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7“Therefore if You worship before me, it shall all be Yours.” 8Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY.’” 9And he led Him to Jerusalem and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here;10for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,’11and  ‘ON their HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP,
            SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’” 12And Jesus answered and said to him, “It is said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST.’” 13When the devil had finished every temptation, he left Him until an opportune time.”

            Now as my custom while looking at John MacArthur’s commentary I will quote the introduction that he has for the verses that he will go over in the chapter.

            “There are many ways to verify the truthfulness of Scripture.  There is secular ancient history, and archaeology corroborates the biblical record.  The Bible also contains hundreds of prophecies that were fulfilled exactly as predicted.  Despite being written before the age of modern scientific discoveries, the Bible is completely accurate when it discusses scientific matters.  The book of Job, written during the patriarchal period, says that God ‘stretches out the north over empty space and hangs the earth on nothing’ (Job. 26:7).  Commenting on the scientific implications of that statement Henry M. Morris writes,

“Job was saying that the north-pointing axis of the earth extended indefinitely beyond the boundaries of the earth’s surface, pointing to the polar star and orienting both the geography of the earth and the corresponding starscape of the stellar heavens….Furthermore, the earth was not resting on the shoulders of Atlas or on the back of the cosmic elephant….Suspended in the formless void of space without support, the earth is rigidly maintained in its orbit by a mysterious force we call gravity, but which could just as rationally be called nothing—or perhaps better, the will of God. (The Remarkable Record of Job [Grand Rapids; Baker, 1988], 40).”

            “But the most compelling proof of the Bible’s truthfulness is the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Every character devised by fallen, finite human minds is somehow flawed.  It is utterly impossible that mankind could invent Jesus as He is portrayed on the pages of Scripture.  He is absolutely, sinlessly perfect; His wisdom is unerringly profound; His understanding of human nature unparalleled; His response to every situation He faced perfectly consistent with the nature of God.  It is also inconceivable that Satan and the demons could have invented the story of Jesus to deceive the human race. Absolute evil cannot create absolute good.  And why would demons or humans invent a person who defeats and ultimately destroys Them?

            “The perfection of the Lord Jesus Christ is nowhere more evident than in the story of His confrontation with the archenemy of God, Satan.  The devil assaulted Him with wave after wave of temptations, seeking to lure Him into sin and derail the plan of redemption.  But Jesus defeated him, demonstrating the power He had to ‘destroy the works of the devil’ (1 John 3:8) through His death and resurrection.  His victory over Satan in the wilderness laid the groundwork for His later triumphs at Gethsemane, Calvary, and the grave.  Without His victory over the devil’s temptations, Christ’s messianic credentials would not have been complete.  If He was not able to defeat Satan in a head to head confrontation, He would not be able to redeem sinners.

            “But Jesus was not only the divine Son of God, but also the fully human son of Adam (Luke 3:38).”  “the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”  “It was in His humanity that Jesus endured the onslaught of temptation, ‘for God cannot be tempted by evil’ (James 1:13).  The question arises as to whether or not Jesus was inpeccable; that is, not able to sin.  Obviously, Jesus did not sin; He ‘knew no sin’ (2 Cor.   5:21), ‘committed no sin’ (1 Peter 2:22), and ‘in Him there is no sin’ (1 John 3:5); cf. Heb. 4:15; 7:26; John 8:46).  Some theologians however, believed that He could have sinned, even though He did not.  But the union of Christ’s divine and human natures precludes the possibility of Jesus having sinned as Wanye Grudem notes:  

“If Jesus as a person had sinned, involving both his human and divine natures in sin, then God Himself would have sinned, and he would have ceased to be God.  Yet that is clearly impossible because of the infinite holiness of God’s nature.  Therefore if we are asking if it was actually possible for Jesus to have sinned, it seems that we must conclude that it was not possible.  The union of his human and divine natures in one person prevented it. (Systematic Theology [Grand Rapids; Zondervan 1994], 538-39. Italics in original.)

“But even though Jesus could not sin, that does not mean the temptations He faced were not genuine; their reality did not depend of His ability to respond.  Actually, since He never yielded to them, He endured their full force.  Temptation was, therefore, more real for Him than for those who yield to it.  It could be so intense that it made His ‘sweat [become] like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground’ (Luke 22:44).”

