Read Matt 1:2-17.
“Whose mother was Rahab”
Matt 1:5.
Hebrew genealogies characteristically mentioned only male ancestors. Matthew departed from this pattern, and included four women, three of whom were Gentiles, and the fourth of whom he noted had been married to a Gentile (Bathsheba, who “had been Uriah’s [a Hittite’s] wife”). Furthermore, with the exception of Ruth, the women were hardly models of morality! Tamar, Rahab, and Bathsheba had all engaged in adultery, even though by the first century they were highly regarded by the Jewish people.
What point was Matthew making? We can perhaps suggest several. Perhaps Matthew was telling us that in the new era Christ introduced, women would have an increasingly important role alongside men. Very possibly Matthew was reminding us that Jesus has come to be the Saviour of the world, not just of the Jewish people. God introduced gentile blood into the Saviour’s line as a grand reminder that He values every human life, and sent His Son to redeem us all. And, perhaps, these particular women are there to remind us that human flaws do not cut us off from being recipients of God’s grace. In fact, it is our flaws that led God to send His Son.
The most unexpected people made it into the lineage of the King; they all became related to Him. Isn't that assuring? You and I may be nobodies, sinful, broken, unworthy but He came for us and for a world of people just like us. Come, let us adore Him!
