In this passage, Judah is honored by his father Jacob and by God as the one who will carry on the family legacy -- he will be the ancestor of the future Messiah! On paper, Judah was a very unlikely choice, so what did God see in Judah that made him a fitting ancestor of Jesus? God looks at the heart and Judah's heart shows us a glimpse of who Jesus would be, and who God calls all of us to be!