Evangelicals will tell you that Jesus is part of the lineage of King David. The problem, of course, is that Jesus is not a blood relative of David. Remember, his father is the Holy Ghost. Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father, IS a blood relative of David, but since Joseph is not of his blood, Jesus is not an heir to the throne of David.
That’s just how it is, folks. I suppose one could argue that Mary conceived via in vitro fertilization; the Holy Ghost took sperm from Joseph and fertilized Mary’s egg or, as Evangelicals are wont to do, claim that the fertilization of Mary was a miracle (for which they provide no evidence).
Some Evangelicals argue that Jesus is linked to the lineage of David due to Mary, which is odd since bloodlines don’t typically include mothers. It seems to me that the best answer is that either Joseph got Mary pregnant before they were married, or Joseph adopted Jesus as his son after Mary got pregnant by an unnamed man.
How did you explain this obvious problem when you were an Evangelical Christian? Please share your thoughts in the comment section.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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When I was an Evangelical, I heard this explanation: Jesus was Jewish (until he wasn’t). Judaism is a matriarchal religion. So, Jesus could have been related to David via Mary.
I hadn’t thought about that in a long time. Now I am surprised I heard it from another Evangelical (who led Bible study groups) because Evangelicals normally seem hesitant, or even loath, to acknowledge Jesus’ Jewish heritage.