Grace Came Down at Christmas

At the top of Matthew, chapter one, in my Bible stands the word “grace” written in capital letters. This is because God’s grace permeates the genealogy of Joseph, which we find recorded there.

Grace, the unmerited – undeserved – favor of God. Favor bestowed on us simply because of who God is, because of His character of love. This grace is so evident as we read through the names from Abraham to Joseph. Many are hard to pronounce, but they are worth struggling through, because there are gems there.

In verse three, we see that Judas (Judah, Jacob’s son) fathered Phares of Thamar, also called Tamar* (Genesis 38). Tamar had been married to Judah’s son Er, who died without giving her a child. She was then given to Er’s brother, Onan, who refused to give her a child, so God killed him. Then, Judah promised her his third son, Shelah, but Judah did not keep his promise. Right or wrong, Tamar took matters into her own hands and tricked Judah into laying with her. Pharez and a twin brother were the result of that union. God’s grace is shown in that he redeemed Tamar’s shame and allowed her son to be a part of the earthly lineage of the Messiah.

The next place we see grace is in verse five. Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho when the spies went in to ferret out the weaknesses of the city. She hid the spies, protecting their lives, and they promised that they would save her and her family if she would hang a scarlet cord out her window when the Israelites attacked the city. Rahab obeyed the spies and was saved. God redeemed her and placed her, a Gentile and prostitute, in the earthly lineage of the Messiah, showing her His grace.

Also, in verse five we find Ruth, another Gentile woman mentioned. Ruth married Obed, who was grandfather to David the king. Ruth chose to go with her mother-in-law Naomi when others turned back to their native lands. She cared faithfully for Naomi and became the wife of Obed. God redeemed her and she became a part of the earthly lineage of the Messiah, another example of His grace.

Then, in verse six, Solomon’s mother is mentioned, though her name is not stated. The verse simply says, “of her that had been the wife of Uriah;”. Remember the sordid story of David’s sin with Bathsheba? David lay with Bathsheba while Uriah was at war. When he found out she was pregnant, he called Uriah back from war, hoping to cover his sin. However, Uriah was an honorable soldier and refused to go in to his wife while his soldiers were in battle. So, David sent word for Uriah to be placed at the front of the battle lines where the fighting was the heaviest, and he was killed. Then, David took Bathsheba as his wife. The child from that liaison died, and David repented. Later, Solomon was born from that union, once again demonstrating the grace of God, His undeserved favor that He gives to us.

Family histories are fraught with tragedies and drama and sin, and the earthly ancestry that ended in Joseph was no exception. As we get to verse fifteen and begin to talk about how Joseph dealt with Mary, I wonder if Joseph thought back to some of the stories from the past and the grace that God showed to His people. Perhaps that made it a little easier for him to hear the words the angel had for him.

The truth is, Grace is all about why Jesus came. He came for the Judahs who don’t keep their word and the Tamars who solve problems man’s way instead of God’s way. He came for the Rahabs caught in the mess of this world and the Ruths who are trying their best but still need a Savior. He came for the Bathshebas that get used and taken advantage of and the Davids who misuse their power.

He came for me, and he came for you.

Every day I need Grace.

Every day I need Jesus.

Every day I am so glad He came.

Thank God for Christmas.

*Spellings of names often differ between Old and New Testaments because of the translation from Hebrew and Greek.

^“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:7 – 8, KJV).

By the way, I normally read through the book of Luke each December. (You know, 24 chapters ending on Christmas Eve.) This year, though, I decided to make Matthew my Christmas book. I will just plan to finish by the end of the month. What will you be reading this December?