Mensa Otabil - The Generation of Christ (10/06/2025)
Today we’re going to look at the generation of Jesus Christ’s genealogy, part of it. One of the things I do as a pastor is study the Bible. I study every part of the Bible; I study genealogies, the geography of the Bible, history in the Bible, and all of that. Most people like only the inspirational parts of the Bible, but you have to study all parts of it.
Matthew starts his account of the life of Jesus with his genealogy, and in Matthew chapter one, verses five and six, we read, «Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab; Boaz begot Obed by Ruth; Obed begot Jesse; and Jesse begot David the king; and David the king begot Solomon, who had been the wife of Uriah.» In ancient times, this is how biographies were written. You had to trace the person’s history and talk about who their father and grandfather were, going back and back. This is what Matthew does when tracing the bloodline, the ethnic history of Jesus Christ, going back to King David and his son Solomon.
He shows that Jesus was the son of David, which was an important fact for the Jews at that time. For us Gentiles, it may not mean much, but it was significant for the Jews then. In the list of the ancestors, he includes women, which was not very common, as the society at that time was very patriarchal and mostly based on men. Matthew includes women, but all the women he features had complicated backgrounds.
There was Tamar, who was involved in prostitution; Rahab, who was also a prostitute; and Ruth, a Moabite, from a race that Israel was not supposed to associate with. Then there was Uriah’s wife, Bathsheba, who committed adultery with David. If you look at it, these are not the kinds of women you would typically include in your bloodline. One reason I appreciate the Bible so much is that it does not whitewash history. The Bible presents the stories as they occurred. These women are included in the genealogy of Jesus.
Why did the Gospel writer include this? Why did the Holy Spirit inspire this inclusion? It’s important for us when we trace our own genealogies. Sometimes we examine our lives and the people who have been in them, and we find questionable characters in our history-maybe our parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents. We hear stories that someone was a murderer in our family or that someone else was a thief, and sometimes we feel our bloodline has been tarnished. However, this Gospel account tells us that God is a redeemer. He can take us out of a negative bloodline and do something wonderful with us, and that is what Jesus’s bloodline signifies.
If you give your life to Jesus Christ, He takes your past-the good, the bad, and the ugly-and does something miraculous and wonderful with it. Don’t ever be ashamed of your past, your background, or your ancestry. Don’t ever feel that because of a certain ancestry you are cursed or that the devil has control over your lineage. No, that is not what Christianity teaches. Christianity teaches us that God redeems all of us; He redeems our tribes and our histories. He removes all kinds of prejudices that people have against us and makes us His peculiar people. That is the story of Jesus Christ.
So today, as you think about Christmas and reflect on your past, remember that Jesus Christ takes your past, as bad as it may seem, and does something good with it. Also remember that the curses of your past, of your ancestry, cannot pursue you into your future if you are in Christ. Christ the Redeemer makes us whole, even if we come from a jagged and rugged background. Let’s pray.
Say with me: Heavenly Father, You own my past, present, and future. Use my history to work out Your purposes in my life. In Jesus' name, amen and amen. Well, I’ll catch you again tomorrow. I’m Pastor Mensa Otabil. Shalom, peace, and life to you.