The Objection
The Messiah must be a physical descendant of David through Solomon (2 Samuel 7:12-13). Jewish objectors argue that if Jesus was born of a virgin, he has no human father and thus no tribal lineage. Additionally, the genealogies in Matthew and Luke appear to conflict.
Key Claims
Messiah must descend from David through Solomon
Virgin birth eliminates paternal lineage
Genealogies in Gospels conflict
Tribal membership passes through father
Jewish apologetics
Christian Response
How apologists address this objection
Jesus has legal right to the throne through Joseph and biological descent from David through Mary. The two genealogies serve different purposes.
Matthew traces Joseph's legal lineage (royal right); Luke traces Mary's biological line
Legal adoption was fully valid in Jewish law—Joseph's lineage gave Jesus legal claim
Mary was also from David's line (Luke 1:32, Romans 1:3—'descended from David according to flesh')
Jeremiah 22:30 cursed Jeconiah's line—Jesus needed a non-Solomonic biological line (through Nathan)
The genealogies complement rather than contradict, serving theological purposes
Darrell Bock, Luke (Baker Exegetical Commentary)