            I have heard that a person under great stress can actually sweat blood and so I found the answer to whether a person can sweat blood under severe stress:  “ Yes — in extremely rare cases, a person under intense physical or psychological stress can sweat blood, a condition known medically as hematidrosis (also called hematohidrosis or hemidrosis) 

What is hematidrosis?

Hematidrosis is the appearance of blood-tinged sweat or blood oozing from the skin, often from the forehead, nose, eyes, fingernails, or umbilicus Wikipedia. It is very rare and not a common medical condition, so it is often diagnosed only after ruling out other causes such as bleeding disorders, high blood pressure, or skin diseases.”

            “Comparing Adam’s temptation with that of Jesus reveals some obvious differences and makes Jesus’ victory over His temptation all the more remarkable.  Adam faced temptation in the best possible surroundings, the garden of Eden.  Jesus faced temptation in the worst imaginable setting—the wasteland of the Judean desert.  Adam lived in the sinless perfection of the pre-fall world.  Jesus lived in a sinful, fallen world.  No overwhelming buildup of temptation lured Adam into sin, because he yielded to the first temptation he faced.  Jesus, on the other hand, faced repeated temptations over the first thirty years of His life (Heb. 4:15), and intense temptation during the forty days before the final three recorded here.  Adam feasted on all the lush provisions the garden had to offer.  Jesus was weakened for forty days of fasting.  In the best of circumstances, Adam fell; in the worst imaginable circumstances, Jesus did not.  The consequences of Adam’s fall to temptation were lethal to the human race; the consequences of Jesus’ triumph over temptation were life-giving.

            “Jesus’ conflict with Satan unfolds in three scenes:  the preparation for the battle; the pattern of the battle, and the postmortem of the battle.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  Now because Adam sinned, it caused many great problems for the human race as we life with them each and every day of our lives, especially seeing people die, which would not have happened if Adam did not sin.  Now because it was and is impossible for Jesus to sin, then that meant that He could go to the cross and pay for the sins of the world, to which I am so very thankful.  People still die, but believers when they die go to heaven as they await their glorified bodies so that they can return to planet earth when the Lord returns as seen in Revelation 19.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  I am trusting the Lord to continue to take care of my wife as she battles that terrible disease of cancer.

5/6/2026 11:43 AM

 

 

“The Significance of Four Names”

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/5/2026 10:30 PM

My Worship Time                                                       Focus:  “The Significance of Four Names”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                     Reference: Luke 3:38b

            This very short SD will be a bit difference as there are not any specific verses to put into the reference, but it will be verses from the genealogy from Luke’s gospel that we will finish looking at this evening.

            There are four names in the genealogy that sum up the person of Jesus Christ.  As a son of God (v. 38b) by creation, Adam bore His image unspoiled, unpolluted, and uncorrupted until he fell into sin.  Now that sin marred the image of God, so that none of Adam’s descendants were true sons of God in the same manner that he had been before he sinned. You remember that after Adam and Eve sinned by eating the forbidden fruit that they realized they were naked, and went to make some kind of clothes, and my thoughts have always been that the got clothes from a lamb.  Anyhow they hid from God because their fellowship had been broken with Him.  Moreover, Jesus was the Son of God in His deity, being of the same essence as the Father (Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9).

(Phil. 2:6; Col. 2:9)

“6  who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,’

“9  For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,”

            John MacArthur writes:  “As the son of Adam (v. 38b), Jesus was fully human, and because of that ‘we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weakness, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin’ (Heb. 4:15).

(v. 38b)

“the son of Adam, the son of God.”

            “As the son of Abraham (v. 34), Jesus is the seed promised to the patriarch (Gal. 3:16), in whom the promised blessings of the Abrahamic covenant will be realized.”

(v. 34)

“34  the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,”

(Gal. 3:16)

“16  Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.”

            “Finally, as the son of David (v. 31), Jesus ‘will reign forever and ever’ (Rev. 11:15; cf. Luke 1:33).

(v. 31)

“31  the son of, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,”

(Rev. 11:15; cf. Luke 1:33)

“15  Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign forever and ever.’”

