Today we’ll look at the Genealogy of Jesus as it’s listed in Matthew 1:1-16. In particular, we are going to focus on the four women (minus Mary) who were part of the lineage of Christ. For one thing, it was unheard of in those times to include women in this listing…but especially because of their scandalous backgrounds. However, it also goes to show God’s Sovereign Will, grace & mercy regardless of our past. First listed is Tamar, a Canaanite woman and daughter-in-law of Judah who deceptively disguising herself as a prostitute to secure her rights and become the mother of Judah’s twin sons, Zeran and Perez. Next is Rahab, a harlot of Jericho who saved the lives of Joshua’s spies by hiding them, giving them military information, and helping them to escape the city. Then we see Ruth listed, a woman from the heathen land of Moab who faithfully followed her mother-in-law, Naomi, to Bethlehem where she caught the eye of Boaz who became her kinsman-redeemer. Finally, we see Bathsheba who was embroiled in an adulterous affair with king David, culminating with the planned murder of her husband on the battlefield. All four women would have been relegated to an unimportant position in society…but yet God chose to use them in the big picture of Jesus coming to earth as a baby.
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