As many know, I am no longer a Candidate for Pastoral Ministry in the United Methodist Church. This has left me free to explore faith in deeper. As I do every year, I come up with one word that I was to see more of in my life. This year in 2022, that word is Authentic. For years I have said the problem with Christianity is Christians. We have this great example of what a Christian should be, the ULTIMATE example in the person Jesus Christ and yet we fail to remotely look like Christ, we fail when it comes to faith and righteousness. And don't worry, I am pointing fingers at myself this morning.
The first week that I really looked at and tried to understand authentic Christianity, I started by reading the Genealogy of Jesus Christ. While reading, I noticed that there are 5 women in the family tree. This is unique for two reasons: 1) most genealogy, even today, is counted only through the paternal lines. When women marry, they take their husbands names. When their children take their father's surname. If you want to run your DNA, it's always ran from the father's chromosomes and you have to order a special test to look at your mitocondrial DNA.
The second reason that the genealogy of Jesus is unique is that 3 of the five women are outsiders. They weren't born into Hebrew/Jewish families. They were born outside of the family of Israel. And this makes sense when you think that Jesus is the Messiah of all the world.
So what does this have to do with my study into authentic Christianity?
To understand we have to know who the women are in Jesus' Genealogy. The women in order are Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheeba and Mary.
Let's look at the first two today.
TAMAR
In Genesis chapter 38, Tamar is first described as marrying Judah's eldest son, Er. Because of his wickedness, Er was killed by God. By way of a levirate union, Judah asked his second son, Onan, to provide offspring for Tamar so that the family line might continue. This could have substantial economic repercussions, with any son born deemed the heir of the deceased Er, and able to claim the firstborn's double share of inheritance. However, if Er was childless, Onan would inherit as the oldest surviving son.[4]
Onan performed coitus interruptus. His action was deemed wicked by God and so, like his older brother, God killed him. At this point, Judah is portrayed as viewing Tamar to be cursed and therefore as being reluctant to give her his remaining and youngest son Shelah. Rather, he tells Tamar to wait for Shelah. However, even after Shelah has grown up, Judah still does not give Tamar to him in marriage. (Genesis 38:6–14)
After Shelah had grown up, Judah became a widower. After Judah mourned the death of his wife, he planned on going to Timnath to shear his sheep. Upon hearing this news, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and immediately went to Timnath which was en route to Judah's destination. Upon arriving at a place near Timnath, where two roads met,[5] Judah saw the woman but did not recognize her as Tamar because of the veil she wore over her face. Thinking she was a prostitute, he requested her services. Tamar's plan was to become pregnant by this ruse so that she might bear a child in Judah's line, since Judah had not given her to his son Shelah. So she played the part of a prostitute and struck a bargain with Judah for a goat, secured by his staff, seal, and cord. When Judah was able to have a goat sent to Timnath, in order to collect his staff, cord, and seal, the woman was nowhere to be found and no one knew of any prostitute in Timnath. (Genesis 38:12–23)
Three months later, Tamar was accused of prostitution on account of her pregnancy. Upon hearing this news, Judah ordered that she be burned to death. Tamar sent the staff, seal, and cord to Judah with a message declaring that the owner of these items was the man who had made her pregnant. Upon recognizing these items as his security, Judah released Tamar from her sentence. Tamar, having thus secured her place in the family as well as Judah's posterity, gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah. Their birth is reminiscent of the birth of Rebekah's twin sons. The midwife marks Zerah's hand with a scarlet cord when he emerges first from the womb, though Perez is born first. Perez is identified in the Book of Ruth as the ancestor of King David. (Ruth 4:18–22) The Genesis narrative also makes a note that Judah did not have further sexual relations with Tamar. (Genesis 38:24–30)
So how does this play into authentic Christianity?
For me what makes Tamar's story unique and how it fits into Authentic Christianity is hope being born of desperation. Once the entire sordid affair came to light, Judah publicly admitted that Tamar was more righteous than he was – an accurate assessment given his cruel, callous treatment of her. And yet for all that, Tamar’s actions aren’t justifiable either, although they’re certainly understandable. Tamar (to say nothing of Judah) was a complicated person with a messy life, whose presence in the lineage of Jesus shows precisely the kind of people he came to save. In place of desperate acts and broken hopes, the coming Messiah would bring real hope into the world.
Authentic Christian faith is born of hope, and often that hope is born from desperation.
RAHAB
According to the book of Joshua, when the Hebrews were encamped at Shittim, in the "Arabah" or Jordan valley opposite Jericho, ready to cross the river, Joshua, as a final preparation, sent out two spies to investigate the military strength of Jericho. The spies stayed in Rahab's house, which was built into the city wall. The soldiers sent to capture the spies asked Rahab to bring out the spies. Instead, she hid them under bundles of flax on the roof. It was the time of the barley harvest, and flax and barley are ripe at the same time in the Jordan valley, so that "the bundles of flax stalks might have been expected to be drying just then".
Rahab told the spies:
After escaping, the spies promised to spare Rahab and her family after taking the city, even if there should be a massacre, if she would mark her house by hanging a red cord out the window. Some have claimed that the symbol of the red cord is related to the practice of the "red-light district".
When the city of Jericho fell, Rahab and her whole family were preserved according to the promise of the spies, and were incorporated among the Jewish people. (In siege warfare of antiquity, a city that fell after a prolonged siege was commonly subjected to a massacre and sack.)Rahab Receiveth and Concealeth the Spies
by Frederick Richard Pickersgill (1881)
So how does this play into authentic Christianity?
Rahab has several vital lessons in her story; and many of the lessons are things that Christians truly struggle with; but the one that speaks most to me is that we are not limited by our pasts, because God is not limited by our past.
Rahab had a reverent fear of the Lord that was brought on by the awesome works of the Lord. In fact, if we look at the story of Rahab, we see that it wasn't just Rahab who feared the Israelites, it was an entire society that feared them.
The opportunity to fear the Lord, gave way for Rahab to trust the Lord.
Authentic Christianity is borne of faith in the Lord and trust that he will deal with us, as we have dealt with others.
*Next Week ,we'll look at Ruth and Bathsheba.
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