“33  and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.’”

 

            “His royal ancestry, confirmed by both of His parents’ genealogies, is yet another proof of Jesus’ messianic credentials.”

            This SD ends the third chapter of Luke, and much of those three chapters were preparing us for what will begin to happen in the fourth chapter of Luke, which is the ministry of our Lord Jesus Christ, as it begins after his baptism, when the Holy Spirit of God is the person of the godhead that will cause Jesus to begin to minister to those in Israel.

5/5/2026 10:54 PM

 

 

“The Supposition of Jesus’ Ancestry” (Luke 3:23b)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/5/2026 10:25 AM

My Worship Time                                                   Focus:  “The Supposition of Jesus’ Ancestry”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                    Reference:  Luke 3:23b

            Message of the verse:  “being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph,”

            In John MacArthur’s commentary on this brief phrase he stated that it “is of profound theological significance.”  He goes on to write “It was commonly supposed that Jesus was the son of Joseph, understandably so since as far as most people knew, Jesus was just on of Joseph and Mary’s children (cf. Matthew 13:54-56).”

(cf. Matthew 13:54-56)

“54  and coming to his hometown he taught them in synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55  Is this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56  And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?’”

“But that supposition was incorrect, and He was physically only the son of Mary.  That affirms the reality of His virgin conception and birth.”  This was written about in an earlier chapter of MacArthur’s commentary that I am using.  “The Greek text makes it clear that Joseph is not part of Luke’s genealogy.  All the other names are preceded by the definite article tou, but joseph is not, thus indicating that the mention of his name is parenthetical.  The phrase could be more accurately rendered, ‘Jesus…being (as was supposed the son of Joseph) the son of Eli’; that is, the grandson of Eli through Mary.  This is another compelling reason for viewing Luke’s genealogy as Mary’s.” I went over that in a previous SD stating that Luke’s genealogy is from Mary, while Matthew’s genealogy is from Joseph.  “How could this be Joseph’s genealogy when Luke’s grammar makes it clear that Joseph was not part of it?  Futher, as R.C.H. Lenski points out,

“How Luke could think of appending a genealogy of Joseph after saying that Jesus was only supposed to be the son of Joseph, i.e., a physical son, Luke himself having shown at length that this supposition was wrong, and that Jesus was a physical son only of Mary, has yet to be made clear by those who find the genealogy of Joseph here. (The Interpretation of St. Luke’s Gospel [Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1946] 218-219. Italics in original).”

            Now I am going to quote the next section from MacArthur’s commentary but he states that the verses that this short section come from Luke 3:27.

The Similarity of Two Ancestors

Luke 3:27 “Zerubbabel…Shealtiel.

            ‘The names from Eli (vs. 23) to Rhesa (v. 27) and from Neri (v. 27) to Mattatha (v. 31) do not appear anywhere else in Scripture.  All that can be said of them is that they were common Jewish names of the time.  The names of Zerubbabel and Shealtiel sandwiched in between are known; in fact, they are the only two names after David’s time that are common to both the genealogies of Luke and Matthew.  It is possible that the names refer to different individuals, and that there was a father named Shealtiel and a son named Zerubbabel in both genealogies.  Or a levirate marriage may account for their presence in both genealogies.  Zerubbabel himself may have been the child of a levirate marriage, since 1 Chronicles 3:19 lists Pedaiah as his father, while the Old Testament elsewhere calls him the son of Shealtiel (e. g., Ezra 3:2; Neh. 12:1; Hag. 1:1), the brother of Pedaiah (1 Chron. 3:17-18).  Similary, Luke refers to Neri as the father of Shealtiel, while 1 Chron, 3:17 lists Jeconiah as his father.  Again, this is either another case of levirate marriage, or adoption.”  I will finish this section of this SD by going over the verses mentioned above in the order that they are listed.

(e. g., Ezra 3:2; Neh. 12:1; Hag. 1:1)

“2  Then arose Jeshua the son of Jozadak, with his fellow priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel with his kinsmen, and they built the altar of the God of Israel, to offer burnt offerings on it, as it is written in the Law of Moses the man of God.”

