by Gary L. Evans
32 — How many generations were there from the Babylonian exile until Christ?
Matthew says fourteen (Matthew 1:17)
Mat 1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
But a careful count of the generations reveals only thirteen (see Matthew 1:12-16)
Mat 1:11-16
1. And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:
2. and after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel;
3. and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
4. And Zorobabel begat Abiud;
5. and Abiud begat Eliakim;
6. and Eliakim begat Azor;
7. And Azor begat Sadoc;
8. and Sadoc begat Achim;
9. and Achim begat Eliud;
10. And Eliud begat Eleazar;
11. and Eleazar begat Matthan;
12. and Matthan begat Jacob;
13. And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary,
14. of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Starting counting from the generation of the Babylonian exile and counting through to Christ is fourteen generations, not thirteen.
That’s because the Endpoint of the first set of fourteen generations is used for the Starting point of the second set of fourteen generations, and the Endpoint of the second set is the Starting point of the third. Thus 3 X 14 = 42. But since two of these generations were counted twice, there are only 40 generations in total from Abraham to Christ. See my first lesson on Matthew to see the entire list.
33 — Who was the father of Shelah?
Cainan (Luke 3:35-36)
Luk 3:35-36 Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,
The name Cainan presents an issue here. It is not mentioned as being in this genealogy anywhere else in Scripture.
But note that Hebrews maintained their personal genealogical records. They were critical to preserving their heritage regarding Bible Prophesy and their personal qualifications to fulfill certain prophesies by birth right, and in Mary’s case that she gave birth to The Only Begotten Son of God, The Promised Messiah. So no doubt Mary possessed her own genealogical records to preserve them for her future children to inherit. And it is likely that Luke had access to Mary’s personal records which may be assumed to be accurate and thus indicated another person named “Cainan” in this genealogical tree.
The TSK Cross Reference states: “This Cainan is not found in the Hebrew Text of any of the genealogies, but only in the Septuagint; from which, probably, the evangelist transcribed the register, as sufficiently exact for his purpose, and as more generally suited to command attention. (See note on Gen_11:12.) It may here be remarked, that though some of the same names occur here, from Nathan downwards, as in Joseph’s genealogy, yet there appears no sufficient evidence that the same persons were intended, different persons often bearing the same name.”
Smith’s Bible Dictionary states about Cainan listed here: “Son of Arphaxad, and father of Sala, according to Luk_3:36-37, and usually called, the second Cainan. He is nowhere named in the Hebrew Manuscripts. It seems certain that, his name was introduced into the genealogies of the Greek Old Testament, in order to bring them into harmony with the genealogy of Christ, in St. Luke’s Gospel.”
Arphaxad (Genesis 11:12)
Gen 11:10-12 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
In the Canon of Scriptures, Cainan is not in the family tree of Shem.
Gen 10:6 And the sons of Ham; Cush, and Mizraim, and Phut, and Canaan.
Canaan (Cainan) is only in the family tree of Ham.
As a side note: Shem whose name means “name; Shem, a son of Noah (often including his posterity): – Sem, Shem.” Shem is the forefather of the Shemitic (Semitic) People.
34 — Was John the Baptist Elijah who was to come?
Yes (Matthew 11:14, 17:10-13)
Mat 11:12-15 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John. And if ye will receive it, this is Elias, which was for to come. He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
Smith’s Bible Dictionary states: “Eli’jah. (my God is Jehovah). Elijah has been well entitled “the grandest and the most romantic character that Israel ever produced.” “Elijah, the Tishbite, … of the inhabitants of Gilead” is literally all that is given us to know of his parentage and locality. Of his appearance as he “stood before” Ahab, (B.C. 910), with the suddenness of motion, to this day, characteristic of the Bedouins, from his native hills, we can perhaps realize something from the touches, few but strong, of the narrative.
His chief characteristic was his hair, long and thick, and hanging down his back. His ordinary clothing consisted of a girdle of skin around his loins, which he tightened when about to move quickly. 1Ki_18:46. But in addition to this, he occasionally wore the “mantle,” or cape of sheepskin which has supplied us with one of our most familiar figures of speech.”
Jesus says, “And if ye will receive it, this is Elias (Elijah)…” and then He calls out to His Elect: “He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.” So this is a third level teaching for the Elect, not for the general public.
Mat 17:10-13 And his disciples asked him, saying, Why then say the scribes that Elias must first come? And Jesus answered and said unto them, Elias truly shall first come, and restore all things. But I say unto you, That Elias is come already, and they knew him not, but have done unto him whatsoever they listed. Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them. Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.
Jesus explained that John The Baptist would be sufficient fulfillment of the prophesy, but the descendants of Cain had murdered him. Jesus continued, “Likewise shall also the Son of man suffer of them.”
