The Book of Genesis is a book of stories. It ends with the story of Joseph, one of Jacob’s twelve sons. His story covers 13 chapters of the 50 chapters of the Book of Genesis, more than 25% of the entire book. This sizeable allocation signifies the importance of his story to readers. But in the middle of the story, in Chapter 38, we find an abrupt turn of the story to the story of Judas, a Joseph’s half brother. Those who are familiar with the genealogy of Jesus will quickly notice that the reason for the insertion of the chapter was because he would be the ancestor of Jesus; and that knowing that the Bible was written to testify Jesus, the insertion of Judas’ story is not a strange thing to understand. Judas’ story was inserted because he would be the ancestral father of Jesus. That much we know, and that is true. But more importantly, why did God choose Judas among others to be the ancestral father of Jesus? Does the insertion tell us anything about the reason?
I thought about this but could not find the answer. Some refer it to his courageous and sacrificial take-on before Joseph to be a slave in place of Benjamin his brother (Chapter 44: 33). Others simply concede it God’s predestination, and warn no further speculation. But when I read the story more carefully, I felt that it answers to why he would be receiving the honor of being His ancestor.
When we read his story in the chapter, we notice that his life was miserable. He was born of the God-chosen man Jacob, and he must have expected blessings in his life. But the story tells us the opposite. He married to a daughter of Shua, a Canaanite man. They had three sons, but two of them died, and his wife died as well. Then he had a sexual misconduct with his daughter-in-law Tamar and ended up having two more sons. We cannot find much of blessing in his life. Instead, it was filled with tragedies, sins and shame. Don’t we expect some honorable episodes in his story as he would be the ancestor of the Lord? But it is a shameful story all along. And he would become the father of Jesus! Wasn't Joseph much better than Judas? How honorable and righteous Joseph was! He was the perfect model and fit to be the father of Jesus. Is God right on this? Is the Bible right on the story?
When I turned my attention to Judas himself, to his heart, I think I could find one thing: Judas must have felt the misery all along. His life was filled with sordid sins, terrible errors and lamentable misconducts. He must have thought that his life was cursed, thrown in the ditches! He must have detested the sins and errors, hated his life, and the people in his house. I don’t think he loved the sons born of Tamar at all. He was an angry man and may have protested to God: “Why God, did you fill my life with this misery?”
I think by the time he was standing before Joseph during the second trip to Egypt, and offering himself to be the hostage in place of Benjamin, he meant it. He wanted to throw himself to whatever the fate might take him to. He was giving up his life at that point. “Take me if you want! Who cares! My life is cursed anyway! Nothing good has ever happened to me. I want to rather die!”
God saw that all, his sin and misery, his anger, frustration and despair. But God picked him up and said, “You will be the father of my own Son.”
......
Hmmmm....
Is that so?
It's an ingenious interpretation, alright, but is that really so?
I dislike ending a write-up with a dramatic conclusion. It could mask false statements. First, who said Judas must have felt his life was miserable? How can you be so sure about that? After all, he had three sons left with him and he was ok. Second, judging from his words and behaviors in the Bible, we can see that he was a straightforward and brave man. He was not a type of person who ruminates in the past. Such emotions as sorrow, misery, or despair do not fit his type. Perhaps, by the time he traveled to Egypt, those horrible incidents were all done deal for him.
Then, why did God choose him? Why him rather than Joseph? I really think Joseph was an ideal person fitting to be Jesus' ancestral father. He was such a respectful and righteous man. Compared to him, Judas was a pitifully sinful man.
Perhaps because of that, he was chosen. Joseph, after all, received what was deserved to him. He became the ruler of Egypt. God rewarded him for his patience, suffering and righteousness. But Judas received no reward. He received only shame and guilt. And for God he was the one to be redeemed. Jesus came not to be honored, but to be humiliated, rejected, and sacrificed on the cross. He was born in a smelly stable, and laid in a dirty manger. We can find sinners and gentiles in his genealogy. His blood was mixed with the guilt and pagan sins of the past. By a human standard, he did not have a respectful and honorable blood line. So it is fitting that Judas was becoming the ancestral father of Jesus rather than Joseph. This must surely be a comfort for those who have such shameful pasts of themselves and their fathers. It doesn't matter for God because when He sent Jesus his own Son, He was determined to save them all, and make them His own children - "children born not of natural descent, ... but born of God." (John 1:13) because "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." (John 3:6)
.....
