Saints and Scoundrels

Jesus brother James grew up with him lived with him his whole life and still did not believe that Jesus was who he claimed to be until Jesus rose from the grave. Nancy Guthrie says James persistent unbelief, and his ultimate surrender to Jesus as his Lord gives us hope for what Jesus might do in the life of any of our family members she can reveal himself to the most hardened, cynical, family member, you have in a way that would overcome doubts and overcome their passionate disregard for Jesus so that they would then become a passionate servant, Jesus is.

That's what happened in Jesus family. I think I get this hope for our own families.

This is family life today.

Our hosts are David and Wilson on bopping confined to someone@familylifetoday.com Nancy Guthrie says the Bible is full of stories about saints and scoundrels. All of us were scoundrels before we came to faith that you give us hope that God can still work in the lives of any of our family members talk more about that today stay with and welcome to family life today. Thanks for joining us.

Here's a little Pro tip for those of you who are regular listeners.

If if you ever notice online that there's a new book coming out from Nancy Guthrie.

You can say oh I wonder when she'll be on family life to the left because anytime there's a new book coming out the door is open, Nancy IX a lot about family life a lot people might say I started talking and I won't shut up. I really appreciate Nancy is an author and a speaker and is doing a lot online these days Bible studies that you can engage with online we first chatted with you and your husband more than two decades ago was in 2002 over the loss of your daughter hope and your son Gabriel and were just greatly keep coming back.

Thank you for letting me come back.

I'm excited to talk to you yesterday when I saw that you'd written this book about saints and scoundrels in the Bible and and I dug into it.

I thought Jesus family tree comes from a dysfunctional family.

I thought we need to get you here and talk about how interesting it is that the son of God would enter humanity in the midst of a family that like all of our families has all kinds of dysfunction is true you know you and I didn't get to choose what family we were born into the from the very beginning of this family you want to say to God, you could have done better if you go back to Abraham, Isaac, then you get those 12 sons of Jacob. Hello, my goodness and and we know right and that this is chosen. He's going to be born into and then we turn the page to the New Testament, Matthew begins his gospel by giving us a genealogy of Jesus.

He wants to show Jesus is this son of Abraham, through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed.

Jesus is the son of David who is the son is going to sit on his tongue forever. I think he's doing a little bit more than that with this genealogy by who he includes and even who he doesn't include genealogy and quite surprising that in a Jewish genealogy they would mention women at all the first woman mention is tame our who was Judah's daughter-in-law that he slept with and impregnated her and not weird at all. You've got Rahab who is running this brothel basically when the Israelite spies come in and she ends up marrying into the family and and we discover a couple of generations later when we get to Boaz.

Boaz is her son and who does Boaz Mary. He marries Moabite's will. What is a nonbiased. They come from the family on lot out of his incestuous relationship with his daughters so just so much of this and then he takes care is interesting when he talks about Solomon that he is the son of David, but he really called him in the son of Bathsheba, wife of the Hittite and like a reminder like you remember what happened here in regard to David taking her into his household and I'll prepare you for Mary and of course even though she's a virgin and innocent.

There's sexual scandal is or not. So it's fascinating. What he's doing there. What what is he doing because you know I grew up in a church and I never heard any of this. It was all sanitizer was all I thought everybody in the line of everybody in the Bible almost was perfect. Obviously all the way to Immaculate Conception and so here you are menu your book saints and scoundrels are scoundrels everywhere wise Matthew Telesis like there's three things about that genealogy.

Think first of all, if you just look at the form and shape of it. It's organized according to that anticipating the king. The king ruling over Israel and then after exile. There's no king, so he saying something about the kingship of Jesus and of course we know that's what Matthew wants to do his gospel, but then getting back to the family wanting to. He's all of these women except for Mary R Gentiles. Well, that would be shocking to this first generation of Jews who would think that God was all about the Jews and so here's Matthew and in the sense he saying to these proud Jewish people God has always been about having a people from every tribe and tongue and nation, and he's been bringing them into his family, making them a part of his family since the very beginning of his family think that's one thing he's doing that but I think it's also very significant. I guess when I present this to people I want to look people in the eyes and for me. Most often it's women that I am speaking to you know you can be in a gathering with a group of women in ever but he looks really good, but we know that no matter what group you're in. There are people who walk in and they have some secrets and they have some sexual shame in their past and there's a part of them that wonders if they could ever really be a part of God's family, or if they have gone too far. If they've done something to shameful and I think what what we have and we look at this genealogy Matthew we can say let's eat you some incest in your family well. You can find a home here. Have you experienced an unwanted pregnancy. Welcome to the family and that there is no sin that could keep you from becoming a part of the family of Jesus is also true for men and is just women that in the in the lineage.

