Mean Girls

...And Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram... and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of David the king.  And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah...     Matthew 1:3,5-6 ESV

I heard that they are releasing a remake of the movie Mean Girls.  I find most remakes unnecessary at best, and it is doubtful that I will watch this one.  The original, though, my kids and I found greatly entertaining.  It was not so much the movie itself that we enjoyed.  Rather, the introduction always found us laughing.

The movie told the story of a girl who was entering the public school system in high school after having been homeschooled up to that point.  The introduction to the film highlights some common misconceptions about homeschool families in a most hilarious fashion.  We found that segment highly relatable.

As I read through the Scriptures each year, the genealogy of Christ always stands out to me.  This is particularly true around Christmastime.

Genealogies in the Bible are generally a list of men's names: so-and-so fathered so-and-so who fathered so-and so...  

The genealogy of Jesus, interestingly, contains the names of four women.  And these are not just random women, nor are they women who immediately come to mind as examples of Proverbs 31 women.  And while they weren't necessarily "Mean Girls," they were not good girls, by any means.  

I believe there is an important truth to be learned from the inclusion of the "bad girls" in the genealogy of Christ.  These women serve to remind us of the redemptive nature of our God.  "Redeemer" is perhaps my favorite of the many titles given to Jesus, as it reminds me that He is the One who can turn ashes to beauty and bring a message out of the mess.

Tamar

Matthew identifies Christ as a descendent of Judah by Tamar.  Tamar was Judah's daughter-in-law, not his wife.  She became pregnant with Perez, Jesus' ancestor, through prostitution and deception.

Rahab

Just a few generations later, another prostitute is named in the Savior's ancestry.  Rahab's unseemly profession placed her in a unique position to come to the aid of the children of Israel as they were entering the Promised Land.  And apparently, having been saved in the fall of Jericho, Rahab changed her ways and was granted a husband and family of her own.  

Ruth

While Ruth is held up as an example of love and faithfulness for the way she cared for her dead husband's mother, there is more to her story.  Ruth was a Moabite.  The Lord had commanded the Israelites to keep themselves separate from the Moabites.   Nonetheless, Naomi and her husband had left Israel to live in Moab, and Naomi's sons had married Moabite girls.  That Boaz would consent to marry Ruth knowing her heritage gives added nuance to his role as kinsman redeemer...

Bathsheba

Matthew does not even call Bathsheba by name but refers to her as "the wife of Uriah."  Her affair with David led to the murder of her husband.  Yet of all of David's wives, she was the one through whom our Savior would be born.

These bad girls were not excused.  They were REDEEMED!  And isn't that the point?  

If it were up to me, I would have done things differently.  I think I would have at least put Abigail, David's more heroic wife, in the lineage of Christ.  I would have made some tweaks down through history to build a solid and respectable ancestry for the Messiah.  Thankfully, it was not up to me.

Our God is a patient and forgiving God.  He is the One who can turn our failures into victories.  He does not require that we always get things right, and He does not hold our mistakes against us - even the really big mistakes.  Rather, He redeems those shortcomings, giving us second (third, fourth, fifth, five-millionth, etc.) chances.

In this Christmas season and beyond, let's give thanks to the God who did not exclude the bad girls from the heritage of His Son, and let us find hope in His redemptive nature.

...Just a thought...