TITLE: SCANDAL
SCRIPTURE: ST. MATTHEW 1:1-18
This past Thursday evening the hit ABC Drama television show – ‘SCANDAL’ – returned for its new season. The show has captured the attention of America and depicts what goes on behind the scenes with those that run our country. Although fictional, many find it very entertaining, to the point that social media – is almost shut down with Tweets during the show each week. I often think there are many that confuse the show with reality.
The main character in the TV Drama is Olivia Pope, played by the wonderful and talented actor Kerry Washington. In the show, the character dedicates her life to protecting the public images of the Nation’s elite and making sure their secrets never get out. Now, that part of the show is not hard to believe at all. We find Scandal in the White House and our Political leaders from the beginning of time. We have seen Scandal after Scandal in Washington, from:
• I did not have Sexual Relations with that Woman
• Hanging Chads in Florida
• There are Weapons of Mass Destruction in Iraq
• Herman Cane’s run for President and women who came out against him
• General David Petraeus, CIA Director, Affair with a married woman
• Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas and Anita Hill
• South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford disappears, eventually found out of country with his lover
It does not disturb me that much whenever we have a new Scandal in our Political Arena. After all, we are voting for Politicians not the Pope. It no longer surprises me whenever a new Scandal arises with our Politicians. I don’t look towards Washington, D.C. to receive any Spiritual guidance. I look toward the Church and my Pastor for that. My problem is when we have the same Scandals in the Church as we do in the World. I won’t even begin to list some of the most recent Scandals in the Church, for I don’t want anyone to think that I am throwing Rocks at anyone. God knows how to deal with His Children and those He has placed in positions of Leadership. All I can tell you is “TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH IS REQUIRED.”
Truth be told this morning, Scandals are nothing new as it pertains to God’s people. That is a sad reality, but when viewed at the other end of the spectrum, it is also a blessing in disguise. When it comes to the TV Show - Scandal – I have read where a lot of Christians criticize the show, they have that right. However; we as Christians begin to cross the line when we set out to criticize others that enjoy watching. Here is a Newsflash – It is not a Sin to watch scandal on TV. Are there better things we could watch or be doing with our time, I am sure there are. There are even Christians on Social media that try to act like they are not fans, but know more about the show than they should, if they really were not watching. But the reality is:
• The Bible is the most Scandalous Book ever Written
• We can hardly read an entire book anywhere in the Bible without reading about a Scandal
• In the pages of the Bible, we find some Bad Girls and some Terrible Boys
• Solomon had 300 wives and 700 concubines
• Jesus had a one on one conversation with a Promiscuous woman at the Well, that was against the law, that’s why disciples were shocked when they returned with some food
• Out of all the places they could have stayed - the 2 spies stayed overnight at Rahab the harlots house
• Abraham told the king that his wife was his sister and the King almost slept with her
• Moses killed a man in Egypt and then hid his body in the sand
• One of King David’s sons raped his own little sister
• Cain got mad and killed his brother
• A young teenage girl that was engaged told the town she was pregnant and yet has never known a man, you want to talk about a Scandal!
• Then told them she was pregnant by the Holy Ghost – I am sure many parents raising teenagers have had heard that one before!
Yes my brothers and sisters we find a scandal from the start. Let’s not even talk about our own families – scandal and drama. Scandals began even before the birth of our Savior. It is Matthew’s gospel that opens with an account of Jesus’lineage going all the way back to Abraham – 46 Generations. Generation by generation he lists them:
• 42 Men
• 4 Women
• It was unusual in that patriarchal society to include women
• Especially these women
Let’s take a look at these scandalous women, these Four Women that are blatantly dropped into the middle of this Historic Lineage of Jesus. You would think that someone would have done a better job of ensuring their names were not included or listed. There would have been some type of push back or resistance to having them included on this eternal list. If we are going to list women in the lineage at least let them be the caliber of:
• Margaret Thatcher
• Hillary Clinton
• Condoleezza Rice
• Oprah Winfrey
• Michelle Obama
• Shirley Chisholm
We all have those people in our families, those family members that don’t always make the list of invites for the Annual Family Reunion. When we begin to talk about our families and our history, somehow we seem to leave their name off of the list. Why were these women in the Lineage of Jesus not deleted, why didn’t someone catch it and erase or use White-Out? Why allow generations to come to view the Scandal that exists within our families?