It's like men walk in those rooms like a timeout with the same shame. So thinking I'm too far and then you look at who's in that line you like while we got Abraham in that list you know and how he lies about his wife and jeopardizes her. David Judah meet. They're all there and it gives us hope doesn't add the method of it into his family. I wrote you a newsletter for our church recently and I said the we as Christians should be very comfortable wearing masks because most of us have been doing it for years and just talked about the fact that the whole idea of mask wearing. There's a word for it in the Bible. That's the word hypocrite.

It's putting on a mask so the people don't see the real you and and I said I understand why there are times we don't want people to see the real us because we do have this shame but the good news of the gospel is our shame has been removed to someone else has borne our shame for us. The problem comes not with will God except me.

The problem is if I reveal who I really am. If people knew this about my family tree.

How are the other sinners. The other scoundrels that I'm having fellowship with. How are they gonna react to me and and that's I think the challenge why people resist being transparent about the reality of the dysfunction of their own families absolutely and so isn't good news for us to know that Jesus welcomes into his family. People who don't come from the enemy using air quote the right family. Rossi had here and people who have less-than-perfect records which is all of us and he welcomes a sin to call us brother sister men good for us to know that the person you look at and go all that's a part of their background that we probably don't have to dig too far and yours before to find some scandals and some messes word were not as clean as we think we are and what would the church be if it was a no mask, and I know I'm not talking coven as we should be were in mass, but you know if we could be Rio and honest in bring our shame to the cross in a community that everybody's done that and we could look at each other with love, even though there's their sin and guilt and it's in the Bible and it's in us and it's been paid for. Unfortunately, we can tend to be stingy with extending grace to others by think I think some of that's pride wait. We want to think were more worthy of being included in Jesus's family.

Maybe then someone else over the more natural choice. But what I found over and over again as I was scouring the Gospels for these stories of the scoundrels and saints that are part of the story of Jesus. The most significant thing I I came away with was the generosity in the open handedness of the grace of Jesus toward the worst of sinners. What good news we have to share with you know maybe the world sees the church primarily as our finger pointed out at them.

You know wanting to point out their sin or blame, but boy what I see in the picture of the Gospels is this openhanded generosity of Jesus with grace toward sinners. Our friend Ron Diehl has noticed that the blended family dynamic is present in Jesus family tree as well. Of course Ron's ministry to blended families. He just wants to give encouragement to those who are in blended families. I'm trying to to make duty from the ashes. Whatever those ashes are that have brought them to their blended family.

Jesus knows what you're dealing with because that's a part of his background and his lineage as well talk about the nuclear family. Jesus mother. His father, his siblings. I mean, I've always wondered would know the been the worst to be Jesus brother and have his mother always saying why can't you use when the brother says why do you always have to seem so perfect. Jesus could say, because I will parents first and then we'll talk siblings when we look at Joseph and Mary. One thing that strikes me is the first thing were told about both of them is Joseph in a dream and Angel speaking to him and and and an angel coming to Mary and it's clear when we read Mary's song, her Magnificat that she has some understanding of who this child is going to be because if you examine her song she's praising God for proving true to his promise to Abraham and his promise to ancestor so there's a sense in which she recognizes who this child is that this is the child has been promised ever since Genesis 315 that there was can be an offspring of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent, so there is a sense in which he understands that Joseph seems to understand that the fact that he listens to the angel and takes Mary as his wife and he still disses Emmanuelle God with us, but read the story of when Jesus is 12 years old and they go to Jerusalem and Jesus gets left behind at the temple and they come back and they're not there same way you doing and Jesus's answer is, don't you know that I must be in my father's house and I guess what I saw about Joseph and Mary is there's a sense in which they understood who Jesus was. But then there's this gap as well. You know, a lack of full and complete understanding and hoping that to because all of us. We have some understanding. Perhaps Jesus is, but maybe there are some still some gaps and that's really good news because what it says is an in and I soon to say this to anyone who may be have been exploring a little bit about who Jesus is that you think I don't have him figured out yet so I can't be ready to take hold of him by faith or I can't get in because I don't know enough.

