Immanuel – Part 2

Genealogy of Grace – Matt 1:1-16

Crosspoint – Dave Spooner – Dec. 22nd, 2024

Intro:

• This morning, we are going to turn to the opening verses of the Book of Matthew. This is a section of scripture that most of us just skip over or skim through because it is a list of names of many people we don’t recognize and names we can’t pronounce.
• But in this genealogy, there is a profound message of who God chooses to include in His family, which in turn helps us to understand God’s heart and gives us perspective, hope, and gratitude.
• Matthew starts his gospel this way:

 Matt 1:1 NIV

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham.

 This opening tells us the purpose of this list, to connect Jesus, who Matthew identifies as the Messiah, to both David and Abraham. Why would he want to do that? Because both David and Abraham were given promises that the Messiah would be born from their family line (Gen. 12:2-3, 2 Sam. 7:16-17). Matthew goes on to prove just that by providing us with this genealogy which shows that Jesus was born of this line. Jesus was an actual, physical descendant of this line.

• Now, genealogies are about the men because this was how the family lineage was followed in those days. What’s really curious about this genealogy is the inclusion of women in this list. And it is not just that women are included on this list, but why these particular women and not others? Abraham’s wife, Sarah, did not make the list. She was the one whose womb was miraculously opened to bear the child of promise, Isaac. Rebecca, Isaac’s wife, did not make the list even though God miraculously selected her to be his wife. Jacob’s wives, Rachel and Leah, did not make the list, even though they bore the sons of Israel, who later became the tribes of Israel.
• The list of the genealogy of Jesus includes five women who you would probably not want to include on this list because of their sketchy, scandalous, desperate, humiliating, and humble backgrounds. But these are the women that God Himself wanted to highlight and bring attention to. He was intentional about including their names and their stories on this list.
• Why did He do this? To reveal to us and remind us of who He is through who He chooses to include in His family, which displays the goodness of His grace for His glory and our good. So, who does God choose to be a part of His family?

 God chooses the abused and abandoned

 Matt 1:2-3a NIV

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.

 Tamar is probably the female name on this list that you are most unfamiliar with. Her story is found in Genesis 38, and I would encourage you to read it. The short version is that Tamar was married to Judah’s firstborn son, Er. Er was a wicked man, so much so that God put him to death. And there is no doubt that his wickedness affected and abused Tamar.

• Because they had no children at that time, it was the custom and responsibility of the next brother to have children by her so that his brother’s line would continue. But the second son, Onan, selfishly did not want to father children for his deceased brother and intentionally did not impregnate Tamar. The Lord saw this as wicked and put him to death also. Tamar now had relationships with two wicked and selfish men.
• Judah, her father-in-law, then promised his third son Shelah to her and told her to go away and wait until he grew up. But Judah had no intention of keeping his promise because he was afraid that his last son would be killed as well.
• In the course of time, Judah’s wife died, and he then slept with a woman who he thought was a prostitute but was Tamar in disguise. She became pregnant with twin boys by Judah, and once he found out what happened, he said she “was more righteous than I because I did not give her to my son Shelah” (Gen. 38:26).
• If I were God, I would not have included her name on the list of the lineage of the Messiah. I would have chosen a different line or just left her story out. But that is not what God did; He intentionally put her story in so all generations would know that God chooses the abused and abandoned to be in His family. Because that is who He is, and that is who He chooses, for His glory and our good.
• Let’s continue to read until we find our next female name that was intentionally included.

 God chooses the poor and desperate

 Matt 1:3b–5a NIV

Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz whose mother was Rahab.

 Rahab? Do you know who Rahab is? She was a Canaanite prostitute living in Jericho when the Israelites destroyed it. Her story is found in Joshua 2 and 6, and she is also mentioned in Heb. 11:31 and James 2:25. The Canaanite people surrendered and were forced into degrading acts to survive impoverishment and desperation. She had to let countless men use her body in the seedy outskirts of the city.

• Rahab and “all those who belonged to her” (Josh. 6:23) were the only ones who were spared from that city. Not only was she spared, but she was properly married into a good family and taken care of by a good man. This was an extra special family, in the line of the Messiah, the savior of the world. God chose her, who was poor and desperate, to be in His family. Because that is who He is, and that is who He chooses, for His glory and our good.
• If you know your Bible, you know the name Boaz, which leads us to the next intentional name included in the genealogy of grace.

 God chooses the brokenhearted and vulnerable  

 Matt 1:5b NIV

Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth.

 Ruth’s story has its own book in the Old Testament, called by her name, Ruth. The story goes that a family of four, a husband, wife, and two boys, leave Israel because of a famine. They go to a country called Moab, and while there, the two boys marry Moabite women. Over the course of 10 years, the husband and both the boys die, leaving the women brokenhearted and vulnerable. They were victims of very unfortunate circumstances, being born in a difficult place at a difficult time, like many throughout time and throughout the world. Those they loved and depended upon died. Imagine yourself in their situation.

