Genesis 38 is the kind of chapter we are tempted to skip. It’s messy. Morally complicated. Painful. Judah is selfish and sexually sinful. Tamar is desperate and vulnerable. The whole story feels uncomfortable.

And yet — this is the family line of jesus Christ (see Matthew 1:3).

That’s the point.

God did not airbrush the genealogy of His Son. He didn’t sanitize the story. He wove redemption straight through human failure.

Judah fails spectacularly. But when confronted, he says, “She is more righteous than I.” That confession marks a turning point. The man who once exploited others eventually becomes the man who later offers himself in place of his brother (Genesis 44:30-34). Grace begins to reshape him.

Tamar, wronged and overlooked, is not forgotten by God. In a culture that sidelined women, she is named in the Messiah’s lineage. God sees the vulnerable. He honors those the world ignores.

What does this mean for us?

It means God uses repentant sinners — not polished performers.

It means your past does not disqualify you from His purposes.

It means grace is stronger than shame.

The family tree of Jesus is not a showcase of human greatness. It is a monument to divine mercy.

And if Christ is not ashamed to come from sinners, He is not ashamed to save them.

Bring Him your mess. Bring Him your regret. Bring Him your broken story.

Because the same God who brought the Redeemer through Judah and Tamar is still in the business of redeeming people like us.

Prayer:

Father of mercy,

We praise You that Your grace is greater than our sin. Thank You that You are not ashamed to weave broken people into Your redemptive story. Where we have failed, humble us. Where we carry shame, free us. Where we resist repentance, soften us.

Fix our eyes on Jesus, who came from sinners and came for sinners. Let His mercy reshape our story and make our lives a testimony to your amazing grace.

In His powerful name, we pray, Amen.