Some critics of the Scriptures have said the genealogies of Jesus recorded in Mathew and Luke are evidence of a mistake in the Bible, due to some differences. In a recent Facebook post, I explained how the genealogies of Jesus recorded in the Bible point to the veracity of the Scriptures and demonstrate Jesus’ unique qualification to be the Messiah. Here, I would like to add a devotional thought to that post.
The inclusion of four women (other than Mary) in Matthew’s genealogy is very striking. To begin, Matthew is writing to a first century Jewish audience that viewed women as having no legal standing. Their presence in a genealogy from this time period is very uncommon and unorthodox. Additionally, the four women Matthew includes all have a history or background that, on the surface, do not appear to be morally or religiously appropriate to include in the family history of the Son of God. Who were these women?
The first is Tamar (Matt. 1:3). Tamar’s story is in Genesis 38 and includes acts of deception, prostitution, and incest. She tricked her father-in-law Judah into sleeping with her to give her children because her previous two husbands, Judah’s sons, had died. She had twins, the eldest of which was Perez, who is in the lineage of Jesus.
The next woman Matthew mentions is Rahab (1:5). Rahab is best known as the Gentile prostitute in the city of Jericho who protected the spies of Israel by telling a lie. What’s more, Rahab was a Canaanite— a mortal enemy of God’s people.
Next is Ruth (1:5). Ruth was married to Boaz, the son of Rahab. Ruth was not guilty of prostitution or immorality like the previous two women, but she was a Gentile. In particular, she was a Moabite. The Moabites were descended from an act of incest when Lot’s daughters got him drunk and slept with him following the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19). Each daughter had a son who were the respective beginning of the Moabites and Ammonites— two groups who were also the enemies of Israel. Deut. 23:3 states no Moabite could ever be in the assembly of the Lord. Ruth became the grandmother of David and thus in Jesus’ lineage.
The final woman Matthew mentions is Bathsheba (v.6). Matthew does not state her by name, but refers to Bathsheba in a way that signifies her adultery—“David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah.” Through a relationship that began in adultery, Solomon was born and in the lineage of Jesus.
One might expect the genealogy of Jesus to be filled with righteous, morally upstanding people. But that’s not entirely the case. These women have histories and backgrounds of prostitution, adultery, and pagan lineage. They were outcasts. In addition to them, consider the wicked kings in Jesus’ genealogy like Manasseh and Jeconiah. The inclusion of such sinful people, particularly women who had no legal standing, would have ruffled the self-righteous pharisaism of Matthew’s Jewish audience.
I believe that is Matthew’s point. By listing people like this in Jesus’ genealogy, he is highlighting the grace of God that makes people right with Him, not their own lineage or self-righteousness. Consider Rahab— she turned from the Canaanite gods, embraced the Lord, and is listed twice in the New Testament as an example of genuine faith (Heb. 11:31; James 2:25). Ruth, despite her background, and Bathsheba, despite her mistake, also followed the Lord in faith.
In Luke 7:34 Jesus was called “the friend of sinners.” Jesus said in Matt. 9:13, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Some may think their sin is so great, or their family history is so awful, it extends beyond the grace and love of God. Not true. Read Jesus’ genealogy and see what the grace of God did for sinful people and how he used them to be part of Jesus’ lineage. Some may think that Jesus could not possibly relate to the hurts, pain, and problems they face every day. Not true. Read Jesus’ genealogy and see how He was born in the midst of imperfect people who faced great difficulties.
It is not our Christian lineage or self-righteous efforts that earn our salvation. It is not our sin or background that automatically excludes us from salvation. It is the glorious grace of God alone, so richly placed on display in Jesus’ genealogy, that saves us, redeems us, and makes us whole!
This Christmas, as we ponder the birth of our Savior, let us rejoice in the truth of the Scriptures.