• The wife, Naiomi, decided to return to her home country, and her daughter-in-law Ruth, out of loyalty and love, went with her. These brokenhearted and vulnerable refugee women cried out to God as they tried to survive. God led them to the very place and the very person who could reverse the situation and redeem their lives; his name was Boaz. Out of God’s goodness and grace, He extended an invitation to include the brokenhearted and vulnerable in His family. Because that is who He is, and that is who He chooses, for His glory and our good.
• The family line continues to our next intentional name included in the family of the Messiah.

 God chooses the victimized and overpowered

 Matt 1:5c-6 NIV

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.

 Yes, this is The King David, who wrote most of the psalms and has a ton written about in the Bible. He also was promised by God that the Messiah would come from his line. Now, David had many wives and many children, and the line of the Messiah could have come from any one of them. But God, in His sovereignty, selected an offspring that came from a relationship where David took the wife and life of another man. If I were God, I would have probably skipped over this one as well. But He doesn’t. He actually puts it front and center, not by listing her name, which is Bathsheba, but by listing her not as David’s wife, which she eventually became, but as Uriah’s wife, which highlights who she was and what David did.

• Her story is found in 2 Sam. 11 & 12 and also in 1 Kings 1 and 2. She was the wife of one of David’s top military commanders, and they lived near the palace. While the army was out at war, David stayed home and one day walked along the roof of his house, where he saw Bathsheba bathing. He found out who she was and had her sent up and slept with her. Bathsheba had been victimized and violated by a man who abused his power and position. Not only did David do this, but he then tried to cover it up by having her husband, who was serving him in the army, killed.
• God intentionally chose this woman, Bathsheba—Uriah’s wife who was victimized and overpowered—to be included in the line of the Messiah and to be a part of His family. Because that is who He is, and that is who He chooses, for His glory and our good.
• After a long line of others who are listed in the genealogy of Jesus, we come all the way down to the last woman who was intentionally included on the list, and her name is Mary.

 God chooses the humble and common

 Matt 1:16 NIV

and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

 Mary is the most well-known female name on this list, being mentioned in every gospel and the book of Acts. She is included in every manger scene and is included in the lyrics of Christmas songs. Mary herself wrote a song, and it is recorded in Luke 1. In her song of praise, she calls herself twice as someone of “humble estate,” which means she was a common girl from a forgotten small town off the beaten trail. She did not come from fame or fortune. She would not have had any special clothing, perhaps had crooked teeth and average looks. She had a common name and would have been easily overlooked in any crowd.

• She was a common, ordinary, everyday person like most of us in this room. God could have picked anyone from anywhere to be the mother of Jesus. You would think He would have picked someone “special” or at least someone in the spotlight and close to power. Nope, God did not pick anyone like that to be included in His genealogy of grace. He chose the humble and common Mary. And He continues to delight in doing so, even to this day. He does this because that is who He is, and that is who He chooses, for His glory and our good.

 Conclusion

 I am going to conclude this message with a reflection from the Apostle Paul about who God chooses, from some of his opening words to the church in Corinth.

 1 Cor 1:26-31 NIV

Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

 This is who God intentionally includes in His family, in the great genealogy of grace. The abused and abandoned, the poor and the desperate, the brokenhearted and vulnerable, the victimized and overpowered, and the humble and common.

• You may have endured hard and horrible things in this life, but God chose you to be a part of His family, and what you have in Him far outweighs anything you have had to endure. The glories that will be revealed and are contained in eternity make all our troubles and trials here “light and momentary” compared to what is to come.
• Praise God for His wisdom, goodness, and grace. And let the one who boasts boast in the Lord, who is our righteousness, holiness, and redemption.

 Benediction

May God’s unchanging love, His redeeming power, and His eternal promises strengthen you in every trial, fill you with hope, and empower you to share His grace with others — “to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen” (Jude 24-25).

 Questions for Growth Groups

1. What stood out to you the most about the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and why?

1. 1. Reflect on how this list of names reveals God’s character and heart.

2. Why do you think God intentionally included people with “scandalous” or difficult stories, like Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary, in the genealogy of Jesus?

1. 1. How does this challenge the way we view ourselves or others?

3. Which of the categories of people mentioned (abused and abandoned, poor and desperate, brokenhearted and vulnerable, victimized and overpowered, humble and common) do you relate to most, either personally or through someone you know?

1. 1. How does this message bring you comfort or hope?

4. Read 1 Corinthians 1:26-31. Why does God choose “the foolish, weak, and lowly” things of the world to accomplish His purposes?

1. 1. How does this passage connect with the genealogy of grace?

5. How does seeing God’s grace and redemption in the lives of the women in Jesus’ genealogy deepen your understanding of His plan and His love?

1. 1. What does this teach you about God’s ability to use anyone for His glory?

6. What does it mean for us today that God chooses ordinary, humble people, like Mary, to be part of His work?

1. 1. How might this change the way you view your own role in God’s story?

7. As you consider God’s “genealogy of grace,” how can you share this message of hope and inclusion with others who may feel overlooked, broken, or unworthy?

1. 1. What practical steps can you take to reflect God’s heart to those around you?