Christ’s Genealogy: Grace Woven Through Scandal
God does not discard what’s stained—He redeems it and tells a greater story through it.
Devotional Credit: eManna: Christ’s Genealogy Being Very Unusual
Photo Credit: Unsplash
If we were asked to write the opening lines of the biography of the Son of God, most of us would have chosen to highlight the noble lineage, the spiritual champions, and the righteous ancestors. We would have combed through the genealogical record and polished the names that brought honor to the line of Christ. But the Holy Spirit, who authored Scripture, did just the opposite.
Matthew’s genealogy of Christ includes five women—an unheard-of break from Jewish tradition. But more startling than their inclusion is who they are. Tamar seduced her father-in-law. Rahab was a Gentile prostitute. Ruth was a Moabite, from a cursed nation. Bathsheba is not even named; she is described only as “the wife of Uriah,” pointing to adultery and David’s act of murder. And Mary, the final woman listed, was a pregnant virgin surrounded by whispers and shame in her culture.
It is as if God, in His mercy, was telling us from the very first page of the New Testament that Christ came not to affirm human merit, but to redeem brokenness. The lineage is a living testimony that He came through sinners in order to save sinners. The grace that welcomed the impure into the royal line of Christ is the same grace that embraces us today.
📖 Personalized Journal Entry – Voice of the Holy Spirit Through Scripture
I do not hide your story. I redeem it.
What man would conceal in shame, I place in the opening lines of My gospel. For I delight in showing mercy. I have never been interested in perfection that comes from the flesh—it cannot be trusted, nor can it last. But I am the God who brings forth glory from disgrace and wholeness from ruin.
The women in Christ’s genealogy were not chosen for their virtue but included to display My grace. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary—each bore a scar, yet I wove their names into the legacy of My Son. This is My pattern: I choose the foolish things to shame the wise, the weak to shame the strong. The story of Jesus does not begin in purity but in scandal, to make it clear that My Son came for those who need cleansing, not those who pretend to be clean.
You were not added to My family because you were good enough. You were brought near by My mercy. I clothed you in My righteousness. Now your name is in My book—not because you earned it, but because Christ is in you, and I see Him when I look at you.
I do not hide your past—I remove it as far as the east is from the west. I do not call you by your old identity—I call you My beloved, holy, blameless, chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world.
Scriptures: Matthew 1:18, Matthew 1:3-6, 1 Corinthians 1:27-29, Psalm 103:12, Ephesians 1:4, Colossians 1:22
🌾 Real-Life Analogy
It’s like finding a recipe card stained with spills and handwritten notes, worn and wrinkled from years of use. Most people would throw it out and rewrite a clean copy. But a loving grandparent treasures that card—not because it’s neat, but because it tells a story. Every smudge speaks of meals shared, love offered, and life lived. God does not rewrite your story to erase the mess—He preserves it as a testimony of grace, redeeming it so others may taste and see that He is good.
🙏 Prayer of Confidence
Father, I rest in the beauty of Your grace. You did not choose me for my purity, and You do not keep me by my performance. You wove redemption into every page of Jesus’ story, and You have done the same in mine. Thank You for covering me in Christ’s righteousness and calling me Your own. I no longer carry the weight of my past—I carry the wonder of Your mercy. In Christ, I stand blameless, and I rejoice in the story You are writing through me.