Key Verse
Matthew 1:3
3Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Central Truth
Jesus is proud to have the broken in his linage.
JESUS' NOT SO HIDDEN RELATIVES
Hi and welcome to The Journey 2010. I believe that this year will be an exciting one as we read the scripture together.
Have you ever wondered why Matthew starts off with a listing of Jesus’ family tree? Matthew starts his story listing the earthly pedigree of the Son of God. Some pedigree.
Being the King of Kings, you might expect it to be a pedigree of royal and important people. There are some influential folks like King David in the list of names. It was foretold that the messiah would come out of the line of David, and Jesus fits that prophecy. But what caught my eye is the number of people who would have been left out of most people's list.
You see this geology is of the male side of Jesus. It follows the dads and sons; mothers are not included. However, this lists includes a couple of mothers, and not the kind you would want to brag about. The first mother listed is Tamar. Every Jew reading this genealogy would know who Tamar was. Her story in the Old Testament is well-known and very graphic. Sexual abuse, deception and prostitution are all a part of her story. She is not the kind of girl you want to brag that you are related to; yet God list her as a relative of Jesus. A few other women are on this list. One is Rahab. Rahab was a prostitute.
Here is my point. God did not hide the “ugly” people in Jesus' linage. Instead, He paraded them out. He talked about them when there was no reason to. It is as if God want us to know that these are the people that Jesus came for. Jesus didn’t come for the pretty and perfect, but for the broken and sinful.
I am so thankful that God was not ashamed of the “ugly” people in Jesus’ past, but proud to let us know that they are a part of His coming. That lets me know that I have a chance for God to be proud of me too, for I am a member of the “ugly” crowd. Today, know that God is proud of you regardless of your past and that He is ready to help you move forward to something better. Even if you are a member of the “ugly” crowd.
We started this journey tonight as a family. What amazing family time and something I am already looking forward to for tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you how much I want God to be proud of me. My past definitely isn't pretty, so it is awesome to know that Jesus isn't ashamed of me.
ReplyDeleteWow! This certainly opens my eyes to view those family members that I am sometimes so judgemental of for the way they choose to live their lives. I do love them very much and need to tell them so. This hits home that we ALL are "ugly" in some way or the other and that Jesus accepts us as we are as we try to follow in His footsteps! Thank God for this kind of mercy.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit that the geneology is something I often skipped over when reading Matthew. But WOW! Talk about powerful! Thank you for the insight into the people. This makes me realize how blessed I am to have been called by God into His fold! If Jesus came from "ugly" then I, too, can become white as snow in Him. Praise God!
ReplyDeleteThank you, also, for letting others join you on The Journey!
Alleyne, thanks for your comment - that really hit home with me! Reminds me of Brandon Heath's song "Give me Your eyes for just one second...give me Your love for humanity; Give me Your arms for the brokenhearted..." - that is my prayer as I look at those around me - that I would see them as Jesus does.
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