Posted: 22 May 2024

From a sermon given on 19 May 2024:

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham… And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram… And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias… And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
(Matthew 1:1, 3, 5-6, 16)

The generation (genealogy) of Jesus is sodden with seemingly questionable characters ; David the adulterous and murderous king, Judah who planned to annihilate Joseph and slept with Tamar who played "harlot. Rahab a gentile prostitute living in a doomed city, Ahaz and Solomon the idolatrous kings, Uzziah the prideful and Joash the murderer among others.

How would God manifested in human form, choose this family tree, yet there were other clean and sinless seeds the likes of Enoch, Hannah and others.

Suffice to say, Christ Himself was perfect and without sin. But He came from a long line of sinners. From the original sin of Adam and Eve to the stained lives of many Judean kings . Christ said that He came not for the righteous but for the sinners. People expected the Lord to come for the righteous, but instead He came for those who needed Him most. Christ came for the sinners, His family indeed. (Stephanie Hertzenberg)

Your past and ugly descendent cannot match that of Christ .Born and brought up in an ugly sinful past, makes Jesus your relative, but living in it alienates you from him.

Further Readings:

I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
(Luke 5:32)

When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
(Mark 2:17)

This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
(1 Timothy 1:15)