ANCESTRY OF SINNERS

Matthew 1:1-17 continued…

There is evidence of Jewish Royalty in an ancestry of sinners. This genealogy is evidence of divine lineage of Jesus, and succession of God’s establishment of

a people. It is given so that man may have proof of Jesus’s true identity. You could call this Gospel ‘The Identity Papers of Jesus the King’ It is proof positive that Jesus is the King of kings. For those who will not believe these papers, they would not believe my birth certificate either. I have much more confidence in God’s Birth Certificates than I do those that are manmade.

There are five people who are included in the genealogy of Jesus that most noble people would not want to claim, but here they are in the lineage of our Lord Jesus who is King of all kings, Lord of all lords, and He rules the Universe, and all that is within it. There is Tamar who deceived her father in law and committed an act of harlotry (Matthew 1:3; Gen. 38:13-30). Tamar is a representation of sin. The second person we see is Rahab, and she was a prostitute in the city of Jericho who was delivered from Jericho’s destruction because of her faith in the God of Israel (Matthew 1:5; Joshua 2:1-21; 6:23); Rahab is the representation of faith; she later married a Jew by the name of Salmon, and these were the proud parents of Boaz. And that leads us to the third woman and her name is Ruth – a Moabitish woman who was forbidden by law to enter the congregation; she represents the principle of grace (Matthew 1:5; Deut. 23:3-6; Ruth 1:16; 3:19; 4:18-22). These three women were Gentile women, and Tamar was a Canaanite (Gen 38:2) one of the peoples who were to be driven from the land of Promise and killed. The next woman on the list is not even named; she is instead called, “of her that had been the wife of Uriah” (v.6). We know her as Bathsheba – the partner in David’s great sin of adultery and murder, and she represents the principle of forgiveness. It is possible that Bathsheba was also a Gentile woman. How is all this possible? It shows that the God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the New Testament. He is a God of grace and mercy, and made a way for all to trust Him and be eternally saved.

The fifth and final woman mentioned in this kingly genealogy is Mary. A woman loved, respected, and admired by many. It is so sad however to see some who hold her in an attitude of worship, and to go through her to Jesus. That is pure idolatry and forbidden. Jesus alone is worthy of our worship and we need no mediator to get to Jesus. He is the Mediator for us to the Father. Mary is to be loved, respected, admired and we should follow her in the willing example of faith that she displayed when the angel came and told her that she would bear a Son. Luke recorded, by the breath of God, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” O, that we had a heart like Mary.

When it came to the moment of the conception and birth of the King, the Son of God, the mother must be as pure as is possible, and God chose Mary; a virgin – not just a young woman, which she probably was, but a virgin who had never had sexual intercourse with a man. God protects His purity. Matthew spares nothing to proclaim the virgin birth of Jesus.

Mary does have something in common with the other four women of this genealogy. They are all guilty of , or accused of sexual immorality. It is certain that people of Mary’s and Joseph’s town knew they were “Betrothed” which in that culture was much more than engagement for our culture. It would have taken Joseph to write a legal letter of divorcement for the marriage to cease, but he did not do that. There must have been suspicious, gossiping tongues, as they were seen together before there wedding became official. Mary was not without sin. She was a sinner, in need of a Savior, and she gave birth to her own Savior and ours. What a wonderful lady. We have much to thank Mary for.

Jesus is the only Jew, since 70 A.D., who know His genealogy, and can prove it. “Providence is God’s control of circumstances so that His will prevails in spite of the disobedience of man.” W.W. Wiersbe EXPOSITION OUTLINE pg. 9.

The genealogy of Jesus still continues today. NO! It is not like Dan Brown in THE DIVINCI CODE says which is nothing but purly fiction, and the thoughts of a warped mind. Who is in this genealogy today? All sinners who confess their sin, repent, and trust Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior; those who believe God and act on their faith that He gives; those whom God has chosen by His grace; those who have received God’s forgiveness; those who have surrendered to God’s will for their lives. Those who have been born into the family by the blood of Jesus shed on the cross, His body buried – carrying our sins away; and by His being raised to life again after three days. He ascended into Heaven. He will come again, and set up His kingdom.