In conjunction with the introductory and summary lines of the genealogy, we are able to defend the idea that this genealogy is the genealogy of Jesus, the son of David. But at a deeper level, there are unanswered questions. For this is not the genealogy of Jesus, but of Joseph (Matthew 1:16). There is no mention of Joseph begetting or being the father of Jesus. Joseph wasn’t even his legal father, at least not yet; Joseph was simply betrothed to Mary, the woman pregnant with Jesus. And that was not good enough. Jesus could not claim the right to sit on David’s throne as a son of Mary. The right to the throne had to be traced through men. The problem was that no man connected Jesus to David’s family tree. The link that Mary provided was sufficient to gain citizenship in Israel for Jesus, but not to give him access to the throne. Mary’s fiancé Joseph, however, had that access. But again, Joseph wasn’t Jesus’ father.¹