The scandalous women in Jesus' genealogy

"Judah and Tamar" (1840)
Emile-Jean-Horace Vernet

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Matthew 1:1-17

TO CHEW ON: "And Jacob begot Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ." Matthew 1:16


There are only five women mentioned in the Matthew genealogy of Jesus. All of them had at least a little scandal in their lives.

The widow Tamar, overlooked by her father-in-law Judah as a wife for his youngest son (the way widows were dealt with justly in those days), dressed up like a prostitute and seduced Judah. When she was discovered pregnant and he called for her to be burned (talk about a double standard!) she produced proof that he was the father. The son Perez that came of their union is in Jesus' lineage (Genesis 38:6-30).

Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho. She hid the spies, telling them how the city was paralyzed by fear of them and their God. Later the soldiers rescued her and her family — the only ones to escape the falling walls of Jericho (Joshua 2). She married Salmon and mothered Boaz.

Ruth was a Gentile from Moab. This loyal young widow chose her Jewish mother-in-law's country and God over her own. She, in turn, was chosen by Boaz to be his wife. They had Obed, the grandfather of David. (Read her story in the book of Ruth).

The next woman isn't even named in this passage. "Her (who had been the wife) of Uriah"—Bathsheba—was the beautiful woman idle king David found irresistible. When he got her pregnant he tried to cover his adultery by having her husband, Uriah, killed in battle. She was the mother of Solomon (2 Samuel 11).

And then we have Mary, the young women to whom the angel said, "You have found favour with God." Despite that favour, she had to face the disgrace of being pregnant and unmarried—leading to a reputation she was probably burdened with for years.

I love these women—Tamar for her determination to get justice; Rahab for her fear of God and courage to go against her own city; Ruth for her loyalty and care for a somewhat depressed mother-in-law; Bathsheba for her mother bear qualities when later fighting for Solomon's right to succeed David as king; Mary for her attitude of complete surrender, and for her thoughtfulness. The fact that God chose and used each one (and the multitude more that aren't named) despite flaws and shortcomings tells me there's hope for me, for you, for all of us.

This motley sampling of the women of God also makes me look at the women in my life — family members, friends, the women whose books and blogs I read — with a new appreciation. No matter what our pedigrees, histories, education, weaknesses and strengths, God has a place and purpose for each one of us too, in this, our time.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for these less-than-perfect women named in Jesus' genealogy. Help me to find and fulfill my destiny as they did. Amen.

MORE: Feast of Saint Joseph

Today the church celebrates Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus in the Feast of Saint Joseph.

The liturgy for the day begins with the following Collect:

"O God, who from the family of your servant David raised up Joseph to be the guardian of your incarnate Son and the spouse of his virgin mother: Give us grace to imitate his uprightness of life and his obedience to your commands; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

**************
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Twice Son of God

Family Tree (Image: Pixabay.com)

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 3:23-38

TO CHEW ON: “Now Jesus Himself ... being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph … the son of Adam, the son of God.” Luke 3:23,28.

What strikes me as I read this genealogy of Jesus, tracing His line from His “supposed” earthly father Joseph to Adam, is the last phrase: “the son of God.” Talk about a double-edged conclusion!

As a descendant of Adam He was the son of God as the created human being is the descendant of its creator. But He was also the Son of God in the sense of being part of the trinity and a direct Son of God (John 3:16).

There are two genealogies of Jesus. If we compare this one to the one in Matthew (Matthew 1:1-16) we find many differences. Bible scholars have suggested several possible solutions to this (these below found in the IVP Testament Commentary, accessed through Bible Gateway):

1. Matthew traces Joseph’s line while Luke traces Mary’s.

2. There are different ways of tracing Joseph’s line. Matthew’s is the natural line, Luke’s the royal line (and some think it’s the other way around). This assumes some Levirate marriages (Deuteronomy 25:5-10).

