I thought the two different genealogies in Matthew and Luke show that Jesus is a descendant of David and thus has right to be King. Matthew provides the legal aspect, as the oldest son of Joseph through adoption, and Luke give the genetic aspect, that Mary was a descendent of David. This site gives a good explanation of the two genealogies - http://www.abideinchrist.com/messages/onlylegitimatemessiah.html
How can Christian faith be based on this contradictory mess of a book?
It's not a contradictory mess. Jesus had to be a son of David. But the kingly line had been cursed, so while Jesus was heir to the throne through Joseph he was a true son of David through Mary. I know it's a TLDR article for you, but the link I put does explain the reason for the two genealogies. Willful ignorance is not a virtue.
(post is archived)