Gospel errors in Matthew & Luke genealogies of Jesus?
Do the Gospel accounts of Matthew and Luke contain errors in the genealogy of Jesus?
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Have you heard of the false teacher named Bert Ehrman? Honestly, he is new to me; and so far, I really have nothing pleasant to say about him. I’ve just begun delving into his heresies.
One of the first disturbing things you’d discover, is that although he appears to be a Christian, he is not.
Here is a beginning portion of “About Bart” on his website…
“is the James A. Gray Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He came to UNC in 1988, after four years of teaching at Rutgers University. At UNC he has served as both the Director of Graduate Studies and the Chair of the Department of Religious Studies. A graduate of Wheaton College (Illinois), Bart received both his Masters of Divinity and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary, where his 1985 doctoral dissertation was awarded magna cum laude. Since then he has published extensively in the fields of New Testament and Early Christianity, having written or edited twenty-six books, numerous scholarly articles, and dozens of book reviews. I could quote entire books of the New Testament, verse by verse, from memory.... I went off to finish my college work at Wheaton. There I learned Greek.... At Princeton I did both a master of divinity degree— training to be a minister—and, eventually, a Ph.D. in New Testament studies. I had solid Christian credentials and knew about the Christian faith from the inside out—in the years before I lost my faith.... I served as the youth pastor of an Evangelical Covenant church.... But then... I started to lose my faith. I now have lost it altogether. I no longer go to church, no longer believe, no longer consider myself a Christian.
If you were to visit his page, the boasts go on of his experience and authority of scrutinizing scripture.
Impressive, yes?
No.
False teacher is much more accurate, and said in a lot less words.
He claims to have been a born-again Christian prior. Here is part of his story from his book “God’s Problem”…
For most of my life I was a devout and committed Christian.... Early in my high school days I started attending a Youth for Christ club and had a “born-again” experience.... When I became born again it was like ratcheting my religion up a notch. I became very serious about my faith and chose to go off to a fundamentalist Bible college—Moody Bible Institute in Chicago—where I began training for ministry.
Sad.
And troubling. Sad, that he doesn’t keep his apostasy to himself. He is currently devoting his life to refuting the Deity of Christ and attacking the veracity of scripture.
His current career position is as a “James A. Gray Distinguished Professor of Theological Studies at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill”.
Ehrman (err-man) has become a divisive man of error.
Do you think I’m being especially impertinent? Especially harsh? I don’t know. One thing is for sure, if you start talking disrespectfully as an authority against the LORD (the One I love), you will see a noticeable shift in my demeanor towards you.
I pray for his eyes to open and the light to shine in his darkness, because he is treading on dangerous ground.
The LORD had some choice words for those who cause children who seek Him to stumble.
Matthew 18:6- But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.
And Jude, a brother of Jesus wrote,
“For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:4.
Ehrman’s current work of denial is enticing seekers to sign up for a “Special Online Christmas Course”! It’s just $19.95! What a deal! The heresy is titled, “Was Joseph the actual father of Jesus?”
Here is part of his enticement- “This is a topic I have long thought about casually but never really dug into until recently. And when I dug, I started realizing that in fact there’s a lot buried, more than I expect. There are very good reasons for thinking that a number of the earliest sources of the New Testament (Paul, Mark, the sources of Matthew and Luke), as well as the latest (John), not only did not KNOW the tradition about Jesus being born of a virgin, but actually maintain (in some places) and suggest (in others) that he was not. Whoa.”
Yea, “whoa” is right, but not in the way he implies. Woe to those who put darkness for light and light for darkness, Isaiah 5:20.
As you've probably noticed, increasingly, we live in a culture of skeptics. I'm discovering that skeptics are prone to easily turn and base their beliefs on statements of naysayers. They will quote the writings of Ehrman because they assume they are credible. But if you start poking further, their foundation starts to crumble.
And often, the Body of Christ has little depth of knowledge or understanding on how to refute the lies, even if just to overcome and answer our own questions about scripture.
Referencing Jude again, he instructs believers to earnestly contend for the faith that has been entrusted to us, the saints of the LORD, Jude 1:3. He is not calling teachers alone to earnestly contend, but the saints, i.e. all believers.
I encourage you to press in to contend! Because honestly it is fun! When you start to see the veracity of scripture, more light enters your soul! You deepen in love with Jesus! You stand in wonder at His Word! You stand strong against the lies of Satan! You hear the Spirit more easily because you've meditated and wrestled, and the Word of God is now hidden within you!
So for Advent, I’m going to share the beauty and wonder that I’ve noticed in the genealogy of Jesus! The casual observer would say it is filled with error. But to the Spirit-filled believer, upon closer examination it is accurate. It is filled with miracles, radical faith stories, radical redemption, fulfilled prophecy, hope, and more!
Here are some of the questions I’ve been looking at-
Why are there 2 separate geneaologies recorded by Matthew and Luke?
Why does Joseph have 2 different fathers in the accounts?
Where are the miracles?
What are some stories of redemption to encourage and strengthen us?
What is the message of the Spirit to us through these names?
What can we point out to others who may have questions?
Consider forwarding this email to your small group or other Christian friends who may be curious on how to resolve the different genealogies and teach it to someone else.
Go deeper! Don’t be afraid; because contrary to the skeptics, God’s Word is faithful and true!
You’ll be encouraged to address your own doubts in this Advent series!
You’ll be encouraged to learn the truth so that you can teach it to others who are influenced by lies! They have questions! Challenge yourself to EARNESTLY defend the faith!
In the process, your faith will deepen!
Your confidence will increase!
Open up the gift of scripture this season and receive the His joy!
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