Early on in teaching our Faith Formation class this year, my husband and I realized how little our kids knew of our history as God’s people. Doing our best to work with the Holy Spirit in picking out the most imperative stories, we do a candle-lit reading from the Bible after we get through some of their textbook each week. It just so happened that last week we read about Joseph being sold into Egypt by his brothers, making our family tree include Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and now Jacob’s twelve sons.
So, I read today’s readings ‘ironically’ before the next class when I would draw the next line of generations on the board. Wait a minute… Jesus is descended from Judah? Isn’t he the one who had relations with a prostitute who ended up being his daughter-in-law? Sure, he was the one who ‘stuck up’ for Joseph against his other brothers, but he still settled for selling him as a slave. Nah, let us not kill him, let us just give him to the Egyptians and make some money off of him. Okay, Judah.
Joseph
If any of the kids had asked me which of the twelve our story was going to continue with, I would have assumed Joseph. He is definitely the most well-known character throughout the last chapters of Genesis. Joseph is the one that gets the Israelites into Egypt, and, at least from my perspective, he seems the most morally upright of the brothers. He refuses to be seduced by Pharaoh’s wife and is put in prison for it, he saves many people from famine with his dreams, and he completely forgives all his brothers when they try to ruin his life. Not only that, but Joseph is obviously Jacob’s favorite. Remember the special coat that got him into a mess with his brothers in the first place? And, if you read a little further on in this reading from Genesis, it seems like Jacob gives Joseph THE patriarchal blessing (Genesis 49: 24-26). Check it out. It is intense.
Soooooo… Why Judah? This was my prayer as I kept reading and rereading this chapter of Genesis and this genealogy of Matthew’s. Lord, why was Judah and not Joseph Your ancestor? Joseph is clearly the better option.
It is Who Judah Was Chosen
Well, I did not have any kind of epiphany. No vision or ecstasy revealed it to me. I even tried Googling it (like Google could know the mind of God. Silly Maggie.). AI told me, ‘Jesus was descended from Judah and not Joseph because God chose Judah’s line to be the lineage of the Messiah.’ Ooooooh. So that is it! Thanks, AI (sarcasm dripping).
Well, actually, maybe AIs onto something. Judah was in God’s mind from the beginning of time. He knew exactly who he was going to be and Who He was going to bring from his lineage. He also knew all the great, wonderful things he would do, all the sins he would commit, and even which of his actions would be reported in the Bible and which would not. Regardless of it all God ‘chose’ Judah. Really though, He did not ‘choose’ him in the sense that He evaluated his works and deemed him worthy for the honor of having the Son of God come from his seed. This was a part of who Judah always was. Asking, ‘Why Judah and not Joseph?’ is essentially asking the same thing as “Why Judas and not Nicodemus?’ or ‘Why was John the only apostle who wasn’t martyred and not Peter?’ The answer feels somewhat circular, but it is because that is who God created them to be.
God’s Plans Cannot be Thwarted
This is not just about Judah and Joseph. When I asked this question, I realized I was asking something deeper about God’s plan, His favor, and where I fit in it all. By this answer, He means we, I, cannot thwart God’s plan. No matter how badly I feel like I have messed up everything, the opportunity to be who I was made to be remains. In fact, if I lean into His Compassionate Heart with confidence, His Mercy will have no choice but to bring about something even better because I have sinned. Just look at Perez, Judah’s son, who was born of a prostitute relation. He too would be an ancestor of the Messiah!
Further, we, I, cannot merit God’s favor. No matter how perfect Joseph was, he was not going to be the predecessor. Not even Jacob’s blessing, other people’s favor, could alter God’s plan. My job is to figure out who God made me to be and to rejoice in that. Because even if Joseph was not the descendant, he still worked wonders for the people of Israel. Even if God has not given me X role, He has given me Y, and you better believe it is going to be sweet.
So, why, Lord, was it Judah and not Joseph? Because that is a part of who Judah is and it is not a part of who Joseph is. Does not matter Judah’s sin or Joseph’s merits. Doesn’t matter man’s favor. For, “The scepter shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his legs, while tribute is brought to him, and he receives the people’s homage.” (Genesis 49:10).
I thought about this while watching a Joseph movie recently. I have another possible explanation. I may be wrong. Most of the answers I have seen on the internet regarding this question always reference the grace and favor of God, which is absolutely correct. God does not bless us based on how we have lived but on His grace. While there is always the grace angle (e.g., Judah’s eventual heir came from harlotry, by him sleeping with his daughter-in-law, unknown to him at the time), we should not forget God still requires holiness and being set apart for some type of blessings, e.g., Christ was born of Mary and not from just any kind of woman.
Anyway, my take on this is because of who Joseph chose to marry. He married the daughter of the priest of the Egyptian god (he probably didn’t have a choice because she was likely offered to him by Pharaoh), and that was his first and only wife. According to Rm 11:16, that could have been the problem. Based on God’s hatred for idolatry, I would say the tribe of Joseph didn’t have the best foundation. Similar to Moses. As great as he was, God chose Aaron instead of Moses to be priest because he kept on marrying foreign women whom God told them not to marry. While God defended him when He was accused, God still dislikes it.
Thank you. Too often I look for the worldly complex answers when the real answer is because our God chooses to do it His way and His ways are higher than our ways. Another reminder for me to look up first. Also, thank you for the reminder that God is in charge and will see that we fulfill the service He set forth for us, that perfection is not required. May He uphold all His Saints with a willing heart. Thanks again.
I kind of had the same thought cross my mind the other day while studying for my Christmas sermon as to why God would have chosen the lineage of Judah to birth Jesus rather than Joseph, when is was apparent that God used Joseph to reconcile the children of Israel (Jacob), and preserve them through the famine by the provision that God had given him. But then, it occurred to me, that God had used Joseph as the Kindred Redeemer of the Lineage that would bring the deliverer of His people. I thought that was a very interesting way of looking at it as well.
Ah yes, that even the role as kindred of the lineage that would bring the Redeemer is an important/unique one. Just like being the mother of a canonized saint, though not the main role, has a great part to play. I’m thinking that’s what you mean? That’s a great point!
Exactly. God chose Judah for his specific role to be the predecessor of the kings and Joseph to be the protector of the whole tribe of Israel to form a great nation. Both the roles were predetermined by an all powerful omniscient God whose plans can never be thwarted. For example Judah tried protecting his son from marrying Tamar… He didn’t know God plan regarding the seed.. The brothers tried to kill Joseph without knowing he’d be their protector and provider in the future… But God being sovereign and in control of every situation kept rolling his plan. Thanks for sharing.
I loved it