Alleged Contradiction: Who is Joseph’s father, grandfather, great grandfather, and great great grandfather?

Matthew’s account - Matt. 1:2-16:
Jacob - father
Matthan
Eliezar
Elious - great great grandfather

Luke’s account - Luke 3:23-28:
Heli - father
Mathat
Levi
Melchi - great great grandfather

Answer

• Biblical Jewish genealogical studies can be complicated because of how the bible sometimes chooses to identify fathers (and siblings). Sometimes its based on royalty (e.g. legal successors), other times its based on obedience, other times is direct lineage.
  • Adoption was a legal and valid means of lineage, just like it is today
  • The father was whoever the mother was married to, or whatever son the father adopted. Legal or genetic reasons for fatherhood.
  • Christ is called the son of David, due to lineage and royalty, not because He is an immediate descendant. See Luke 1:32-34.
• The genealogies eventually merge at David
  • Mary is from the line of David, see Luke 1:32
  • It is likely that Mary, is the daughter of Heli. But, Heli was also the father-in-law of Joseph, so both genealogies are said to be Joseph's line
  • But why are Matthew and Luke using different genealogies?
    • Matthew's account starts with a hint to its purpose, brevity. He mentions David as a son of Abraham, skipping many generations of people
    • Because they are writing with different goals in mind. Matthew is trying to convince his Jewish audience that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah they’ve been waiting for. Therefore a legal ancestry showing the line of descent (even though it has since been lost) would have carried a lot of weight when it was first written. Luke on the other hand is a Gentile writing to Gentiles—so showing Jesus’ common ancestry from Adam would be an important part of emphasizing that He is the Savior for all humanity.
• The Bible does not give us exhaustive detail about everything and when it doesn't it does not mean its a contradiction, when its actually a gap.
  • Its not a contradiction just because we don't have an exact answer
• What about Zerubbabel and Shealtiel?
  • Adoption to make a successor for Jeconiah, a king of Judah
    • It is likely that this happened to Jeconiah when he was taken away to Babylon. If this is the case, he may have adopted Shealtiel (1 Chron. 3:17?) son of Neri in order to pass on the right to the throne. And in this scenario, both Mary and Joseph would be descended from Zerubbabel.
• No wonder Paul instructs Timothy to avoid genealogies
• We don't have enough information to be dogmatic about the genealogies, because genealogies are complicated and not exhaustive

To the Muslim

• Biblically, a person can be a son through law or birth
• In Luke’s account Jesus is called the son of Joseph, but keep in mind it is not his biological son through sex, but through law, since he was married to Mary
• Begat also means “to bring forth,” like in Psalm 2
• Jewishness is known through the mother (maternal), not the father (paternal). Example, Jesus was born of a virgin (no human father), but He is Jewish.

References

Adapted from my notes