The first we see in this lineage of Christ is a young lady by the name of TAMAR, The narrative of Tamar, in Genesis 38, is interesting and you might consider it rather strange – not at all the type of narrative you expect to find in the Bible. In fact, it could be from the script of a current soap opera. She was a widow and fell victim to incest by her abusive father-in-law and then was labeled a prostitute to cover up his dastardly deed. She was actually the Victim and then as we still see in our society today, the victim becomes the bad guy. That’s adding insult to injury. Because she had more integrity than her father-in-law and refused to name him as her rapist when she was found to be pregnant, the community quickly turned against her and labeled her as a Promiscuous woman and sentenced her to death. God steps in, right on time and saved her life.
But we see in the Word that the final say so about TAMAR finds her vindicated. We find her story memorialized and recorded in the family tree of Jesus. The sad reality is - Bad things happen to good people, but good can come from evil, even when we cannot see God's plan or understand it.
• I think that Tamar must have been a very strong woman
• Many women in her situation would have given up, taken off the widow’s clothes and gone on with their life
• Tamar chose to adhere to her faith and take matters into her own hands to follow the law
• I don’t know if she was aware of God’s control but I know that His will prevails
• Without Tamar’s daring actions, the line of Judah may have ceased to exist
• Because of her belief in the law, she became a part of the lineage of Christ
Then there was RAHAB, a foreigner and woman of ill-repute who protected Joshua’s two spies and helped them escape. Wait…wait…wait….can we back up just a minute here. Out of all the places that Joshua’s spies could have lodged in this large city. They just happen to stumble across the home of Rahab the Harlot? Come on, does that really sound like a coincidence to you? She lived, geographically and morally, on the edge of society. Her house was located on the wall of the city and was strategically placed to lodge travelers. This was a prime location for her trade.
I don’t know how or when it happened, but somehow Rahab had heard of the God of Israel and acted in faith. By hiding the spies she faced the risk of being killed if caught by the authorities. However, Rahab knew it would take a step of faith to get her out of her present predicament. She did not intend to perish with the rest of Jericho. She knew that if she did nothing - this would lead to her destruction.
• No one can serve two masters
• You will either love the one and hate the other or hate the one and love the other
• She made a conscious decision to act in faith on what she heard about God
• Rahab was an ancestor of Jesus
• Her faith brought her into an immense inheritance
• From a prostitute to the linage of Jesus Christ
Can I footnote for just a few minutes? This is what Faith can do. No matter your station in life, irrespective of where you are or who you are; a simple step of faith in Jesus Christ can turn your destiny around. BY FAITH RAHAB THE HARLOT DID NOT PERISH WITH THOSE WHO WERE DISOBEDIENT, BECAUSE SHE HAD RECEIVED THE SPIES IN PEACE – HEBREWS 11:31. Rahab’s story can be found in:
• Joshua 2
• Joshua 6
• Hebrews 11:31
• St. Matthew 1:5
• James 2:25
• From Scandal to Scripture
Certainly the faith this one women revealed, demonstrates the potential we all have. Yet she also reminds us to not judge.
• How many of us would expect a great act of faith from a Hooker?
• How many of us would not only have walked by her house, but crossed to the other-side of the street so as not to be contaminated
• Yet, God blessed this women by putting her in the lineage of Christ
• God's blessings come in surprising packages
• From Scandal to Praise
Then there was RUTH who was also a foreigner and a Widow, who by necessity enticed BOAZ in his bed so he would marry her. Ruth was poor and a foreigner, but she listened to the advice of an older, wiser woman. In turn, Naomi was rewarded by Ruth's unfaltering loyalty. The message? - courage and ingenuity triumph over misfortune. Soon after, Ruth met Boaz, a rich land-owner and relative of Naomi, the Scandal began to unfold.
• It seems to have been love at first sight for him
• He ordered that Ruth be well treated when she worked in his fields
• The older woman Naomi saw immediately what had happened, and encouraged Ruth to continue working in Boaz's fields
Shrewdly, Naomi advised the young woman how to catch her man. Ruth approached Boaz during the night, at the threshing floor, and the text very lightly suggests that there may have been some hanky-panky going on. The next morning, Ruth suggested that they marry, reminding Boaz of his obligation to her as her nearest male kin. Boaz promised to do all he could. You know the story the next morning Boaz goes to sit at the gate and the Elders were already there and I am sure some of the beautiful available women as well.