3. Mary had no natural brother so was an heiress  to Heli (or Eli), who adopted Joseph as a son.

The bottom line is, the Bible doesn’t tell us or give real evidence for any of the above explanations. But the IVP Commentary does state beautifully the intent of this Luke genealogy:

“Jesus has a claim to the throne through David and is related to all humankind through Adam. He has the proper roots to be God's promised one. He has the right heritage to inherit this ministry of deliverance. His roots extend to David, Abraham and Adam. God has carefully designed his plan. There are no historical surprises in Jesus. Ultimately all humanity is a unit, and Jesus is concerned with more than deliverance of the tiny, elect nation of Israel. With him comes realization of the Old Testament hope for that nation, but bound up in him also is the fate of all people” - IVP Testament Commentary on Luke 3:23-38 (emphasis added).

Jesus’ double sonship gives verses like the ones below context and clout:

“When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, ‘Out of Egypt I called My Son’” - Matthew 2:14,15.

“And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased’” - Matthew 3:17.

“‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God’” - John 3:16-18.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus, You are the Son of God in two ways and for that, and Your death in my stead, this human daughter of God is forever grateful! Amen.

 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Part of a bigger story

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Ruth 4:1-22

TO CHEW ON: "And they called his name Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David." Ruth 4:17.

The story of Boaz and Ruth ends happily. The other relative and first-in-line with a right to redeem Naomi's land (and inherit Ruth as his wife) declines. And so Boaz gets the land and the wife, and soon there is a baby on the way.

Naomi becomes a grandma whose happy lot is lauded by the "chorus"—the women of Bethlehem. They sing the praises of Ruth while Naomi cuddles little Obed (Ruth 4:14-17).

And then the author does something interesting—recites a genealogy. By doing this, I believe he is telling us this story of Naomi and Ruth, Boaz and Obed fits into a much larger one.

Some of the characters of this larger story:

Perez
Perez was the son of Judah (son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Israel's patriarch Abraham) and Tamar. Tamar was that woman first married to Judah's firstborn son, who, when he died, Judah gave her to his second son. When he died too, Judah promised her to the third son. Tamar, not trusting Judah to keep his word, dressed as a prostitute and got pregnant by Judah himself. Yikes! (Read the story in Genesis 38. Perez appears in Genesis 38:29).

Nahshon
Nahshon was the head of the tribe of Judah during their time of wandering in the wilderness under Moses - Numbers 1:7; 2:3.

David
He was the second king of Israel and the prophets predicted Messiah would come from His house and line - Jeremiah 23:5; Isaiah 9:7; 11:1; Acts 13:34.

Flipping over to the New Testament book of Matthew, we see a continuation of the genealogy begun in Ruth and how it eventually leads to—Jesus! (Matthew 1:1-16).

All our stories are also part of a larger story. Just like Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz had no idea they were living out an episode in the narrative of God's big story of redemption, neither do we know the plot line or significance of the story of our lives.

God does, though:

"And in Your book they all were written,
The days fashioned for me,
When as yet there were none of them" - Psalm 139:16

and

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" - Ephesians 2:10 (emphases added).

I'm looking forward to heaven—when I'll be able to read and understand the whole book, including my little chapter of it! You too?

PRAYER: Dear Father, how exciting to zoom in on these little episodes of Your story and see You working in the details of the lives of ordinary people. May I be a sympathetic character in Your story on earth. Amen. 

MORE: I came across a short video about the book of Ruth by Dr. Daniel I Block (professor of Old Testament at Wheaton College). He has recently written the commentary on Ruth in the  Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the Old Testament series. This under 5-minute video puts a perfect cherry on top of our short study! Watch it. It's so worthwhile!





 *********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The begets

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 3:15-38

TO CHEW ON: “…the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er…” Luke 3:28

When you make a puzzle, the nondescript blue pieces that fill out the sky are as important as the detailed and colorful ones that bring the picture to life. The genealogy of Jesus that traces His ancestry through Joseph to Adam contains a lot of those nondescript pieces with names mentioned nowhere else in the Bible. We know nothing more about these people other than that they’re part of Jesus’ family tree. But each name on that list is significant because each played a part in establishing Jesus as the Son of Man and a legitimate stand-in as a sacrifice for the human race.

