Ask Brent: Family Trees, Christian Colleges, and Video Games

Published on May 01, 2007 by Brent Eldridge

Why does it seem that the Bible gives two “family trees” for Jesus in Matthew 1 compared to Luke 3?

Great observation!   Here’s the answer.  The reason why it seems the Bible gives two different genealogies (a.k.a. “family trees”) is because — it does give two different genealogies!  Here is why:

The gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience.  Matthew knew that his audience would want to see that The Messiah (Jesus) came from the line of David and had a legal right to the throne of David (legally given to him through his adopted father, Joseph).  Matthew shows Jesus’ legal line to the throne, while Luke shows Jesus’ actual bloodline to David (and then all the way back to Adam).  Luke’s gospel was written to a Greek audience, who would’ve been very interested to see that Jesus was human like them, thus the Savior of all men. Both lines cross at King David — Joseph’s through David’s son Solomon (Matt. 1:6-7) and Mary’s through David’s son Nathan (Luke 3:31).

So, when you see the different names, it’s because they are different lines.  Matthew looks at Joseph’s line, while Luke looks at Mary’s line.

As an interesting side-note, Luke does not say that he is giving Jesus’ genealogy through Joseph.  Rather, he notes that Jesus was “as was supposed” (Luke 3:23) the son of Joseph, while He was actually the son of Mary.  The fact that Luke would record Mary’s genealogy fits with his interest as a doctor dealing with “mothers” and “births” and things of that nature.  Also,  Luke puts a lot of emphasis on women in his Gospel and is sometimes referred to as  “the Gospel for Women” in some academic circles.   Hope that helps!

Should Christians only go to “Christian Colleges”?Thanks for asking — sounds like you’re on the brink of making a BIG decision!  The fast answer is, no.  The Bible is filled with passages that speak to the importance of Christians saturating the world – that is, we should be easy to find everywhere you go…including college. Jesus Himself said, “You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

The fact is, God wants you to do everything everywhere for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31).  Like any other decision in life, choosing where to attend college should be something you pray about and seek good counsel from people you trust.  Christian Colleges offer a tremendous mixture of education and life development under the umbrella of a Christian Worldview.  Personally, I attended a Christian College and have always been grateful for the education and the various other elements that went into my Christian development.  I don’t, however, believe a Christian College is the only place for that to happen.

For example, there is an amazing group of Christians that attend Neighborhood Church who are students at Cal Berkeley.  God is using those students, and so many others like them, to impact people for Him through their academics, athletics and friendships.  All of them are pursuing God and serving Him in the environment He has allowed them to be in.  Each of us is responsible to do the same things, wherever we are.

The big picture of life is that the Lord wants to use us everywhere in every way to win people to Him.  We are Christ’s ambassadors (2 Corinthians 5:20)!  If you are sensing that God is leading you to attend a Christian College — go for it!  However, don’t believe for a minute that God would consider you a “second-class citizen” in anyway for choosing to attend a secular college or any other educational entity.  He is most concerned with your desire to be His LIGHT wherever you are and wherever you go.

Are video games bad?Wow…this sounds like a loaded question!  Well, let me just say…not necessarily.  Most video games I’ve seen are fun to play and are best enjoyed with a few pals.  On the other hand, I think there are some video games that would probably be better suited in a trash can than in your PS3 or Xbox, or whatever you’ve got at your place.

I think a great verse to look at when you are thinking through a question like the one you’ve asked is “does this thing hit stride with Philippians 4:8”:  “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.”

It’s entirely possible to enjoy things like video games or movies or good books and other things like that, while being aligned with the verse above.  When you come across a movie, book, video game or anything else that might cause you to go in the opposite direction of the verse above, it’s definitely worth it to take a second and think through whether or not your relationship with God is going to run into a roadblock.  So, I’d just say like everything else in life, you just need to be careful.

Now — let me also say, (since we’re talking like friends!), that everyone (and by that I mean EVERYONE) would do well to turn off their televisions, DVD players, game consoles and computers from time to time, and get out for some “real life” exercise.  Have fun with modern technology, but don’t forget to mix some fresh air into your schedule!