• You know in a small town everyone knows what is going on
• The Elders knew and were waiting on Boaz
• The young available women were there
• They were born and raised there
• Boaz was wealthy
• They were not going to let this foreigner come in and catch this rich prize possession
• I am talking about a Scandal
Ruth and Boaz were married, and she had a son, OBED. Eventually, Ruth would be the great-grandmother of KING DAVID. The marriage of Ruth and Boaz created a family with a good chance of success, they all understood how this marriage could help everyone involved and be blessed by God:
• Naomi was shrewd, courageous and persevering
• Ruth was intelligent, strong, loyal and level-headed
• Boaz was a good manager of people, good income and provider, and not afraid to get his hands dirty
Finally in this lineage we find BETHSHEBA. She was the object of King David’s adulterous passion and murderous cover-up. You want to talk about a Scandal! Bathsheba was a beautiful, clever and unscrupulous woman. She was seen by King David as she bathed, desired by him, and subsequently became pregnant to him even though married to the soldier Uriah. Uriah was murdered by David, and she then married the King. Her baby died. She had a second son, who was called Solomon.
Come on, if that is not a Scandal, I don’t know what is. Oh, if the Scandal had only stopped there. During the advanced years of David as he grew too old to lead, there was a Palace coup which Bathsheba and her adviser Nathan maneuvered to secure the throne for Solomon, even though there was an older, more popular brother who was expected to succeed King David.
• Solomon took the throne
• Honored his mother, and was advised by her
• She took part in court intrigues
• She occupied the most prestigious position a woman could hold, Queen Mother
• She and Solomon organized the death of Solomon's older half-brother who had been the popular choice to succeed King David
These women seem very unlikely as exemplary foremothers, but they were nevertheless part of Jesus’ family of Origin. They were beyond Scandal, their family where Jesus is found, was Scandalous! This is why I have no problem with the ABC Hit TV Series – Scandal. In essence, it is kind of lightweight when compared to the pages of the Holy Bible. We did not even talk about all the Scandals in the Bible, we only examined briefly the family of Jesus, his pedigree, where he came from.
What we watch on Thursday evenings is Fiction – what we find in the Word of God is Factual. We must be careful not to get a Holier Than Thou attitude with one another. We don’t want the Lord to lift the covers and expose the Scandals in our Family Tree. There are skeletons in every closet - embarrassing family members with a checkered past who have missed the mark in God’s eyes. But while some may have fallen short of God’s will for their lives, no one is beyond redemption.
• I am so glad this morning that God has not exposed everything about our families
• I am so glad this morning that God has used the Scandals to better our lives
• I am so glad this morning that God did not allow our Scandal to be the end of our story
• I am so glad this morning that God used the Scandals to turn our lives around
As I close this morning, let me tell you about the biggest scanal the world has ever known.
• An unmarried woman
• An unplanned pregnancy
• An implausible explanation
It’s not hard to imagine what others were saying and thinking. “Did you hear? Mary’s pregnant. I never expected this. Mary and Joseph should know better. They aren’t even married yet.” “Well, I heard that Joseph’s not even the father. How could she do that to him? He’s such a good and just man.” “Who is the father?” “They say Joseph still intends to take her as his wife. He’s going to marry her after all this.”
• This whole thing is a disgrace
• She and her love child should be stoned
• I am not trying to be judgmental, but the law requires it
• She says she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit
• Haven’t all of us parents heard that one before!
A couple is pledged to be married and she’s pregnant! There are only two possibilities—it’s his or it’s not his! Either way there’s a scandal in that society. If it’s his, they’ve transgressed God’s law and had sex before marriage. If it’s not his, she’s transgressed God’s law and had sex with someone else who wasn’t her fiancé. Which headline do you choose?:
• Local girl is unwed mother-to-be!
• Local mother-to-be is an unwed adulteress?
• It’s a no-win situation
I am sure Joseph heard the whispers and saw the looks, if not in the village then certainly in his own imagination. Joseph knows this a scandal. He knows there are questions of faithfulness. The love child in Mary’s womb proves that. Forget the pregnancy news for a moment, the fact that you would conjure up a story blaming God for your actions may be a scandal in and of itself. It was scandalous for both of them. It was disgraceful and damaging to their reputations and the reputations of their families.
--For Mary, saying yes to God involved sacrifice
--She endured the doubts of her fiancé and the scorn of neighbors who saw her pregnant before marriage
--She gave birth to her child in a stable
--She fled to Egypt to protect Jesus from Herod’s death decree for baby boys
--She raised a child she did not understand
--She watched him die on the cross
--She was there the Third Day Morning when He Got Up
--God is not concerned with respectable appearances
--God is not concerned with spotless genealogies
--He doesn't have any grandchildren
--God does not require perfection before he will bless us or use us
--All that is required is that whoever we are
--A scandal before the whole world
--Or the product of a long Christian genealogy
--God wants us to consciously commit ourselves to Jesus Christ and grow from there
--That is faith
--And through that faith, we can welcome the coming of Christ into our lives
