How do you determine physical humanity? By using physical testing. Seeing and hearing is not enough. It is possible to see and hear something in the the spiritual world. Even smelling and touching may not be enough to claim reality. Touching is the ultimate test. You know something is real in the physical world when you can touch it, hold it, handle it, and (if possible) move it.
The first verse in the New Testament, Matthew 1:1, reads – “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” This is the first statement about the Humanity of Jesus Christ. He has a “genealogy.” The Greek word is geneseos and denotes a person’s lineage, origin, birth line, generation. Jesus Christ was of the human lineage of King David, who was of the human lineage of Abraham.
Some will be quick to point out that Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus. That’s true, but we’re not finished. The lineage of Joseph is important to the claims of Jesus as Messiah and King of Israel. Matthew is careful to point out that Jesus’ lineage through Joseph goes back to King David and King Solomon as well as to Abraham. Plus, there is another lineage of Jesus that traces back through His biological mother, Mary.
“Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai, the son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah, the son of Joannas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri, the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er, the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim, the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattathah, the son of Nathan, the son of David, the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon, the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah, the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor, the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah, the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech, the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan, the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.” Luke 3:23-38
This is the “human” lineage of Jesus that takes His physical birth all the way back to the first man, Adam. This is the lineage that addresses God’s promise to Adam and Eve that “her Seed” (Genesis 3:15) would one day defeat Satan. Jesus is that Seed. The lineage through Mary also shows that Jesus was related directly to King David, Abraham, Shem, Noah, and Seth.
Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was born from a long lineage of real people we can read about in the Old Testament. Each person in His lineage was really human. If you and I were able to go back in time and visit each one of them, we’d find that they were truly human. We could touch them and they could touch us. They were not apparitions, appearances, or illusions. They were born to human parents, grew up in human families, got married to a human spouse, had human children, and died as humans do. They were human beings in a world of human beings. Jesus’ birth was part of that human lineage.
In our next study, we’ll look at the human interactions Jesus had during His Life on earth that prove beyond any doubt that He is Human.
In Christ’s Love and Grace,
Mark McGee
Faith Defense
Building Confidence Through Evidence
“Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”
Faith & Self Defense 