I don't understand enough Jesus welcomes into his family, people who understand some about him, but don't yet understand him fully the people closest to him who should have known the most about him didn't understand and yet they were part of his family, and you know you gotta love this Joseph and Mary, parents actually left him behind when they got the minivan is driving I have ever actually I have about business.

This goes back to what I was a kid, my dad one night said the I'm a go to central hardware you want to go with the searcher so we got to central hardware and I whenever we get there. I take I go to the torch. I'll I just wanted to see what was new in the toilet so he left me on the toy aisle, looking at all the toys while he went to do his shopping and I was having plenty of time looking at all the toys. Everything I thought this is more time than I usually get the toy aisle and after a while I think I'd seen all the toys in the toy isle, but I just stayed there and kept looking and checking things out and finally he came and said okay time to go.

What I didn't realize is that cotton home with his purchases of my mom said where's Bobby got. I knew I forgot something at the hardware store. You come back and get me.

So we bawled on the ball and the left are kids in the dust with the leave little Jesus behind you think you like in trouble with godly Jesus behind seminar at a pressure for Mary and Joseph must've been like. Now we've lost guy now that's a lot of pressure so he did have brothers and sisters so you know a lot about them that the brothers names are listed since he had sisters but what we know about them. What's revealed most of all is we read this little phrase and honestly when I read it it makes me terribly sad because it says about his brothers. They didn't believe in him and I'm with you, you know, what was it like to grow up with a sibling who never talked back to mom and dad and always responded must've there's a part of me that I just have that thought of like any of us who had a sibling and like if there there good to have your is making use of force that's unknowing that he always left you perfect know that he was always selfless that he always spoke the best people I mean, it's hard for me to imagine how they didn't see something dramatically different in him and that that would cause them to believe in what they didn't.

In fact you when he comes home to Nazareth and he opens up the scroll and the synagogue and basically is claiming to be the Messiah that Isaiah had written about and everybody wants to throw Jesus off the cliff. I mean, they will put them away. You note Karimov to the crazy been now it's interesting that in the Gospel of John.

It tells us at one point that they're pushing Jesus out the door to go to route to Jerusalem for the feast because they say anything to your miracles. There is a scummy lots of people there and that's kind of curious. It's like they think will we all believe you and you are anything but if we can maybe write on your coattails to some greatness.

If you if you're going to do these miracles that do them where a lot of people can see them and so they cannot push Jesus out the door to do that. But then this amazing thing happens and it's not stated clearly but we read in acts, and then later in first Corinthians, it says that James is one of those who saw him after the resurrection. I didn't tell us right there. There's talking about James's brother, but we discover that later.

And so, how great is it that Jesus would reveal himself. The risen resurrected Jesus would reveal himself to his brother James and then of course we get to this book of the Bible, written by James, followed by a book of the Bible, written by Jude.

These two half siblings, and what really fascinates me when I get to those books. Now if I been that family and I was in write a book I would start it I Nancy, sister of Jesus because I want to assert my credibility out there right now, not James and not Jude. They begin James servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and you does the same thing. So their credibility is not built on being a sibling to him that having him as their Savior and being a servant to him and that's really encouraging to me more number things.

I think it should be encouraged to everyone who reads it. All of us have someone in our family who has not yet taken hold of Jesus Christ by faith that they would fall into that line if they did not believe, and maybe were thinking you know what if I were a better example if I were a better witness if I knew how to explain things better then that family member would come to Christ and not I think the good news and seeing these siblings of Jesus is to recognize and that to come to believe late is possible a better late than never believer and it gives us a sense of hope that maybe that person has not yet believed that God is not done and that he can reveal himself to the most hardened, cynical, family member, you have in a way that would overcome doubts and overcome everything overcome their passionate disregard for Jesus so that they become a passionate servant Jesus. A passionate sharer of Jesus. That's what happened in Jesus family and I think that gives us hope for our own families. I can imagine.

