| The Mothers of Jesus Christ |
The following talk was given by Karyn Dudley at the Genesis meeting in Salt Lake City on November 6, 2005Good evening, Saints! Brothers and Sisters, I’m grateful to be chosen today to stand before you and pay tribute to some of the women in the scriptures—women who lived difficult lives and suffered pain and sorrow, much like some of us today. I would like to share with you this evening a portion of the genealogy of Jesus Christ through his mothers. Tamar The first mother I would like to honor is Tamar. Tamar was a Canaanite woman, and was the daughter-in-law of Judah and the wife of his eldest son, Er. Tamar’s husband Er was put to death by God because he was wicked in the sight of the Lord. By law if a man passed away without having any offspring, the widow was given to the husband’s brother to marry so she could conceive a child in the name of the deceased brother. That child would then be regarded as the first husband’s son to continue his family blood lines and to be an heir to the inheritance of the deceased. Tamar was given to Er’s brother Onan to wife, and brought up a child in honor of Er. Onan took her as a wife outwardly, but internally he refused to have a child with Tamar, because he knew it would not be regarded as his own. This was displeasing to the Lord, and so the Lord slew Onan. Judah had a third younger son, Shelah, and by law was obligated to present Tamar to him to wife. Because Shelah was much younger, Judah told Tamar to return to the house of her own father until Shelah was older. Judah had already lost two sons and was in fear of losing a third. But when Shelah was a man, Tamar was not given to Shelah to wife and bear up seed toward her first husband, Er. Tamar realized that Judah would not keep his obligation to her by giving her the third son. She changed out of her widow clothes and put on a veil and sat out in the open while Judah, who was a widower at the time, was feeding his flock. He supposed her to be a harlot and came to her. For payment, she asked for his personal items, and he did give them. Three months later Judah was given word that his daughter-in-law Tamar was with child, and he put forth an order to have her burned. She was brought before her father-in-law, Judah. Tamar then produced the personal items Judah gave her as payment, stating that the items belonged to the man who came and laid with her. Judah, realizing the items were his and the law he had broken, was shamed, therefore declaring, “You have been more righteous than I.” According to the law, Tamar did not break the law, but it was Judah who failed to fulfill the obligation to carry on the eldest son's line for posterity. As a result, Tamar gave birth to twins Parez and Zerah. Tamar, much like Eve, understanding the importance of maintaining the blood line, did what needed to be done for the sake of posterity. She endured criticism, ridicule, gossip, and the possibility of having her life taken. By taking the initiative to make sure her family lines did not become extinct, Tamar plays a key role in bringing forth the genetic lines of Jesus Christ. Rahab The next person of honor I would like to introduce you to is one of the least likely people anyone would normally pay honor to. Let’s journey to the city of Jericho, a city that would soon be destroyed. God had chosen to save one family in Jericho before the walls came tumbling down. Joshua sent two spies into Jericho to check out the situation; before war, they choose to enter the house of Rahab, a harlot. Who would think anything of two men going into the house of a harlot? Their entering into such a place would not cause excitement or suspicion. However, the king received word that two strangers had entered the house of Rahab the harlot. The King came to Rahab, letting her know that the men were enemy spies who had come to search out the land. Rahab told the king, "They were here, but when the gate was closed at dark, they went out, and I do not know where they went. If you hurry after them, you’ll be sure to find and capture them." The king and his company left in pursuit of the spies. However, Rahab hid the two spies upstairs with the stalks of flax she had laid on her roof. She went to the two men and said: "I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.Although she was considered a woman of shameful standards, something touched her heart and spoke truth to her, and she received it. When Rahab was faced with Divine knowledge, something in her soul cried out in faith and she was able to act according to the spirit that bore witness to her. Rahab then pled with the men to help save the lives of her and her family. They told her to put a rope in her window so that Joshua