“1 ¶  These are the priests and the Levites who came up with Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua: Seraiah, Jeremiah, Ezra,”

“1 ¶  In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, on the first day of the month, the word of the LORD came by the hand of Haggai the prophet to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Jehozadak, the high priest:”

(1 Chron, 3:17-18)

“17  and the sons of Jeconiah, the captive: Shealtiel his son, 18  Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah;’

Spiritual Meaning for my Life Today:  Genealogies are important, especially when it comes to the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

5/5/2026 11:08 AM

 

 

 

“The Start of Jesus’ Ministry” (Luke 3:23a)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/4/2026 8:45 PM

My Worship Time                                                               Focus:  “The Start of Jesus’ Ministry”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                                Reference:  “Luke 3:23a”

            Message of the verses:  “23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age,

            I have to say that this will be one of the shortest SD’s I have ever done, but I am trying to keep with the outline from John MacArthur’s commentary.  We see that Luke did not give a specific age for the Lord Jesus Christ when He began His ministry but wrote “Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age.”

            Now except for the incident at the temple when Jesus was twelve years old (2:41-51), Jesus had spent His life up to this point in obscurity.  We will look at these verses in order to review them.

(2:41-51)

“41 ¶  Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. 42  And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. 43  And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His parents did not know it, 44  but supposing him to be in the group they went a day’s journey, but then they began to search for him among their relatives and acquaintances, 45  and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him. 46  After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47  And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48  And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” 49  And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” 50  And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. 51  And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.”

            MacArthur writes “He grew up in the small village of Nazareth, living in subjection to His parents and working with His father (cf. Matt. 13:55 with Mark 6:3).

(cf. Matt. 13:55 with Mark 6:3)

“55  Is this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?”

“3  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.”

“Jesus began His public ministry at His baptism (cf. Acts 1:21-22; 10:37-38), at which point He was about thirty years of age.”

(cf. Acts 1:21-22; 10:37-38)

“21  So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22  beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.’”

“37  you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: 38  how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.”

“That was a customary age for men of God to begin their ministries.  Ezekiel began his prophetic ministry at age thirty (Ezekiel 1:1).  Joseph was also thirty years old when he became the prime minister of Egypt (Gen. 41:46), and David was thirty when he ascended to Israel’s throne (2 Sam. 5:4).  Thirty was also the age at which the priests began to serve (Num. 4:3, 35, 39, 43, 47; 1 Chron. 23:3).  Jesus thus began His public ministry at an age that people would consider appropriate.”

5/4/2026 9:03 PM

 

             

PT-3 Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage” (Luke 3:23-38)

 

MORNING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/4/2026 9:18 AM

My Worship Time                                      Focus:  PT-3 Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                             Reference:  “Luke 3:23-38”

            Message of the verses:  “23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was commonly held, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

            I pick up writing about differences from John MacArthur’s commentary in this morning's SD.

            “Other differences are more significant.  Luke identifies Jesus’ grandfather as Eli, while Matthew calls him Jacob.  Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry through David’s son Nathan, while Matthew traces it through his son Solomon.  Finally, while the names from Abraham to David are identical in both genealogies (except that Matthew skips Admin), all but two of the names from David to Joseph are different.  Two possible explanations for those differences have been proposed.

            “Some hold that both genealogies are Joseph’s noting that Mary’s name does not appear in Luke’s genealogy and that the Jews traced ancestry through the father’s genealogy, not the mother’s (but as Leon Morris points out, ‘We have no information as to how a genealogy would be reckoned when there was no human father.  The case is unique’ [The Gospel According to ST. Luke, The Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1975), 100]).  They explain Jesus’ different grandfathers (Eli in Luke and Jacob in Matthew), as well as the different names from David to Joseph, by invoking the principle of levirate marriage (Gen. 38:8; Deut. 25:5-7; Ruth 4:10).  According to this view Eli and Jacob were half brothers, having the same mother, but different fathers.  One of the two died childless, and the surviving  brother married his widow.  That would make Joseph the biological son of the surviving brother, and the legal son of the deceased. 

