WOMEN IN THE ROOTS OF JESUS

Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 1:1-17

 It is natural and logical to start a written biography of a person by tracing his own family roots. This involves hard work and painstaking research because such endeavor demands accuracy. Francidelle tried building up our family tree on both sides. She can only go as far as her great grandparents.

     Now the gospel according to Matthew is a biography of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not surprising that Matthew begun with the roots of Jesus. That is the natural and logical thing for him to do. However, he has another greater agenda in starting the biography with Jesus’ roots. To establish the foundation of the claims of the early Christians that Jesus Christ is truly the expected messiah. The prophet Isaiah prophesied that the messiah that will come to save his people will come out of the roots of David, (Isaiah 11:1-5). Matthew did not only traced the roots of Jesus to David, he went further tracing the roots of Jesus to Abraham, the father of the faith.

     As we read and consider the story of Jesus’ lineage today, we will notice that it is followed by the narration of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. We can therefore safely claim that the story of Jesus roots is a prelude of the biography, or may be considered as an introduction of his biography. Now an introduction of a book usually tells or summarized the purpose of the book. The story of the roots of Jesus then as an introduction reveals the mission of the messiah, Christ the Lord.

     Let us take a short look of his roots. One thing of importance is the presence of women. Jewish lineage normally does not include women’s names. Women in Jewish culture are not persons with a personality. Legally they do not matter. They do not have rights, what they have are privileges.

So women in the Jewish culture are powerless, and denied the normal rights of a person. This oppression of women however is found to be practiced in every nation and culture of the world. They are always in the dis-advantage side of life. Let me mention some of these oppression:

    The early Romans and Chinese society prefer boys than girls. So when a female child is born some parents would throw their child in the forest to be eaten by animals. The Jewish tradition says that when a man and women are caught in adultery, the woman is stoned to death but the man escapes unpunished, because the woman is always blamed in every adulterous relationship. The wife of a rich person in India of old is sometimes cremated with her husband when he dies. The women in the Philippines recieves less inheritance if they are given at all. In fact women in the Philippines have to fight for their right to vote, which was given them during the last few decades.

      Another surprising discovery in the women mentioned in the roots of Jesus is that all of them have questionable character. Tamar forced herself to prostitution to gain her right. Rahab though a Jew, was a matron managing a  prostitution den and herself a prostitute. Ruth was Cannanite   woman  married to an Israelite. So she is not a member of the covenant community, thus she is not supposed to be in the lineage. Bathsheba became the mistresses of King David which is against the law because she was married. It was even possible that she conspired for the assasination of her husband. Yes, all of them are of devious character and yet their names are found in the lineage of the Messiah. There must be a reason for this mystery.

       When Jesus was onced asked to make an exhortation in a Synagogue he read Isaiah 61:1-2, which said,

   “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has appointed me to preach goodnews to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the downtrodden will be freed from their oppressors, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.” 

Jesus said, “I am come that you might have life and have it abundantly. 

     Jesus was proclaiming in fact that he purposely came for the poor, the oppressed, the prisoners, the blind, and the downtrodden, that they may have life in its fullness.

     The women who have long been denied of their human rights are also  people of God that needs to be treated with respect and given opportunity to achieved their highest potentials for good. The names of the women in this important document is a proof that God loves and cares for them as he cares and loves all men. 

     Furthermore, the worst of the women in the lineage of Jesus was picked up to be included in the list to tell us that Jesus came not only for the oppressed, powerless, and deprived of society such as the women but also for the worst sinners of society as revealed by the sinful life of these people. For me, then, these women stands also for all persons in their worst sinful life. It is for them, like me and you, all sinners for whom Jesus came to save from their sins and give them life eternal.

      The mission of the church is rooted in the mission of Jesus. God created the Church to help, sustained and make possible the purpose for which our Lord came. We are the body of Christ to fulfill his mission in our own time.

     In fact the life of the women in the list of Jesus’ lineage tell us that given a chance and opportunity the women and the worst of mankind can be redeemed to goodness. 

    Take for example:

     Rahab, though a prostitute at that time saw the will and plan of God in the group of Joshua, so she risked her life for them. In fact she was one of the two women mentioned in the heroes of the faith in Heb. 11. 

     Ruth, though a Cannanite given the opportunity to be with her mother-in-law proved to be faithful to Naomi and later her husband Boas, now the best and prime example of family love and faithfulness.

      Mary, who was very young, innocent and inexperienced in life who handpicked by God for a special mission, was expected to  lost her mind and collapse under pressure for being the mother of Jesus. Yet with humility, obedience and faith in God she overcame all the odds which even the most experienced and religious woman in her time may not be able to overcome. 

     We are happy to be a part of a church who has learned to be gender sensitive, thus doing our part in the recognition of the dignity and giving of the human rights to women. What we cannot give by teaching and or preaching we do it by legal means. Thus today when we elect and or appoint members of a board, commission in church we are obligues to elect at least 1/3 women. We are the first denomination to ordain women clergy and the one of the first denomination to elect women bishop.

    We are also happy to be part of a church that is concerned for the uplifting of poor, the deprived of society, the downtrodden and the oppressed regardless of gender, religious affiliation, tribe and age.

     There are still so much to be done. We can start from where we are the most, our family, our church, our neighborhood and our country.

     The celebration of human rights day last Friday is a reminder for all of us that our work in a continuing endeavor. The evils of Satan and of mankind is always around us in place and in time. The continuing celebration of Advent and of Christmas is an important message to all Christians like us that we are a part of a mission to preach, to make disciples and to love others in word and deeds that all may have eternal life in Jesus Christ.

    Let us start where we are, with the people around us, and in the way we can do by God’s help even how little or small it may be. We can do it with God’s help. Amen.