The Christmas Family Tree: The Part We Usually Skip

Most people love Luke 2 at Christmas—the angels, the shepherds, the manger scene. But few of us slow down for Matthew 1, the chapter that looks like the “skip intro” button of the New Testament. Genealogies feel like the part you breeze through on your Bible-in-a-year plan. Yet Matthew opens the story of Jesus with a family tree on purpose—not to bore us, but to prepare us for what Christmas is really about.

Matthew organizes Jesus’ genealogy into three sets of fourteen generations (Matthew 1:1–17). It’s not intended to be exhaustive; it’s designed to make a theological point. Jesus is the promised Son of David, the fulfillment of God’s long-awaited plan. But Matthew also includes something shocking for ancient readers: five women—and three of them appear in the very first section of the genealogy.

In the first century, writers didn’t include women in genealogies, and certainly not women with complicated, painful, or morally messy backstories. But Matthew breaks the rules to highlight a truth at the heart of Christmas: God invites outsiders, sinners, strugglers, and the unexpected into His family. These women tell us what kind of Savior Jesus really is—and what kind of grace He brings.

TAMAR — The God Who Sees the Hidden Story

Matthew 1:3 (NLT): “Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).”

Tamar’s story in Genesis 38 is one of the most uncomfortable chapters in the Bible. She marries into Judah’s family, but tragedy and injustice quickly follow. Her first husband dies. The second refuses to fulfill his duty to give her a child. Judah promises his youngest son to her “later,” but he never intends to keep his word.

Tamar is left childless, powerless, and trapped in a culture where bearing children was the only path to honor, security, and a future. Judah fails her completely, and out of desperation she takes matters into her own hands—posing as a prostitute to confront Judah’s neglect. When Judah discovers what happened, he responds with a shocking confession:

Genesis 38:26 (NLT): “She is more righteous than I am.”

This isn’t a story celebrating deception—it’s a story exposing Judah’s injustice. Tamar is the wronged one, and yet God sees her, steps into her story, and brings redemption through the birth of Perez—a direct ancestor of Jesus.

The lesson of Tamar:
God steps into the stories we try to hide.
He doesn’t turn away from the messy parts of our past—He redeems them. Tamar reminds us that God moves toward the abandoned and overlooked with purpose and compassion.

RAHAB — The Faith That Comes Before the Cleanup

Matthew 1:5 (NLT): “Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).”

Rahab enters Scripture suddenly in Joshua 2, described openly as a prostitute living in Jericho. She checks all the “wrong” boxes: a Canaanite, an outcast, a woman shaped by a godless culture. Yet when the Israelite spies arrive, something unexpected happens. She hides them, protects them, and then speaks one of the strongest confessions of faith in the entire Old Testament:

Joshua 2:9,11 (NLT):
“I know the LORD has given you this land… For the LORD your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.”

Rahab chooses faith before she has a chance to “fix” her life. She trusts God long before she understands His law or His covenant. And God responds by rescuing her—and grafting her into the very family line of the Messiah.

The lesson of Rahab:
Faith comes before we clean up our lives.
God meets us where we are, not where we think we must be. Rahab’s story declares that grace reaches into unlikely places and transforms unlikely people.

RUTH — The Call to Leave Moab Behind

Matthew 1:5 (NLT): “Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).”

Ruth’s story begins with heartbreak. She loses her husband in Moab and follows her mother-in-law Naomi back to Israel, choosing loyalty to Naomi and devotion to God:

Ruth 1:16 (NLT):
“Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God.”

Ruth is a widow, poor, and a foreigner from Moab—a nation born through incest (Genesis 19) and excluded from Israel’s assembly for ten generations (Deuteronomy 23:3). Every cultural barrier is stacked against her.

Yet Ruth steps forward in humble, persistent faith. God brings Boaz into her life, provides for her future, and places her in the royal line—she becomes the great-grandmother of King David.

The lesson of Ruth:
To follow God, you have to leave Moab.
We all have a “Moab”—a place of old identity or broken patterns that God calls us to walk away from. Ruth shows that God honors courageous steps of faith, even when the journey feels costly.

Why These Women Matter for Christmas

In Jesus’ day, your genealogy was your resume. You highlighted kings, heroes, and honorable ancestors. But Matthew includes:

• A woman wronged and abandoned

• A prostitute from a pagan city

• A foreign widow from a forbidden nation

Why?
Because the Christmas story is not about polished people—it’s about a faithful God inviting outsiders into His family.

This is the gospel: no matter your past, your failures, or your background, there is a place for you in the family tree of God. Jesus didn’t come for the impressive—He came for the willing. He came for Tamar, Rahab, Ruth… and He came for you.

STUDENT EDITION — The Christmas Family Tree

Intro

When Christmas comes around, we usually think of shepherds, angels, and the manger scene. But the Bible starts the Christmas story with something we mostly skip: a long list of names. It looks like the “skip intro” button on Netflix. But those names matter—and a few of them tell us something HUGE about God’s heart.

Matthew includes the names of three women—Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. Their stories aren’t neat, easy, or “church-perfect.” They’re messy, complicated, and surprising. And that’s exactly why they’re in Jesus’ family tree. Today we’re going to learn what their stories show us about God—and what that means for us.

Icebreaker: “Guess the Family Tree”

Setup:
Create three envelopes. Inside each one, place clues about a famous person’s background (athlete, musician, or influencer). One envelope should contain clues that sound messy or unexpected.

How to Play:

1. Students pick an envelope and read the clues aloud.

2. Everyone guesses who the person might be.

3. Reveal the answer and talk about how the clues fit (or didn’t fit).

Connect it:
“Sometimes a person’s story isn’t what you expect—just like Jesus’ family tree. Today we’ll look at three surprising people in His family line and what their stories teach us about God.”

1. Tamar — God Sees What We Try to Hide

Read: Genesis 38:26
Tamar was treated unfairly and left without hope. Her situation was messy and painful, but God didn’t ignore her. He saw her, stepped into her story, and used her life in a big way.

Discuss:

• Why do you think Tamar felt powerless?

• Have you ever felt overlooked or treated unfairly?

• What does it mean that God sees the parts of our story we try to hide?

Takeaway:
God doesn’t turn away from your messy story—He steps into it.

2. Rahab — Faith Starts Before Life Gets Cleaned Up

Read: Joshua 2:9,11
Rahab lived in a rough place and didn’t have her life figured out. But she believed God was real and powerful. Her faith came before she understood everything else—and that was enough for God to begin His work in her life.

Discuss:

• What stands out to you about Rahab’s courage?

• Do you ever feel like you need to “fix your life” before coming to God?

• Why does God respond to faith—even when we’re still growing?

Takeaway:
You don’t have to be perfect to follow God. Start with faith.

3. Ruth — Following God Means Leaving Your Old Life Behind

Read: Ruth 1:16
Ruth had every reason to give up, but she chose loyalty, courage, and trust in God. She left Moab—her old life—and followed God into something new.

Discuss:

• What was hard about Ruth’s situation?

• What does “leaving Moab” look like for someone today?

• What step might God be asking you to take toward Him?

Takeaway:
Following God means trusting Him enough to leave your old ways behind.

Outro

Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth show us that Jesus’ family is full of unexpected people with imperfect stories. And that’s good news—because it means there’s room for us too. God invites everyone in, no matter their past, their struggles, or where they come from.

Closing Thought:
The Christmas story isn’t about perfect people—it’s about a perfect God who welcomes imperfect people into His family.

Challenge:
This week, pray: “God, help me trust You with my story—especially the parts I want to hide or fix on my own.”
Then take one step of faith—big or small—toward Him.