            “Though plausible, that view is based largely on utterly unprovable conjecture (that Eli and Jacob were half-brothers, and that a levirate marriage took place).  A far better explanation is that Mathew records Joseph’s genealogy and Luke Mary’s (Luke omitted her name in deference to Jewish custom).  The two different names given for Jesus’ grandfather actually refer to two different men, Joseph’s father, and Mary’s father.  The difference in the names from David to Joseph are also to be expected, since the genealogies are those of two different people.  Mary traced her ancestry through Nathan, while Joseph traced his through Solomon.  This view is also consistent with the purposes of the two writers, as noted above.  Matthew’s desire to prove Jesus’ legal claim to the throne of David led him to include Joseph’s genealogy.  Luke addressed a broader, largely Gentile audience and thus gave Jesus’ actual, physical descent through Mary.  Finally, this view explains how Jesus could legitimately  be Israel’s king despite being a descendant of Jeconiah through Joseph.  That avoided the curse that the Lord pronounced on Jeconiah, that none of his descendants would ever be king (Jer. 22:24-30).  (For further evidence that Luke presents Mary’s genealogy, see Robert L. Thomas and Stanley N. Gundry, A Harmony of the Gospels [Chicago: Moody, 1978], appendix 9.)” 

            Now I want to go back and look at Jeremiah 22:23-30 as this section speaks about the Lord’s pronouncement on Jeconiah, that none of his descendants would ever be king.

Jeremiah 22:23-30

“23  O inhabitant of Lebanon, nested among the cedars, how you will be pitied when pangs come upon you, pain as of a woman in labor!" 24  "As I live, declares the LORD, though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet ring on my right hand, yet I would tear you off 25  and give you into the hand of those who seek your life, into the hand of those of whom you are afraid, even into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and into the hand of the Chaldeans. 26  I will hurl you and the mother who bore you into another country, where you were not born, and there you shall die. 27  But to the land to which they will long to return, there they shall not return." 28  Is this man Coniah a despised, broken pot, a vessel no one cares for? Why are he and his children hurled and cast into a land that they do not know? 29  O land, land, land, hear the word of the LORD! 30  Thus says the LORD: "Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not succeed in his days, for none of his offspring shall succeed in sitting on the throne of David and ruling again in Judah.’”

            MacArthur goes on to write “The genealogies in Matthew and Luke established beyond doubt that Jesus was a descendant of David.  Not even His bitter enemies among the Jewish leaders denied that.  They surely would have rejected His messianic claims out of hand had He not been, and silenced the crowds who enthusiastically cried out at the triumphal entry, ‘Hosanna to the Son of David’ (Matt. 21:9).  But the genealogical records, which they undoubtedly carefully checked, provided irrefutable proof of Jesus’ Davidic descent.

            “The remainder of this chapter will focus on four highlights from this passage:  the start of Jesus’ ministry, the supposition of His ancestry, the similarity of two of His ancestors, and the significance of four names from His genealogy.”

Spiritual Meaning for my Life today:  Now ever since I became a believer in Jesus Christ, being saved from my sins on Jan. 26, 1974, and as I began to grow in the Lord I have never doubted the accuracy of the Word of God, and blessed to be able to study it each and every day.

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Trust the Lord to work out which treatment that my wife should go on next in order to fight the cancer that is in her body.  May her life bring glory to the Lord.  5/4/2026 9:51 AM

 

 

PT-2 Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage” (Luke 3:23-38)

 

EVENING SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 5/3/2026 11:17 PM

My Worship Time                                      Focus:  PT-2 Intro to “The Messiah’s Royal Lineage”

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                             Reference:  “Luke 3:23-38”

            Message of the verses:  “23 When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was commonly held, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli, 24 the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph, 25 the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Hesli, the son of Naggai, 26 the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,27 the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, 28 the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er, 29 the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, 30 the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim, 31 the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David, 32 the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, 33 the son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, 34 the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, 35 the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Heber, the son of Shelah, 36 the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, 37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

            I will continue from where I left off this morning as I continue to copy the introduction to these verses from the pen of John MacArthur.

