The Unholy Family of Christmas (Part 4)

Though parents are not likely to name their newborn girl Tamar, Rahab, or Bathsheba, an appealing romance clings to the name Ruth. Given the extensive use of her name, is Ruth then the story of a woman living according to the norms of middle American values? Is she an exception to Matthew’s interest in choosing women for Jesus’ family tree who break the rules of what is proper? Hardly. Her story fills the four chapters of the little Old Testament book that bears her name. There we can read the tale of a foreign woman who challenges norms and uses erotic powers to assure financial stability for her and her mother-in-law.

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The Unholy Family of Christmas (Part 2)

Have you ever heard the Christmas story told in a way that included a woman named Tamar? Perhaps no one has. But that’ s how Matthew tells the story of the birth of Jesus. We have to ask, “Why?” Well, by 80 or 90 CE, when Matthew was writing his gospel, it was six decades after Jesus’ life. Matthew was part of the Jesus movement, his life having been transformed by the divine consciousness Jesus embodied. Furthermore, he saw how the Christ consciousness of Jesus was transforming the world views of all who sought to embrace it. Instead of being shaped by empire-think and control, the more people got into Christ consciousness the more their world views became shaped by caring, cooperation, and interdependence.

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