The Five Women of Matthew 1

I began reading Matthew yesterday, and the first chapter opens with the geneology of Christ. (Joseph's side of the geneology, anyway. Mary's line can be found in Luke 3.) Sometimes I think we forget to really read geneologies because they can be a bit tedious to get through, but Matthew's account includes five people--five women, to be exact--who aren't always remembered.

Tamar is the first mentioned in Matthew 1:3. Her story is told in Genesis 38, where she attempted to take her future and inheritance into her own hands by living immorally. But regardless of a Canaanite woman's sin and deception, she and her twin sons are listed in the line of Christ.

Rahab is listed next by Matthew. Many of us are familar with her story: a prostitute who cares for two of Israel's spies, and is later brought into the nation of Israel for her faithfulness to guard God's people. It is likely that she also learned to love and serve the one true God. She, too, is listed in the Davidic and Messianic line.

Ruth's story takes a whole book of our Bible, and in it we find the account of a Moabitess woman who forsakes her past life--one that included serving false gods. Leaving behind all she's ever known, she embraces the land, people, customs, culture, and God of the Israelites. And for her faithfulness and loyalty to her people and God, she is blessed to marry into the line of Christ, as well.

Bathsheba is not listed as clearly, for she is only called "the wife of Uriah". Likely we are familiar with her story, as well. While the Bible doesn't tell us how much of a willing participant she was, she exposed herself to and participated in immoral behavior and actions with King David. And because of their sin, Bathsheba's rightful husband was murdered and her first son through David died. But through her second son, Solomon, the Messianic line was continued.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is the last woman to be listed in the geneology. Another familiar character and story, she was the virgin chosen of God to usher in His one and only Son. She bore the shame and disgrace that was placed on her for appearing to have a child out of wedlock. Yet, as a Jewish girl, a redeemed sinner, she bore the One who would become the Savior of the world.

This list is comprised of many opposites: immorality and purity, Gentiles and Jews, prostitutes and virgins, idolatry and singlehearted service to God, reputable and unreputable, false gods and the one true God, rich and poor. But each one (including all the others listed in this geneology) was evidence of the divine grace of God, the working of God's mercy--even before He had sent the One who would be the fulfillment of that grace and mercy.

And when He came--the Messiah, the greater David, the last Adam, the Son of God yet Son of Man--He did not despise His lowly beginnings, even though He was despised of His own town. No, He came to be the Savior of them all. The Savior of those past, present, and future. "Of the four mentioned two—Rahab and Ruth—are foreigners, and three—Thamar, Rahab and Bathsheba—were stained with sin. The purpose of the Evangelist in recording their names may be to shew that He who came to save “that which was lost,” the Friend of sinners, does not scorn such descent" (Cambridge Bible Commentary).

He was born of sinners, was the Friend of sinners, and died among sinners. He saved the immoral and redeemed the pure. He was sent to His lost sheep of Israel, yet witnessed to the Gentiles. He ate meals with the unreputable, and stood before those of noble birth. He called the rich to follow Him, yet blessed the poor for giving Him all they had. He was born of a virgin, but brought redemption to the immoral.

None of the five women mentioned in Matthew's geneology were perfect, far from it, but God chose to take them, broken and sinful as they were, and use them to bring about the Righteousness they all needed. The first four listed for us all lived with the unfulfilled promise of a Messiah, the God-Man who would fulfill the sacrificial system with with one sacrifice. It took hundreds of years of waiting--never seeing that promise fulfilled, never seeing the hope of Israel, never seeing complete justice and redemption offered to a sick land, never knowing the perfect satisfaction of a Holy God--until one day, Immanuel, "God with us", was born to the fifth woman listed.

The Savior who emptied Himself for us by shedding His blood on the cross is now that same Savior who is seated in exaltation and glory at the right hand of His Father. One day, perhaps alongside all of these women and the rest of the saints who have passed on before us, we too will bow before the name of Jesus, confessing that He is Lord, praising Him for reconciling all things to Himself, and living in the peace brought about by the blood of His cross.