and his armies would know not to harm her and her household. When Joshua fought the battle of Jericho, the only survivors of Jericho were Rahab and her family. If we had been asked to choose, we wouldn’t have chosen Rahab to save. She was most likely a despised member of society. But the Lord took Rahab regardless of her station in life and elevated her to a position of honor in the history of Israel. If He can take a harlot and raise her to a higher station, he certainly can do the same for us. (If He can convert mold into penicillin, He can surely make something out of us if we let Him.) Through Rahab we know that even the least of us can have faith and do good works. And no matter where we are in our worthiness, Heavenly Father will meet us where we are and perform miracles and blessings in our lives, to elevate us to be kings and queens if we let Him, because He loves even the least of us. Ruth Next, let me introduce you to Ruth. Ruth was a Moabitess who married into an Israelite family. The family was from Bethlehem and was forced to move to Moab because of famine. The Israelite family consisted of Elimelech and Naomi, two sons, and the wives of the two sons, Orpah and Ruth. After a time, Elimelech and his two sons died, leaving Naomi and her two daughters-in-law, Orpah and Ruth. Naomi, being older in years, decided to move back home to Bethlehem. She urged daughters-in-law Ruth and Orpah to remain with their own families in Moab. Orpah did as she was told and remained in Moab. Ruth, however, refused to part from her mother-in-law regardless of her insistence. Ruth converted to the religion of Israel and her husband’s family. She stayed by her mother-in-law’s side and would not leave her alone or lonely. Naomi and Ruth returned to Bethlehem during the harvest of barley. Naomi had a kinsman of great wealth in Bethlehem named Boaz who was also related to Naomi’s deceased husband. Ruth offered to go and glean the corn fields of Boaz. To glean in the fields meant to scavenge the fields for leftover stalks or pieces of food that were left behind for the poor. Boaz noticed a woman in the fields scavenging. He was told it was Ruth; when he heard of the loyalty and kindness she had shown her mother-in-law, he was deeply touched. He allowed her into his home, where she shared his food and ate at his table. She was then permitted to pick the sheathes of corn as well as the stalks and was not reprimanded. Naomi was told the special treatment Boaz gave to Ruth, and asked Ruth to go lie down at the feet of Boaz and ask for his protection and obligation toward her as a kinsman. Again, according to law, if a man passed away without an heir, the next kinsman was obligated to marry the widow and raise up an heir to the deceased husband. Boaz, understanding what Ruth wanted, explained that there were closer kinsman who would have to refuse the obligation before he could perform this deed for her. Boaz went into the city to see some land that many of his kinsmen desired. He said that whoever purchased the land would also have to take care of Naomi, marry Ruth, and raise an heir unto her dead husband. No one took Boaz up on the offer. As a result, he then married Ruth. In Ruth 4:13-15 we read: "So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and she bare a son.Through Mother Ruth, we learn faith, courage, and loyalty. She was never motivated out of self-interest; she was the personification of commitment. She demonstrated how we can find peace and security when we behave unselfishly. She, too, changed the history of Israel. The Moabites were hated by Israel. How committed are we to our family—and, more importantly, to our Lord? Just as Ruth exercised faith and loyalty to her family, we too can show the same to our family and to our Lord and Savior. Bathsheba Next is the story of Bathsheba. Through King David, Bathsheba gave birth to at least two sons, Nathan and Solomon. When Bathsheba’s husband, King David, was stricken with old age, one of his less-worthy sons, Adonija, declared himself king, unbeknownst to King David. He hired servants, he prepared chariots, and he even ordered a big feast and called most of his brothers (the king’s sons) to this celebration in his own behalf. Amongst the brothers who were not invited were Bathsheba’s sons, Nathan and his younger brother, Solomon. Nathan the prophet went to Bathsheba and told her that Adonija had just appointed himself king, and that King David was unaware of it. He also explained that if Adonija became King, he could quite possibly have Bathsheba and Solomon put to death. Nathan advised Bathsheba to go before David. "And she said unto him, My lord, thou swarest by the Lord thy God unto thine