Two Nathans ?
Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age,
being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli.
Luke 3:23
In the scriptures, names are very important, and it can be easy to miss the significance in a name if you do not know the story behind it. In Luke 3, we find a fascinating detail about a name in the ancestry of Joseph. The genealogy traces Joseph’s line backward all the way to Adam and even to God (v 38). In verse 31 we read: “the son of Nathan, the son of David.” Nathan? That is very interesting. In 1 Chronicles 3:5 we learn that Nathan was born to Bathsheba.
Is it coincidence that David named Bathsheba’s child Nathan? No! Think about the story of David and Bethsheba. After David had sinned and thought that he had covered his sins and no one knew about his wickedness, God sent the prophet Nathan to confront David over abusing his authority to exploit Bathsheba and murder her husband (see 2 Samuel 12).
David accepted the prophet’s point-blank rebuke and repented of his horrific offences. With the healing passage of time, he would name his son Nathan. How appropriate that this was Bathsheba’s son, and that he would be one of the ancestors of Joseph, the earthly father of the Lord Jesus (Luke 3:23).
It is a wonderful thing in the Bible, that wherever we look, we keep finding God’s grace woven into everything; even into an obscure name in a seldom-read genealogy. God’s grace is everywhere.
Bible Reading
Luke 3:31; 1 Chronicles 3:4–9.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You that You are full of grace and lovingkindness, Thank You that Your grace is indeed everywhere. Amen.
Amen