Hmmm...
well...
I think you (I) missed one critical point here.
The Bible sometimes hides real important messages, and the story of Judas is one of them. I think readers should not focus not so much on Judas as Tamar when reading his story in Chapter 38. Tamar was a Canaanite woman. She was married to Judas' first son, Er. But he was wicked "in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death." Then Judas said to Onan, his second son to sleep with her to fulfill his duty to her to raise up offspring for his brother. But he did a wicked thing and God put him to death as well. Judas sent her home to wait until his third son Shelah to grow up. Tamar went to her home and waited Shelah to grow up. But even when he grew up, Judas did not let her sleep with Shelah. In desperation, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute, and to make the story short, laid with Judas and bore twin sons to him.
The desperation of Tamar should be the focal point of reading the chapter. One should not misunderstand that Tamar played a prostitute to gratify her sexual desire. She was desperate because she had to bear a son for Judas or for his first son Er. The custom at that time was that a woman had to bear a son for her husband so that he might have a descendant to carry his name and to pass down his property. So child-bearing was an absolute duty and a serious burden on women. If a woman fulfilled this responsibility, she could sigh and relax. Otherwise, she would be desperate to the point of being insane. Tamar was in that situation. She went through horrible nightmares twice. She was dejected and hopeless. Now she heard her father-in-law was coming in town. "What shall I do?" She must have thought about it. "What should I do to get out of this shame and hopelessness?" She had to make a decision fast, and she did: "I will disguise myself as a prostitute and wait for him to take me." That was an extremely dangerous and really senseless decision, but she did it and it worked!
The point is God looked on her, her nightmares, desperation, and the decision and action. God took pity on her and made her desperate plan work to answer her wish. From the point of her, it was an act of faith. She bet her life on it. God looked at that faith, and reached out to her and saved her to be a part of the Jesus' genealogy.
The final note is this:
From the beginning of time, God was mindful of the gentiles. When He chose Abraham to begin His mission of salvation, He did not think about the Jewish people only. He envisioned the whole nations/peoples coming to the salvation through Jesus. That was why He said to Abraham, "You will be the source of blessing for all the people in the world." That was beginning to realize from Judas, in the story of Judas in Chapter 38. God reached out to Tamar, a Canaanite woman, and put her in the genealogy of Jesus to show and declare to all the people in the world: "I am going to save you all. That is why I choose Tamar as my vessel."
.......
Hmmm...
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Since no one knows the true intention of God, an interpretation is bound to be subjective. I cannot be sure if my interpretation of the story is correct. It is just my thought.
.....
Not so fast.
Consider more information about Judas. For example, consider Jacob's last words for Judas. They are a positive prophecy, much larger in volume than any other of his sons. Except to Joseph, Jacob's blessing was only to Judas. This tells us that for Jacob, Judas was the real first-born son, who would inherit all the privileges of a first-born son. This was because his first son Reuben defiled his bed, and the next two sons Simeon and Levy committed murders on account of their sister Dina, which caused Jacob and his entire household in great predicament and danger. They also played a leading role in committing the evil sin of selling Joseph to Midianite merchants. After the three brothers comes Judas. Hence, when all those three were disqualified to inherit the first-born privilege, Judas was the next on line. So naturally he was chosen to be the first born of Israel, and the ancestral father of the Messiah. In other words, it had nothing to do with all of the above speculations.
......
Hmmmm....
Is that so?
It's an ingenious interpretation, alright, but is that really so?
I dislike ending a write-up with a dramatic conclusion. It could mask false statements. First, who said Judas must have felt his life was miserable? How can you be so sure about that? After all, he had three sons left with him and he was ok. Second, judging from his words and behaviors in the Bible, we can see that he was a straightforward and brave man. He was not a type of person who ruminates in the past. Such emotions as sorrow, misery, or despair do not fit his type. Perhaps, by the time he traveled to Egypt, those horrible incidents were all done deal for him.
Then, why did God choose him? Why him rather than Joseph? I really think Joseph was an ideal person fitting to be Jesus' ancestral father. He was such a respectful and righteous man. Compared to him, Judas was a pitifully sinful man.
