Genesis 38; Psalm 16; Proverbs 3:27-32; Matthew 12:22-45

Jesus is among His Creation as a man. He condescends Himself by taking on our humanity, identifying with us, teaching the people by speaking in a language they understand. Christ used everyday objects like bread, water, and sheep to relate deeper spiritual truths. What great love is this that the Master identifies with us so that we can identify with Him?

God shows us that we can rest in His Sovereignty, His plan, even using our failures for His Glory. He chose Judah, the 4th son of Jacob to carry the line of Christ through the sinful act of sleeping with his daughter-in-law Tamar. She deceived Judah into going to bed with her in hopes of producing a child, which she did- twins! It’s good to keep in mind that these actions are descriptive and not prescriptive. Why? Because the Bible overwhelmingly tells us to not behave like the wicked, but seek to do good to others, reflecting the Lord’s merciful and compassionate nature.

God can work through our sin but it isn’t a license to abuse grace either. Jesus died for us to be free from our sinful life. We are made righteous because Jesus is greater than any prophet, priest or king who has lived. Jesus tells the Pharisees He is greater than Jonah, greater than Solomon. He is fully God and fully man, not hiding His identity from the people. Many still rejected His claims because we see what we want to see. God must open our eyes to accept truth even when we can’t fully comprehend the mystery of it all.

But we know this to be true:

God is trustworthy.

God is faithful.

God pursues wayward people like Judah, Tamar, me and you. He loves us in spite of knowing how sinful we are, because God also knows what we are in Christ. The Lord is Greater, and has never given up on His Beloved Bride. This is the good news to rest in. Jesus is greater than our sin and it will not consume us.

Grace upon grace,

April