            “Because of the significance of genealogies in the ancient world, Luke’s readers would have understood why he included the genealogy of Jesus Christ.  It was an essential credential for one claiming to be the Messiah to be a descendant of David.  Luke has already given several credentials that establish irrefutably that Jesus is the Messiah.  The account of John the Baptist’s miraculous birth to an elderly, barren couple introduced His prophesied forerunner (Luke 1:17; cf. Isaiah 40:3-4; Mal. 3:1).  Then the angel Gabriel announced to a young virgin named Mary that she was to be the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:31-33).  When Mary visited her older relative Elisabeth, John the Baptist’s mother, ‘Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  And she cried out with a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me?’’’(vv. 41-43).  Her husband, Zacharias, also filled with the Holy Spirit (v. 67), prophesied that John the Baptist would be Jesus’ forerunner.  The angels who announced His birth to the shepherds (2:8-11) testified  that Jesus was Savior, Messiah, and the Lord (v. 11).  Two righteous and godly individuals, Simeon and Anna, also added their testimony that Jesus (see especially vv. 15-17).  Then at His baptism, the Holy Spirit and God the Father gave the ultimate affirmation that Jesus is the Son of God, and thus the Messiah and the Savior of the world.

            “The genealogies of Jesus recorded by Matthew and Luke prove that He was not a self-appointed Messiah; a misguided reformer caught up in popular acclaim who began to have delusions of grandeur.  Nor was He merely a good teacher of morality and ethics, or a revolutionary out to overthrow Rome’s rule.  His genealogies, tracing His ancestry back through David and Abraham to Adam and ultimately to God Himself, show that Jesus was Israel’s rightful king.

            “A comparison of the genealogies in Matthew and Luke reveals marked differences.  Some reflect the writers’ different purposes.  Matthew placed his genealogy at the beginning of his gospel where it fits chronologically into the life of Christ.  Luke, however, inserted Christ’s genealogy later in the context of His messianic credentials (see discussion above).  There are no women in Luke’s genealogy goes from the present to the past; Matthew’s from the past to the present.  Thus Matthew’s genealogy begins with Abraham and moves forward in time, while Luke’s begins with Jesus and moves backward in time to Adam.  Matthew’s genealogy begins with Abraham, while the first name (chronologically) in Lukes is Adam.  The different starting points in their genealogies reflect the different purposes of the two Gospel writers.  Matthew wrote primarily to the Jewish people, so it was natural for him to begin with Abraham, the father of the nation of Israel.  Luke’s approach was more universal.  He was concerned to present Jesus as the Son of Man, and demonstrates His solidarity with the entire human race.  Therefore, he took Christ’s genealogy all the way back to Adam.  Matthew’s emphasis on Joseph (Matt. 1:16, 18, 19, 20, 24; 2:13, 14, 19-21) and Luke’s on Mary (Luke 1:27, 30-56; 2:5, 16, 19, 34) in the early chapters of their gospels also reflects their complementary strategies.

            “Luke’s genealogy, therefore, was longer than Matthew’s, containing seventy-seven names as opposed to forty-two names in Matthew’s genealogy.  Neither genealogy was intended to be exhaustive, but rather both were compressed or abridged. Matthew’s genealogy contains three groups of fourteen names, which was evidently done to make it easier to memorize.  (It should be noted that the term ‘father’ in Matthew’s genealogy does not necessarily denote a father-son relationship; it can be used in the more general sense of ‘ancestor.’  See for example Matthew 1:5; several generations must have elapsed between Salmon, the husband of Rahab, who lived during the Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land under Joshua, and Boaz, who lived much later during the period of the judges.  Note also verse 1 where Jesus is referred to as the son [i.e., descendant] of David and Abraham.)  Luke’s genealogy also skips generations.  The repeated term son does not appear in the Greek text; in each pair of names the first named individual is merely said to be a descendant in some sense of the second one (cf. also v. 38; Adam obviously was not the Son of God in a physical sense).

            “Other differences are more significant.  Luke identifies Jesus’ grandfather as Eli, while Matthew calls him Jacob.  Luke traces Jesus’ ancestry through David’s son Nathan, while Matthew traces it through his son Solomon.  Finally, while the names from Abraham to David are identical in both genealogies (except that Matthew skips Admin), all but two of the names from David to Joseph are different.  Two possible explanations for those differences have been proposed.”  I will plan on getting to those proposals in tomorrow morning’s SD.

5/3/2026 11:51 PM