You are also part of a human genealogy. If you had the knowledge, you could trace your physical roots back to the first man, Adam.

Did you know you have another family tree as well? If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and been born again you have a spiritual genealogy (John 3:1-18). Whose names are on that list – your parents? Grandparents? A Sunday school teacher? A TV pastor? John or Paul from the Bible?

Let's spend some time today, thinking about and thanking God for the people who helped birth us into God’s forever family. And we might ask yourselves, have we begotten anyone?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for my spiritual parents. Help me to beget spiritual children of my own. Amen.

MORE: Children of God

¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11-13, New King James Version)

An inheritance of deception

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Genesis 29:15-30

TO CHEW ON: "So it came to pass in the morning that behold it was Leah. And he said to Laban, 'What is this you have done to me? Was it not for Rachel that I served you? Why then have you deceived me?'" Genesis 29:25

Isn't it ironic that the very thing Jacob perpetrated on his father and Esau (identity deception) has now been visited on him? My Bible's footnotes say about verses 22-25:

"An ancient lamp provided little light, and the bride was always veiled, as Jacob's mother Rebekah had been (Genesis 24:65). Further, Leah must have been eagerly cooperating in the deception. Our sins have a way of catching up to us. Jacob pretended to be Esau and disguised himself thus. The whole idea of Jacob's deceiving Isaac had been his mother's and Jacob discovered, to his grief, that Laban was as scheming and dishonest as his younger sister Rebekah" New Spirit-Filled Life Bible p. 44.

It makes one wonder what went on in the home of Bethuel (their father - Genesis 24:15). Was it the unnamed mother or Abraham's side of the family (for Rebekah and Laban were grandchildren of Nahor who was Abraham's brother) that planted that seed of deception?

It could well have come from Abraham's line. Abraham himself had lied to Pharaoh and Abimelech King of Gerar about his relationship to Sarah (Genesis 12:11-13; Genesis 20:2). Isaac did the same thing (Genesis 26:7).

This generational dysfunction reminds me of a sermon series on the family that our pastor recently preached. One Sunday he pointed out that Satan is often active in the family setting. He finds a way into our households by sowing disrespect, disunity, drift and coldness, time pressure, unforgiveness, unwise priorities, infidelity, heavy debt, secrets, anger.

Another Sunday he asked: "What is the verbal climate in your home?" I think another good question to ask would be "What is the moral climate in your home?" For if we are deceitful, slanderous, rebellious toward authority, apt to run up enormous debt or any other number of things, we shouldn't be surprised when we see these behaviours reflected in our kids.


PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to see my family as You see it. Show me what I can do to put a stop to destructive generational traits. Amen.

MORE: Brent Cantelon's series on the family

You can watch my pastor's series on the family online. Go to CLAChurch.com/ media and scroll down to the family series — dates: May 29, 2011; June 5, 2011; June 12, 2011 and June 19, 2011.

The begets

TODAY’S SPECIAL: Luke 3:23-38

TO CHEW ON: “…the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er…” Luke 3:28

When you make a puzzle, the nondescript blue pieces that fill out the sky are as important as the detailed and colorful ones that bring the picture to life. The genealogy of Jesus tracing His ancestry through Joseph to Adam contains a lot of those nondescript pieces with names mentioned nowhere else in the Bible. We know nothing more about these people than that they’re part of Jesus’ family tree. But each name on that list is significant because each played a part in establishing Jesus as the Son of Man and a legitimate stand-in as a sacrifice for the human race.

You are also part of a human genealogy. If you had the knowledge, you could trace your roots back to the first man, Adam, in a physical sense.

Did you know you have another family tree as well? If you have accepted Jesus as your Savior and been born again you have a spiritual genealogy. Whose names are on that list – your parents? Grandparents? A Sunday school teacher? A TV pastor? John or Paul from the Bible?

Spend some time today, thinking about and thanking God for the people who helped birth you into God’s forever family. And ask yourself, have I begotten anyone?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for my spiritual parents. Help me to beget spiritual children of my own. Amen.

MORE:

¹¹ He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. ¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: ¹³ who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 1:11-13, New King James Version)