First of all I think we all have family members that we may be embarrassed about and thinking these brothers and sisters, committed and embarrassed like this is the crazy brother, and then to think of that Shane that they would carry in the grace of Jesus visiting them after James after his resurrection, but can you imagine having thought I grew up with him. I saw him and he probably reflected back on how it all makes sense, but the shame and the grace that combination would be hard and I love their humbleness of these brothers talking about that because I think we all have that and evenly say scoundrels have you experienced that in your own life of people rejecting Jesus in your family members, or even thinking it's silly what you're doing. I certainly have family members that I think have not gone from spiritual death to spiritual life and so in this I find hope that better late than never. Faith is not possible.

I find hope to just hearing it teach this Nancy because Jesus as her brother was perfect, and not just that he lived perfectly, but he loved them perfectly live selfishly. There's nothing else he could've done better to lead them to himself. The only thing that made the difference was the resurrection and the others can reach our family members or a friend or neighbor is not how we live. Although it's important and we need to shine and be an example for what Christ looks I put it at the end of the day's the power of God raised Jesus from the do you keep talking to them. Yes doing. Keep you note putting our kids under hearing God's word, yes. But ultimately for anyone we love. He does not know Christ. What has to happen is God has to reveal himself to that person. It has to happen supernaturally and so what is that leave us to do. Pray we think maybe that's like Noah's first thing to pray and say God. Would you reveal your self, just like you revealed yourself to James and just like you revealed yourself to Jude reveal yourself in that way that they would not only finally recognize who you are and what you've accomplished on their behalf that they would take hold in a life transforming way if Jesus personal model and his own speaking was not sufficient for his brothers and sisters to go.

Clearly you are the son of God than our model in our speaking we shouldn't expect that it will be sufficient to your point of it is the work of God in somebody's life, which means we still speak and we still model what we recognize that it's up to God to do the work in someone's life and that's why we pray. That's why we trust in him. I keep thinking that maybe one of the reasons the brothers and sisters kind of didn't want anything to do with Jesus is because there are some people I been around who are so godly that I don't want anything to do with them because it shows up my own name paycheck met Dave and I you been around people, whereas like I'm uncomfortable and and the reason I'm ultimately uncomfortable is because I can see the sin exposed to my own life and so all avoid being with you because my own shame or my own sin comes to the surface when I'm with you and see I'm not there yet. They had to feel a little of that with Jesus. It's like I can't there be around him because it just reminds me of how far away from God. I am Nancy started here.

I think the beauty of the entire store is the grace that we see Jesus live and the model for us there scoundrels all around us were scoundrels and yet he never let that stop the grace of right.

That's how mad we were yet enemies that Christ died for us. You written about not only Jesus family tree.

But other sinks and scoundrels in the Bible in good book and you've also done a video series on this book. A lot of people watching this either on their own or in a small group in cobra days. This is a great way to come to virtually connect around a Bible study. If you go to our website. Family life to.com there is information about Nancy's book sinks and scoundrels in the story of Jesus, you can order the book from us on Monday.

Family life to a.com or call one 800 FL today to order is also a link on our website to Nancy's website.

If you want to find out more about the video series. Again, our website is family life to a.com order Nancy Guthrie's book sinks and scoundrels in the story of Jesus from us or you can order by calling 1-800-358-6329 that's one 800 F as in family L as in life and in the word today. Everything we do here at family life is anchored in what we've talked about today it's anchored in the truth of God's word, going deep into what the Scriptures teach us about how we were to live with one another. How are to love one another in our marriage and our family you stop and think about it.

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We appreciate you and we hope you have a great weekend.

Hope you and your family are in some way able to gather together with your local church for worship and we hope you can join us back on Monday when were to talk about how we get over ourselves, how we get past the focus and obsession on what's going on with us and start to be a little more other centered Jen Oshman's can be here to help us with that.

I hope you can be here as well. I want to thank our engineer today. Keith Lynch along with our entire broadcast production team on behalf of our hosts Dave and Ann Wilson hi Bob Lapine see you back next time for another edition of family life today.

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