HOPE OF ALL THE EARTH
Whose Mother Was...
December 1, 2025
SCRIPTURE
MATTHEW 1:1, 3, 5-6
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: ... Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram... Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife.
MATTHEW 1:1, 3, 5-6
This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: ... Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram... Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife.
One of the many things that distinguishes the Bible from other ancient literature and mythology is that it never attempts to present its heroes without their flaws. The greatest champions of the faith so often made such a dreadful mess of it all. They doubted and denied, betrayed and abused, lied and cheated. The Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 could just as accurately be called a Rogues Gallery. Yet the Bible makes no attempt to cover up the stains or sugarcoat reality. On the contrary, it shines a light on the parts we would tend to leave in shadows, bringing into sharp focus these fragile heroes with their feet of clay as a celebration of God's gracious ability to bring beauty out of dust and hope out of ashes.
The genealogy of Christ is the same. Surely, we would assume, if an exception could be made, it would be here! Surely this is where Matthew the evangelist could skip over some of the sordid details--not lie, just omit some of the more scandalous parts of Christ's lineage. Alexander the Great claimed the demigod Hercules as one of his ancestors; Julius Caesar insisted that his family was descended from the goddess Venus. Ancient heroes and rulers emphasised the greatness and grandeur of their family trees. They shone light on the glory of their bloodlines. Here, Matthew is introducing the King of all kings and Lord of all lords—it's the perfect place for him to do some pruning on the family tree! Instead, he puts special emphasis not on the heroes but on the scandals. He shines his spotlight on the parts of the tree we would seek to cover up.
Tamar--the victim of family politics and the predatory sexual instincts of her father-in-law— is included in the genealogy of Christ. This woman, who was abused and betrayed and left to fend for herself in an unfriendly world—something that culture in that time period would've considered a source of shame for her—is highlighted and elevated to a place of beauty and emphasis as one of the links in the chain that brought the Saviour into the world.
Rahab and Ruth are both recorded. Rahab was a prostitute—not acceptable in the eyes of the people of God, yet she was revered because she once helped the Israelites escape from a hostile military situation. Afterward, they took her in and allowed her to live among them as one of them. Ruth was a foreigner too—and not just any foreigner but one of the worst kinds: a Moabite. The Israelites had laws against comingling with foreigners, yet God also expected them to make exceptions from time to time, and Ruth was one such exception. She was an outsider brought into the community of God's people to become one of them.
Uriah's wife--better known to us today as Bathsheba—also makes the genealogy list. Bathsheba was another victim of a powerful man. King David's refusal to control his lust led to a series of events that eventually saw him betray one of his own subjects, having him killed. This culture in this time period would consider David's acts to be a source of shame for his victim. Yet here Bathsheba ascends to a place of honour in this genealogical record of how hope came to save the world.
There are seasons when we find ourselves in messes we have either inherited or made. It can be difficult to find hope, to believe that things will ever improve, that light could ever dawn in this place of darkness.
But the genealogy of Jesus is a clear message to the people of God about the way God brings hope out of ashes and light out of darkness. We can sometimes be tempted to think that redemption is just something that happens to some deep-down, hidden-away part of us that will one day fly away to glory. But our God is making all things new, and he's doing it right now. He's redeeming every inch and corner of creation. So, whether we have brought this disaster on ourselves, or it's been inflicted on us by others, he is more than willing and more than able to redeem it and bring hope out of even this. Just ask Tamar or Bathsheba or Rahab or Ruth.
The genealogy of Christ is the same. Surely, we would assume, if an exception could be made, it would be here! Surely this is where Matthew the evangelist could skip over some of the sordid details--not lie, just omit some of the more scandalous parts of Christ's lineage. Alexander the Great claimed the demigod Hercules as one of his ancestors; Julius Caesar insisted that his family was descended from the goddess Venus. Ancient heroes and rulers emphasised the greatness and grandeur of their family trees. They shone light on the glory of their bloodlines. Here, Matthew is introducing the King of all kings and Lord of all lords—it's the perfect place for him to do some pruning on the family tree! Instead, he puts special emphasis not on the heroes but on the scandals. He shines his spotlight on the parts of the tree we would seek to cover up.
Tamar--the victim of family politics and the predatory sexual instincts of her father-in-law— is included in the genealogy of Christ. This woman, who was abused and betrayed and left to fend for herself in an unfriendly world—something that culture in that time period would've considered a source of shame for her—is highlighted and elevated to a place of beauty and emphasis as one of the links in the chain that brought the Saviour into the world.
Rahab and Ruth are both recorded. Rahab was a prostitute—not acceptable in the eyes of the people of God, yet she was revered because she once helped the Israelites escape from a hostile military situation. Afterward, they took her in and allowed her to live among them as one of them. Ruth was a foreigner too—and not just any foreigner but one of the worst kinds: a Moabite. The Israelites had laws against comingling with foreigners, yet God also expected them to make exceptions from time to time, and Ruth was one such exception. She was an outsider brought into the community of God's people to become one of them.
Uriah's wife--better known to us today as Bathsheba—also makes the genealogy list. Bathsheba was another victim of a powerful man. King David's refusal to control his lust led to a series of events that eventually saw him betray one of his own subjects, having him killed. This culture in this time period would consider David's acts to be a source of shame for his victim. Yet here Bathsheba ascends to a place of honour in this genealogical record of how hope came to save the world.
There are seasons when we find ourselves in messes we have either inherited or made. It can be difficult to find hope, to believe that things will ever improve, that light could ever dawn in this place of darkness.
But the genealogy of Jesus is a clear message to the people of God about the way God brings hope out of ashes and light out of darkness. We can sometimes be tempted to think that redemption is just something that happens to some deep-down, hidden-away part of us that will one day fly away to glory. But our God is making all things new, and he's doing it right now. He's redeeming every inch and corner of creation. So, whether we have brought this disaster on ourselves, or it's been inflicted on us by others, he is more than willing and more than able to redeem it and bring hope out of even this. Just ask Tamar or Bathsheba or Rahab or Ruth.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION
What do you think about the claim that the Bible never attempts to present its heroes without their flaws?
How does the inclusion of "messy" in the genealogy of Jesus offer us hope today?
What do you think about the claim that the Bible never attempts to present its heroes without their flaws?
How does the inclusion of "messy" in the genealogy of Jesus offer us hope today?
PRAYER
Write a prayer about the messy situation in your life that you need Jesus to redeem.
Write a prayer about the messy situation in your life that you need Jesus to redeem.