Everyone falls short of the glory of God

Many families have that one person no one talks much about, the one who has often brought the family low, embarrassed everyone, or developed a shady reputation. Well, Jesus surely understood that, because His own family tree included four women with questionable characters.

Four women with questionable characters

The first was Tamar (Matthew 1:3), a widow who pretended to be a prostitute and became pregnant with twins by her father-in-law (Genesis 38). The second was Rahab (Matthew 1:5), a Canaanite woman from a nation destined for destruction, whose occupation was a harlot (Hebrews 11:31).

The third was Ruth (Matthew 1:5), a foreigner from Moab, a nation that had opposed Israel and whose people were barred from entering the tabernacle of the Lord even unto the tenth generation (Deuteronomy 23:3).

Yet she moved to Israel with her mother-in-law (Ruth 1:16–17) and became part of God’s plan. The fourth was Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, King David’s mistress (2 Samuel 11:1–5), introduced in Matthew simply as “her that had been the wife of Urias” (Matthew 1:6).

Scratching the surface

The four women in Jesus' family tree, but that is just scratching the surface. The Bible is filled with men and women who might seem unworthy at first glance. Noah got drunk, and Abraham and his father served idols (Joshua 24:2–3).

Moses killed a man and fled as a fugitive. Mary Magdalene, the first woman to see Jesus after his resurrection, was previously possessed by seven devils (Luke 8:2), James and John had tempers (Luke 9:52–56), Peter denied Jesus, and Paul persecuted the church (1 Timothy 1:13). And that's just still scratching the surface.

Everyone falls short of the glory of God 

Finding men and women with flawed reputations in Jesus’ genealogy and at the head of God’s program in the past and now in the church age reminds us that everyone falls short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Judged by our works alone, none of us would qualify to serve Him.

But Thanks be to God for His unspeakable gift, who loved us and washed us in His own blood. He is able to save to the uttermost those who come to Him. Today, everyone is eligible to be part of God’s grace, and God can use anyone who responds to Him and is willing to be used. Hallelujah for His amazing grace!