Thinking about Advent: Matthew 1 (Monday 29th November)
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| Tree of Jesse window Glasgow Cathedral |
V1 This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah…
v3: Judah was the father of the twins Perez and Zerah. TAMAR was their mother.
v5 Salmon was the father of Boaz. RAHAB was Boaz’s mother.
Boaz was the father of Obed. RUTH was Obed’s mother.
V 6 David was the father of Solomon. Solomon’s mother BATHSHEBA had been Uriah’s wife.
I suspect very few people might read this as part of the Christmas story, but it is part of Jesus’ story: a first century “Who do you think you are” moment perhaps.
According to the Torah, a child’s mother determines whether the child is Jewish. And among the ancestors of Jesus there are some surprises. And four surprising women.
Tamar’s father in law, Judah , made her pregnant with their twins, thinking she was a prostitute.
Rahab was another prostitute, only spared her life because she had helped Joshua’s spies to win the battle of Jericho.
Ruth only became Jewish when she left Moab to support her mother in law, Naomi. It is she who courts Boaz.
Bathsheba and David had an affair and David had Uriah effectively killed by placing him in the front line of battle, because Bathsheba was pregnant. However their first son dies.
These women being placed in this introduction, prepare us for the advent, the coming of a new kind of Messiah.
This is Jesus who saved the woman accused of adultery. This is Jesus who eats with sinners. This is Jesus who says of a woman anointing him that she will be remembered wherever the Gospel is preached. This is Jesus who takes time on the way to be crucified to comfort the women of Jerusalem. This is Jesus, the Messiah,whose message will change the world.
From the Manse (Tuesday 2nd November)
In this video Robin discusses COP26 which is being held in Glasgow for two weeks this month with attendees coming from all over the world.
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