Who Matters
Zerah was the twin brother of Perez whose mom and dad were Judah and Tamar. Perez was a direct ancestor of Jesus, but Zerah's name also appears in Jesus' genealogy. Zerah was not a direct ancestor of Jesus, but 'he also mattered'.
Tamar's actions are ill advised and unacceptable by standards even in her day; but she felt that she had been overlooked and forgotten. So pretending to be a prostitute, she did the unthinkable by tricking Judah her father-in-law into conceiving a child with her. In so during, she became a direct ancestor of Jesus. Though ignored and rejected, she asserted herself and convinced others that 'she also mattered'.
Rahab was a citizen of ill repute in Jericho, a city doomed for destruction. Acting upon historical information she had acquired, Rahab brokered a deal with the spies that saved her life and that of her family. She was a prostitute who later married into the Hebrew family and became a direct ancestor of Jesus. 'She also mattered'.
Ruth was a Moabite and an unlikely candidate for the Messianic linkage. She made personal choices that were of the 'outside of the box variety'. She was selfless and never realized where such choices would take her. Her life and name, her submissive and teachable spirit speak volumes. 'She also mattered', and so does every creature on the face of the earth.
12012017 PS *Matthew 1 NIV
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