Several tribes in Indonesia, which have a clan or 'fam' system, often pay great attention to genealogy. Their reason is to not lose history and to remind clan members of their origins. The hope is that wherever they are, if they meet people from the same clan, it means they meet their family. In our text this time we list the long genealogy of the Lord Jesus. What does that mean?

This opening text in Matthew's Gospel gives us a rich picture of God's work of salvation throughout the history of the people of Israel. We can see that Jesus's genealogy is not just a list of names, but also proof of God's faithfulness to His promises. Inclusion was even through people who came from imperfect backgrounds or were even considered lowly by the society of their time. In this genealogy, we see that Jesus comes from the descendants of Abraham and David, two very important figures for the nation of Israel. Through Abraham's descendants, God promised to bless all the nations of the earth (Genesis 22:18), and through David's descendants, God promised to bring a King who would rule forever (Isaiah 11:1-2). This was important to Jewish readers in the Matthew, because they were looking for the Messiah who would fulfill all of God's promises.

What is interesting about this genealogy is the mention of four women who have unique and unusual backgrounds in Jewish genealogy: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. Tamar and Rahab are known with complex backgrounds—Tamar acted as a prostitute in order to have children with Judah (Genesis 38), while Rahab was a courtesan who saved Israelite spies (Joshua 2, 6). Bathsheba was involved in adultery with King David, and Ruth was a foreigner from Moab. Despite their less than ideal background in the eyes of society, God still used them in His plan of salvation.

Bible friends, today we are reminded again that God can work through anyone, even through people who have a 'less good' background and are looked down upon by society. God looks at the heart and takes into account the faith in them. Rahab and Ruth, even though they are not descendants of Israel, they still show extraordinary faith in God. God looks at people who are often considered “unworthy” with love and without prejudice, even involving them in His work of salvation. Isn't this beautiful news and a rebuke? For those of us who sometimes fall into the trap of easily judging others based on their background or past? Every sinner has a future, just as every saint has a past. God can change the life of anyone who is willing to commit to faith, who walks in love. and His truth. In addition, through the genealogy of the Lord Jesus we also learn that God always keeps His promises. The promised Messiah eventually came and saved the world, so what we need to do is to hold on to God's love and presence forever.