handmaid, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne. . . .Bathsheba did that very thing: she went to King David and said, "You swore my son would be king after you; why is your other son Adonija king?" Nathan the prophet then came to King David and asked the same things Bathsheba asked about (see 1 Kings 1: 30, 33-35). Subsequently, Solomon was indeed made king. It took great courage for Bathsheba to address the king in such a manner. She basically took charge of and saved both her life and Solomon’s life by confronting the king and challenging him to do the right thing. She teaches us to stand up for that which is right and not sit passively by watching and waiting for a catastrophe to happen. She was counseled by a prophet, and she moved forward in obedience and was blessed. Like Bathsheba, we too can act when called upon by the prophet and heed his council. By doing so we will be blessed and we, too, will be saved. Mary The final woman I would like to honor is Mother Mary, the biological (blood) mother of Jesus Christ. What I would like to focus on mainly was how important her role was in the bringing forth the Christ child. So forgive me as I go back where we started for a moment. I began with the story Of Tamar. Tamar had to take it upon herself to perpetuate posterity to her dead husband, Er. Through Judah, Tamar had twin sons, Pherez and Zerah. Through his genetic line, Pherez brought forth a great-grandson named Salmon who married a former Harlot named Rahab. Rahab and Salmon brought forth a son and named him Boaz. Boaz met a Moabitess named Ruth and married her. They brought forth a son and named him Obed; Obed’s son Jesse became a king in Israel named David. All of these people were of the house of Judah. David had many sons through Bathsheba. Two of their sons were Nathan and Solomon. In 2 Samuel 7:12-13, God promised David that one of his physical descendants would reign on the throne of his Kingdom forever. Solomon, his biological son, was the man who was king after his death. Down through the generations of Solomon came a king named Jehoiakim. He angered God by burning a scroll that the prophet Jeremiah wrote. God cursed king Jehoiakim by indicating to him that from this point on, none of his children would sit on the throne of David. From that point on, the genealogy of David’s line through Solomon was cursed to never have another physical descendant who would reign as king on the throne of David. Keep In mind, however, that God promised David that one of his physical descendants would reign on the throne of his Kingdom forever. That seems to result in a problem. Let me introduce you to the Solution. Mary was brought forth through the loins of Nathan, the other son of King David. We don’t hear too much about Nathan. Just as God had cursed the line of Solomon, he blessed the line of Nathan. God’s promise to David was fulfilled because Mary was the biological mother of Jesus Christ. Joseph, the legal adoptive father of Jesus Christ, was brought forth from Solomon, whose line was cursed. The Virgin birth addresses the curse in David’s line and the blessing in Nathan’s line. Jesus inherited a legal claim to the throne of David through Nathan and Mary. However, he was exempt from the curse because Joseph was not his biological father. One man had to be both heir and offspring of King David without being the genetic descendant of Jehoiakim. The Solution was Mother Mary. She was righteous and pure amongst all other women—the one God chose to bring forth HIS only begotten son to this earth. We hear very little about the women in the scriptures, but we do hear briefly about these five women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Heavenly Father prepared them and elevated them in such a way that they became the progenitors of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. These Mothers of Jesus Christ all experienced public humiliation, ridicule, and gossip:
Ironically, even before His birth He converted and saved lives to bring about His own existence. What greater calling on earth than to be a partner through which Heavenly Father can create his most sacred gifts of all, His children? Sister, please stand up. Behold, the calling to stand as a virtuous, righteous woman of God is the greatest election we have on this earth. Some of us are single mothers, stressed and worn. Some of us are widows, and some of us have been subject to ridicule, gossip, lies, various abuses, and have suffered humiliations. Brothers, behold us, thy mothers, sisters, wives, and daughters. Let us all remember that woman was given to Adam as a gift for HIS benefit and the benefit of all mankind. These things I say in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen. |