What does Luke 3:31 mean?
Other than Zerubbabel (Luke 3:27), the recognizable names in Luke's genealogy are mostly repetitions of earlier, more famous figures. The men called Levi, Joseph, Judah, and so forth are named after those celebrated persons. The other names are almost totally obscure, with no information at all given other than their inclusion in this genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3:23).Here, Luke's record of Jesus' earthly lineage reaches a critical point. The line of fathers and sons reaches back to Nathan, a son of David (2 Samuel 5:14). This establishes that Jesus is part of the line of David, from which Messiah was promised to come (2 Samuel 7:12–16).
This also marks a change in the visibility of the people mentioned for the rest of the genealogy. While the men mentioned thus far are mostly unknown, many of the names seen in the rest of the list (Luke 3:32–38) are well-established in Old Testament stories.
Luke 3:23–38 traces the earthly ancestry of Jesus, apparently focusing on direct family lines. That is, Luke might be following literal birth, rather than by legal means such as adoption. Scholars differ on the precise meaning of these lines, but a common interpretation is that Luke is establishing Mary's ancestry. This establishes Jesus' physical relationship to His ancestor David (2 Samuel 7:12–16). Matthew's genealogy shows Joseph's descent from David, making his adoptive son, Jesus, a legal member of that line.
The early part of Luke's gospel shifts back and forth between the histories of Jesus and John the Baptist. Chapter 3 starts with historical and prophetic context about John. It then depicts some of John's interactions with local religious leaders. Luke gives only a brief description of Jesus' baptism. He also touches on John's criticism of Herod the Tetrarch, which would eventually result in John's execution (Matthew 14:10–12). The chapter ends with a genealogy of Christ.
