Have you ever wondered why God determined that our Savior should descend from Judah rather than from Joseph? Consider how brilliantly Joseph’s star shines, no matter how bitterly the archers attacked him and shot at him and harassed him (Gen. 49:23). Time and again he responded with grace. In spite of mistreatment and injustice, he never returned evil for evil or sought revenge. I would have thought Jesus would have been pleased to be descended from Joseph. But He chose Judah (whose checkered past makes us wince). Why?
Does He lavish His love on the worst of sinners to demonstrate His perfect patience? (1 Tim 1:16)
Does He welcome the unloved, the unknown, and the unlikely who draw near to the throne of grace? (Heb 4:16; 7:25)
Does He embrace the foolish, the poor, and the weak, but shun the self-made, the self-righteous, and the self-sufficient? (1 Cor 1:18-29; Luke 1:51-53)
Indeed, it seems God wanted it to be abundantly clear to us: we contribute nothing to our salvation except the sin that made it necessary? * And that is why He chose the Judahs and Leahs and Matthews and Pauls… and the likes of us.
As our thoughts turn to Thanksgiving, we must not fail to contemplate where it was He found us, how hopeless was our condition, and how desperate was our plight.
* From Jonathan Edwards’ sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”.