Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba = relatives in Jesus’ Family Tree
(Liars, Prostitutes, Manipulators, Adultery)
“The family tree of Christ startlingly notes not one woman, but four. Four Broken Women. Women who felt like outsiders, like has -beens, like never-beens. Women who were weary of being taken advantage of, of being unnoticed, uncherished, and unappreciated. Women who didn’t fit in, who didn’t know how to keep going, what to believe, where to go. Women who had thought about giving up. And, JESUS CLAIMS exactly these who are Wandering, Wondering, Wounded, and Worn out as His. He grafts YOU into His line and His story and His heart, too. He gives you His name, His lineage, His righteousness. ” THE GREATEST GIFT by Ann VosKamp
Tricia Robinson and Ann VosKamp together depict the best scenario for real life family. Grandmother’s have a huge impact on us as we grow up. My Grandmother’s never expected perfection from me and allowed me to embrace my free spirited self while praying for my salvation along the way. I will always remember that freedom. I did not know my Great-Grandmother’s, but through family stories know these women lived hard lives, but, again, rose above their mistakes and hardships to thrive and raise beautiful families. They were not perfect, but they gave the Lord all they had once they were baptized and saved. Jesus might have lived a perfect life on earth, but His family members were not. As humans, none of us are perfect. I take hope that no matter what we’ve done, Christ is waiting to Forgive us. He claims all of us as His.
If Christ can have misfit relatives like the rest of us, then we can rest in the assurance that He does forgive the greatest sins, biggest regrets, and mistakes of our past. We Are All Forgiven. Accept it and Pass It On!