Q
New Testament writers say Jesus descended from the tribe of Judah (Matthew 1:3). How can we defend the fact that the father of the tribe from which Jesus descended had twins with his daughter-in-law? (Genesis 38) We can save for a later discussion the fact that Jesus also had a hooker in the family tree: Rahab, along with an adulteress: Bathsheba (Matthew 1:5, 6).
A
So Jesus had a normal family. Big deal. Don’t we all? Seriously, how on earth could Jesus grow up in a family that is any less holy than the families we all have to deal with? Every family has its own version of the sociopathic cousin, the lazy bum of a kid, and the uncle no one wants to talk about. Jesus understands what we are dealing with because he had to deal with it, too.
Reprinted from the Leader’s Guide & Atlas for Genesis
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There is no shortage of scoundrels and low-lifes in Jesus’ lineage, of course. Even the patriarch Jacob tricked both his brother and his dying father so that he could steal the birthright of the firstborn.
Even the men of God in the Bible do their share of bad stuff.