No (John 1:19-21)
Joh 1:19-21 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou? And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ. And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
John The Baptist himself said that he was NOT Elijah who was promised to return at the end of the world just before Christ would come. Why did Jesus tell His Elect that John was a similitude of Elijah having returned? Because our Lord’s very presence standing on earth at that time signified that The Kingdom of God was already on earth right then. Note that the Kingdom of God is located wherever God is, and Jesus was standing there on earth with them. Recall that His Name given by the angel was “Emmanuel” which means, “God with us”. But the people of this world rejected Him.
But for most people at that time, the requirement for a Second Coming of the Messiah was a mystery until His teaching this fact to His Elect. This was our Lord’s First Advent during which He must be crucified, buried, resurrected from the dead, and then ascend into Heaven in order to Seal The New Covenant in His Blood to offer salvation to all who would believe.
Daniel prophesied that The Messiah would be killed, and he also revealed the very year it would be done.,
Dan 9:25-26 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Thus there would need be a Second Advent when Christ will return again at the very end of the world to establish His Millennial Kingdom on earth and receive His Elect who had been found worthy to take part of The First Resurrection thereby receiving the Promise of Eternal Life.
35 — Would Jesus inherit David’s throne?
Yes. So said the angel (Luke 1:32)
Luk 1:31-33 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
No, since he is a descendant of Jehoiakim (see Matthew 1:11, 1 Chronicles 3:16).
Mat 1:11-12 And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel;
Note that Matthew presents the genealogy of Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus. God was the Father of Jesus by Mary His mother.
Jechonias was also called Jehoiakim. And the second reference to Jehoiakim should read the name of his son, Jehoiachin, because his father Jehoiakim was already dead before the captivity of Judah.
1Ch 3:15-16 And the sons of Josiah were, the firstborn Johanan, the second Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, the fourth Shallum. And the sons of Jehoiakim: Jeconiah his son, Zedekiah his son.
Jeconiah is also called Jehoiachin.
The TSK Cross Reference states: “Zedekiah: As the sons of Jeconiah are enumerated in the succeeding verse, and as Zedekiah is no where else mentioned as the son of Jeconiah, but as the son of Josiah, it is highly probable that son here means successor. 1Ch_3:15; 2Ki_24:17, being his uncle.“
So Zedekiah was not the grandson of Jehoiakim but was his brother, although he later became the king of Judah replacing his nephew Jehoiachin.
And Jehoiakim was cursed by God so that none of his descendants can sit upon David’s throne (Jeremiah 36:30).
What did The Lord decree through Jeremiah against Jehoiakim and why?
Jer 36:30-31 Therefore thus saith the LORD of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. And I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them; but they hearkened not.
Jehoiakim did evil during his reign and led Judah to sin as he did, so The Lord sent Jeremiah to prophesy against Judah and the king warning them that they would be taken into captivity for their sins. Then Jehoiakim threw Jeremiah’s scroll into the fire and burned it up, which was blasphemy against The Word of God.
The Lord’s Prophesy against Jehoiakim was fulfilled. First, he was killed before Judah was taken into captivity to Babylon.
2Ki 24:15-17 And he carried away Jehoiachin to Babylon, and the king’s mother, and the king’s wives, and his officers, and the mighty of the land, those carried he into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. And all the men of might, even seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths a thousand, all that were strong and apt for war, even them the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon. And the king of Babylon made Mattaniah his father’s brother king in his stead, and changed his name to Zedekiah.
Then his son, Jehoiachin, was taken captive to Babylon for the rest of his life until he died. Finally Jehoiakim’s brother, Zedekiah, was made the king of Judah replacing his bloodline.
But recall that Mary’s bloodline could not have been affected by The Lord’s curse against Jehoiakim, because her father was a descendant of Neri.
Luk 3:27 Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,
So this Zorobabel and his father Salathiel were not of the bloodline of Jehoiakim, but of Neri, whose forefather was Nathan, the son of King David. So the bloodline of Mary the mother of Jesus was not affected by The Lord’s curse against Jehoiakim.
Thus Jesus was indeed eligible to inherit the throne of King David to fulfill the prophesy given in Luke 1:31-33 through His mother Mary and her father Heli.
36 — Jesus rode into Jerusalem on how many animals?
One – a colt (Mark 11:7; cf Luke 19:35). “And they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments on it; and he sat upon it.”
Mark 11:7-9 And they brought the colt to Jesus, and cast their garments on him; and he sat upon him. And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord:
Luk 19:35-38 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
The word “colt” is from the Greek “po’-los” which means “Apparently a primary word; a “foal” or “filly”, that is, (specifically) a young ass: – colt.”
Two – a colt and an ass (Matthew 21:7). “They brought the ass and the colt and put their garments on them and he sat thereon.”