Perhaps because of that, he was chosen. Joseph, after all, received what was deserved to him. He became the ruler of Egypt. God rewarded him for his patience, suffering and righteousness. But Judas received no reward. He received only shame and guilt. And for God he was the one to be redeemed. Jesus came not to be honored, but to be humiliated, rejected, and sacrificed on the cross. He was born in a smelly stable, and laid in a dirty manger. We can find sinners and gentiles in his genealogy. His blood was mixed with the guilt and pagan sins of the past. By a human standard, he did not have a respectful and honorable blood line. So it is fitting that Judas was becoming the ancestral father of Jesus rather than Joseph. This must surely be a comfort for those who have such shameful pasts of themselves and their fathers. It doesn't matter for God because when He sent Jesus his own Son, He was determined to save them all, and make them His own children - "children born not of natural descent, ... but born of God." (John 1:13) because "Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit." (John 3:6)
.....
Hmmm...
well...
I think you (I) missed one critical point here.
The Bible sometimes hides real important messages, and the story of Judas is one of them. I think readers should not focus not so much on Judas as Tamar when reading his story in Chapter 38. Tamar was a Canaanite woman. She was married to Judas' first son, Er. But he was wicked "in the Lord's sight; so the Lord put him to death." Then Judas said to Onan, his second son to sleep with her to fulfill his duty to her to raise up offspring for his brother. But he did a wicked thing and God put him to death as well. Judas sent her home to wait until his third son Shelah to grow up. Tamar went to her home and waited Shelah to grow up. But even when he grew up, Judas did not let her sleep with Shelah. In desperation, Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute, and to make the story short, laid with Judas and bore twin sons to him.
The desperation of Tamar should be the focal point of reading the chapter. One should not misunderstand that Tamar played a prostitute to gratify her sexual desire. She was desperate because she had to bear a son for Judas or for his first son Er. The custom at that time was that a woman had to bear a son for her husband so that he might have a descendant to carry his name and to pass down his property. So child-bearing was an absolute duty and a serious burden on women. If a woman fulfilled this responsibility, she could sigh and relax. Otherwise, she would be desperate to the point of being insane. Tamar was in that situation. She went through horrible nightmares twice. She was dejected and hopeless. Now she heard her father-in-law was coming in town. "What shall I do?" She must have thought about it. "What should I do to get out of this shame and hopelessness?" She had to make a decision fast, and she did: "I will disguise myself as a prostitute and wait for him to take me." That was an extremely dangerous and really senseless decision, but she did it and it worked!
The point is God looked on her, her nightmares, desperation, and the decision and action. God took pity on her and made her desperate plan work to answer her wish. From the point of her, it was an act of faith. She bet her life on it. God looked at that faith, and reached out to her and saved her to be a part of the Jesus' genealogy.
The final note is this:
From the beginning of time, God was mindful of the gentiles. When He chose Abraham to begin His mission of salvation, He did not think about the Jewish people only. He envisioned the whole nations/peoples coming to the salvation through Jesus. That was why He said to Abraham, "You will be the source of blessing for all the people in the world." That was beginning to realize from Judas, in the story of Judas in Chapter 38. God reached out to Tamar, a Canaanite woman, and put her in the genealogy of Jesus to show and declare to all the people in the world: "I am going to save you all. That is why I choose Tamar as my vessel."
.......
Hmmm...
Maybe.
Maybe not.
Since no one knows the true intention of God, an interpretation is bound to be subjective. I cannot be sure if my interpretation of the story is correct. It is just my thought.
.....
Not so fast.
Consider more information about Judas. For example, consider Jacob's last words for Judas. They are a positive prophecy, much larger in volume than any other of his sons. Except to Joseph, Jacob's blessing was only to Judas. This tells us that for Jacob, Judas was the real first-born son, who would inherit all the privileges of a first-born son. This was because his first son Reuben defiled his bed, and the next two sons Simeon and Levy committed murders on account of their sister Dina, which caused Jacob and his entire household in great predicament and danger. They also played a leading role in committing the evil sin of selling Joseph to Midianite merchants. After the three brothers comes Judas. Hence, when all those three were disqualified to inherit the first-born privilege, Judas was the next on line. So naturally he was chosen to be the first born of Israel, and the ancestral father of the Messiah. In other words, it had nothing to do with all of the above speculations.
