The Son of Adam, the Son of God

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Scripture • World English Bible

Luke 3:23–38

WEB

²³Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

²⁴the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

²⁵the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,

²⁶the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,

²⁷the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

²⁸the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,

²⁹the son of Jose, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

³⁰the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonan, the son of Eliakim,

³¹the son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,

³²the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,

³³the son of Amminadab, the son of Aram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

³⁴the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

³⁵the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,

³⁶the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

³⁷the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,

³⁸the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

World English Bible (WEB) • Public Domain

Reflection

Luke 3:23–38 is a genealogy, but it’s more than a list of names; it’s theology in miniature. It roots Jesus in real human lineage—‘the son (as was supposed) of Joseph’—and it climbs back through Israel’s history to Adam and then to God. That dual emphasis matters for men who tend either to cynical secularism or to proud self-reliance. Jesus is fully human: he shares our family lines, our frailty, our place in history. He knows what it is to be a man in a broken world. He is also the Son of God: his mission carries divine authority and saving purpose. For men following Jesus, this means two practical certainties: first, humility—our identity is not ultimately in bloodline, success, or reputation but in Christ’s mercy; second, courage—we follow a Lord who is both with us in our weakness and sovereign over sin and death. The genealogy also testifies that God works through ordinary, messy human stories—names that include failures and saints alike—to accomplish his redeeming purposes. So our past, with its mistakes and inheritances, is not an obstacle beyond God’s power to redeem. Let this truth steady you when you face shame, when you doubt God’s use of your life, or when you feel unqualified to lead. God knows your lineage; he has entered it. He calls you to turn, to trust, and to bear witness to the Savior who seeks the lost.

Putting Faith Into Action

Read Luke 3:23–38 slowly and write out three names from Jesus' genealogy you don't recognize; pray and ask God how Jesus' humanity and divine sonship speak into your daily decisions.
Choose one relationship (father, mentor, ancestor) and speak grace over it this week—send a message, make a phone call, or pray specifically for that person’s faith and needs.
Invite a man you know who is far from church to meet for coffee this week and listen to his story; ask permission to share why Jesus, both Son of Adam and Son of God, matters to you.

Prayer

Father, we stand before your Word and confess that Jesus is both Son of Adam and Son of God. Thank you for a Savior who entered our shared human story to seek the lost. Give us humble hearts that value our ancestry and our need for you. Where pride, shame, or distance from others blocks your gospel, soften us. Teach us to live with the truth of Christ’s humanity and the authority of his divinity—so our witness is brave, gentle, and faithful. Empower our actions by your Spirit: to repent where needed, to serve without arrogance, and to speak of Jesus with clarity and compassion. Keep us dependent on grace, not performance. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Memory Verse

Luke 3:38 — the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. (WEB)

“the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.”

Keep Going Continue to Part 14 Stand Firm Against Temptation (Luke 4:1–13) Luke · Luke 4:1–13 Read the next devotional →

Bible Context

Read all of Luke 3

Luke 3

World English Bible • WEB

¹Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,

²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.

³He came into all the region around the Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for remission of sins.

⁴As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, ‘Make ready the way of the Lord. Make his paths straight.

⁵Every valley will be filled. Every mountain and hill will be brought low. The crooked will become straight, and the rough ways smooth.

⁶All flesh will see God’s salvation.’ ”

⁷He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

⁸Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don’t begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham for our father;’ for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!

⁹Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”

¹⁰The multitudes asked him, “What then must we do?”

¹¹He answered them, “He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise.”

¹²Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what must we do?”

¹³He said to them, “Collect no more than that which is appointed to you.”

¹⁴Soldiers also asked him, saying, “What about us? What must we do?” He said to them, “Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages.”

¹⁵As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ,

¹⁶John answered them all, “I indeed baptize you with water, but he comes who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to loosen. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and fire.

¹⁷His winnowing fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor, and will gather the wheat into his barn; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

¹⁸Then with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people,

¹⁹but Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias, his brother’s wife, and for all the evil things which Herod had done,

²⁰added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.

²¹Now when all the people were baptized, Jesus also had been baptized and was praying. The sky was opened,

²²and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying “You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”