Mat 21:7-9 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
The word “them” is from the Greek “ow-tos’” and means: “From the particle αὖ au (perhaps akin to the base of G109 through the idea of a baffling wind; backward); the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the compound of G1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons: – her, it (-self), one, the other, (mine) own, said, ([self-], the) same, ([him-, my-, thy-]) self, [your-] selves, she, that, their (-s), them ([-selves]), there [-at, -by, -in, -into, -of, -on, -with], they, (these) things, this (man), those, together, very, which. Compare G848.”
So the word translated to “them” is better translated to “it”, referring to the donkey. In English, there is no reflexive pronoun that is universal like this Greek pronoun, such that it can refer back to any subject of any gender, singular or plural, human, animal, or inanimate object. Thus the phrase, “and put on them their clothes”, should be better translated to “and put on it their clothes”. Then there would not be any confusion.
The word “and” is from the Greek “kahee” and means: “Apparently a primary particle, having a copulative and sometimes also a cumulative force; and, also, even, so, then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words: – and, also, both, but, even, for, if, indeed, likewise, moreover, or, so, that, then, therefore, when, yea, yet.”
So the word translated to “and” can “sometimes also have a cumulative force” meaning each phrase connected applies to the same subject, which in this case is the donkey. And this phrase could more clearly be translated: “And brought the ass, indeed the colt, and put on it their clothes,” which does not indicate plurality.
Example of cumulative force: “He saw a red car, and a sports car, and a convertible.” In English we consider it bad grammar to string a list of attributes referring back to the subject connected with the word “and”. We would more correctly say: “He saw a red, convertible, sports car.”
There was only one donkey. John makes this point more clearly:
Joh 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt.
The donkey was a colt, even a filly, and even a young ass. There were not two or three animals.
37 — How did Simon Peter find out that Jesus was the Christ?
By a revelation from heaven (Matthew 16:17)
Mat 16:15-17 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
His brother Andrew told him (John 1:41)
Joh 1:32-37 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus.
John The Baptist, by the Holy Spirit, testified to his disciples that Jesus was The Son of God. The next day John also testified that Jesus was The Lamb of God.
Joh 1:38-40 Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
Andrew was one of the disciples of John The Baptist and had heard his testimony about Jesus, and began to follow Him.
Joh 1:41-42 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
Andrew remembered the prophesies about the Messiah, as it was common knowledge among the people. Even the Samaritan woman that Jesus spoke to at the well said:
Joh 4:25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
So having been a disciple of John The Baptist and hearing him testify about Jesus, it was reasonable that Andrew would connect the dots and conclude that Jesus was The Promised Messiah, The Lord’s Anointed. But how did this knowledge reach Andrew? By The Holy Spirit that dwelt in John since he was in the womb of his mother who had testified about Jesus. And what prompted Andrew to connect the dots to fully identify Jesus? The Holy Spirit. And what allowed Peter to perceive that what his brother Andrew was telling him was true? The Holy Spirit.
And what prompts anyone who hears or reads my teaching of God’s Word to believe that God’s Word is the truth and that I am teaching the truth? The Holy Spirit.
38 — Where did Jesus first meet Simon Peter and Andrew?
By the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:18-22)
Mat 4:18-22 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.
This passage does not say that this was the first time Jesus had met Peter and Andrew. It just states that He called them to be His chosen Disciples in Galilee where they lived. Note that Jesus also lived nearby them at the time after He had moved from Nazareth:
Mat 4:12-17 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; And leaving Nazareth, he came and dwelt in Capernaum, which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zabulon and Nephthalim: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, The land of Zabulon, and the land of Nephthalim, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
So Jesus left Nazareth and moved to Capernaum which was in Galilee.
On the banks of river Jordan (John 1:42).
Joh 1:41-42 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.
John The Baptist was indeed baptizing at the Jordan river. But this passage does not say where Jesus was when Andrew started following Him, nor where Jesus was when he brought his brother Simon Peter to Him. Matthew says that Jesus had been living in Nazareth, so Andrew and Peter probably met Him in His home in Nazareth when they decided to follow Him.
But after John’s imprisonment, Jesus moved to Capernaum which was in Galilee near Bethsaida where Andrew and Peter lived, so they likely walked with Jesus on His journey, since He was headed to their own hometown.
After that, Jesus decided to go to Galilee (John 1:43)
Joh 1:43-44 The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
According to Matthew, Andrew and Peter were fishermen who worked in Galilee. So they went with Jesus back to their home in Bethsaida in Galilee and continued fishing. While fishing, Jesus Called them to be His Disciples. John also adds that Jesus called Philip who also lived there.
So we see that Matthew provides us with detail that John does not mention, and John provides us with some detail that Matthew does not mention. But both accounts are true. And this fact is true of all of the Gospels, that they complement each other by contributing various details to the overall picture of our Lord’s life and Ministry.