When you think of “sinners” who might be excluded from God’s kingdom, does anyone come to mind? If so, you may be entering dangerous territory. The Pharisees were certain of their own seat at God’s table, convinced that the tax collectors and prostitutes had no such place. But Jesus came precisely for the people the religious crowd wrote off. He welcomes the broken, the fallen, the forgotten with open arms the moment they repent and turn to Him. God’s grace reaches farther than our judgments, and we may be surprised by those who are on heaven’s guest list!

The Shocking Genealogy of Jesus
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 46:48 — 27.3MB) | Embed
Some people use their family name to boast about wealth, power or prominence. But the genealogy of Jesus shatters expectations. God’s raw, unfiltered family album includes prostitutes, pagans, adulterers, and murderers—people who wouldn’t be welcome in most churches! But God didn’t airbrush their stories; He wove them into His redemptive plan, proving that Jesus didn’t come for the perfect, but for the broken. In these names, we see ourselves—flawed, faltering, yet invited into a family where we are forgiven and made whole through faith in Him. That means your failures, your shame, your past don’t disqualify you. They make you the kind of person He came for. The genealogy of Jesus reminds us that grace doesn’t find good people to reward; it finds broken people to restore. And if He could use those people, He can surely use you!

