One further thing I want to say about Desert to Destiny : the daughters of Zelophehad by Wendy Yapp is the very interesting thing she points out at the end of the book. In Jeremiah 22:30 it states that the kingly inheritance will not pass through Jehoiachin yet he is listed in Joseph’s descendants (Matthew 1:11). On the other hand Mary’s line of descendant as recorded by Luke, (Luke 3:23 actually says it is Joseph’s but it differs from the account in Matthew and it was customary to record a woman’s line under her husband’s name) goes through Nathan rather than Solomon, thus by passing Jehoiachin. Some Biblical scholars believe that Mary had no brothers and she did marry within her tribe (both Mary and Joseph were from the tribe of Judah). Therefore Yapp concludes that the kingly line which leads to Jesus actually goes through Mary’s descendants and not Joseph’s. Wow!
well, to be honest, he wasn’t really joseph’s child, now was he?
No, He wasn’t, but then He wasn’t really Mary’s child either.
It was considered to be a great privilege/honour/blessing to be in the line that led to the Messiah and that God would use a woman in the line would certainly be a surprise in that culture.
So with the benefit of reading and study, I can say that Jesus was Mary’s child who came as the “seed” of a woman (Genesis 3:15).