People of Color in the Bible: New Testament and Beyond The Old Testament prophecies said that the Messiah would be born through the “line of David” (Isaiah 9:6–7; 11:1; Jeremiah 23:5–6; Matthew 1:1). Of the five women mentioned in the lineage of Christ, at least two are of Hamitic descent: Tamar and Rahab. So even though Jesus’ lineage was primarily Jewish (and non-white to begin with), He had a Hamitic mixture in His ancestry as well. As a result, spiritually, racially, and culturally, blacks and other people of color can identify with Christ. Through His natural birth as “Jesus the Messiah the son of David,” they can clearly identify with Christ because of His mixed racial background. However, as the Son of God, all people can identify with Him through the New Birth. The New Birth transcends every race, culture, tribe, nation, and tongue!
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