Family Secrets

Everybody has skeletons in their closets. Embarrassing family secrets that no one knows. But in Jesus’ family tree, there are no secrets. Matthew 1.1-17 lists the names of 46 people spanning 2000 years. Behind each name is a story. Some were heroes of faith – like Abraham, Isaac, and David. Some were ordinary people – like Hezron and Aram. Others were evil men – like Manasseh and Abijah. There are also five women listed in Jesus family tree – see if you can spot them in the text below. Matthew 1. 1 A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, …. 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife, … 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Did you identify five women in the genealogy of Jesus? The most noble were Ruth and Mary. However, three out of the five women mentioned were involved in scandals. Have you read the story of Tamar (Genesis 38) and how her father-in-law got her pregnant? I can’t believe God allowed that story in the Bible. Then there was Rahab (Joshua 2). Do you remember her occupation? She was as an escort. That’s right - a prostitute! And then there was Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11-12) who committed adultery with David. David got her pregnant and had her husband killed to cover it up. God’s work in history was not limited by human failures or sin. Just as God used all kinds of sinful people to bring his Son into the world, he uses all kinds of people today to accomplish his will. Our moral failures cannot stop Jesus.