BibleProject | One Story That Leads to JesusSample

When we think of royalty or history’s glorious kings, our imaginations will likely conjure images of lavish thrones and opulent riches. But Jesus is not one of the world’s kings. Jesus wields real power and royal glory—and it looks completely different. As you’ll see in today’s video, even the way Jesus was born upends everything we’ve come to expect about glory and royal rule.

Later, when Mary and Joseph honor God’s instruction by bringing Jesus to the temple, they encounter two prophets, Simeon and Anna. Simeon has waited his whole life for the Messiah, and upon meeting Jesus, he praises God with words that evoke Isaiah: God’s saving power has come to Israel, and all people will see his light, including all Gentiles. Anna comes from Israel’s tribe of Asher, one of the 10 tribes scattered after the fall of the northern kingdom. The mention of Asher points to the return of Israel’s dispersed exiles. The prophets promised it would happen, but the shocker here is that they’re regathering in Jesus.

With these stories, Luke wants his readers to know that Jesus is of King David’s family line. However, Luke traces Jesus’ genealogy through a seemingly insignificant family line rather than the royal lineage highlighted in Matthew. Why would Luke do this?

Luke is emphasizing the fact that Jesus was born of humble origins in David’s hometown to a poor family. There’s another interesting detail in Luke’s genealogy. There are 77 generations between Adam and Jesus, a number that elsewhere in Scripture symbolizes completeness. Matthew used his genealogy to emphasize Jesus’ connection to David’s line. Luke gives the same storyline with different emphasis, a line that runs through Adam, Abraham, David, and exile to finally reach completeness with the birth of Jesus, the world’s true King.

Reflection Questions

• Luke is upending so many expectations about royalty, glory, and power in these chapters. What reversals stand out most to you? What does this tell us about the nature of true power in God’s upside-down Kingdom?
• Compare the beginning of Luke’s gospel to Matthew, Mark, and John. What unique point of view does Luke bring? What comparisons and parallels can you observe?