This article on Matthew 1:1-17 is about the women mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ.

Source: Clarion, 2004. 3 pages.

Women in the Line of Jesus

For many of us, the Gospel of Matthew begins with the words, “This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.”

This immediately takes us to the familiar account of the way Joseph discovered Mary was pregnant, his plan to divorce her, the appearance of an angel to put his mind at ease, and the birth of our Lord. That we tend to treat Matthew’s account of the life of our Lord as starting at this point will be evident not only every Christmas season when a Scripture reading is taken from this Gospel, but also when the meal time reading has brought a family to this point in Scripture again.

Yet, while it is understandable that we treat the Gospel of Matthew as beginning with the birth account of our Lord from Mary, it is not the beginning. The Gospel begins with the words, “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Before the actual account of our Lord’s birth, Matthew gives a list of names divided into three groups of fourteen.

This is most significant. For one thing, it places the birth of our Saviour in the context of God’s covenant promises to Abraham. The birth of Jesus was not a new, unexpected development, but something long in the works. Furthermore, not only does this genealogy show our God faithful to his covenant, it also reinforces that this covenant rests in the sovereign grace of God. God’s sovereign grace stands in contrast to any works of man. We see that especially when we come across the names of four women who stand in the line of our Lord Jesus near the end of the first group of fourteen and at the beginning of the second group.

There, in the midst of all the names of men in the line of Jesus we come across Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Uriah’s wife, all “mothers” of the Lord Jesus. It is possible to find the names of other women in our Lord’s line. For example, we learn that the mother of Rehoboam was Naamah, an Ammonite (1 Kings 14:21). Under the guidance of the Spirit, Matthew, however, mentions only these four.

From the Scriptures we know that each of these women has a story around her. We might even say they are women with a certain reputation. A review of each of these women in the line of our Lord Jesus will impress upon us that his birth came about as the fruit of God’s sovereign grace working through history.

Tamar🔗

The first woman we come across is Tamar. Her story is found in Genesis 38. It is a masterful account as in one chapter the author describes events that must have occurred over a period of twenty to twenty-five years. We read of Judah’s exploits after Joseph had been sold into Egypt. In effect, Judah left the family and teamed up with a Canaanite businessman and he married a Canaanite woman. Tamar enters the picture as she becomes the wife of Judah’s oldest son, Er, and then is given to Judah’s second son Onan when Er dies because the LORD was displeased with him. Onan also brought the wrath of God upon himself because of his unfaithful attitude and dies. Tamar was made to wait for the much younger third son, Shelah, whom Judah was reluctant to give because he feared Shelah might die too.

From the account, we do not get much of a picture of Tamar’s character. All we can see is how after waiting patiently she took the situation in her own hands when Judah’s wife Shua had died and Judah had not yet given her his youngest son, Shelah, though he was old enough. She disguised herself as a shrine prostitute and waited along the road where she knew Judah would pass by.

We certainly do not get too noble an impression of Judah when we read about the way he readily sought some carnal pleasure with the disguised Tamar. He did not even seem to care what the woman looked like. Furthermore, we see him work with a double standard in that he was very indignant upon discovering Tamar was pregnant. It was only because Tamar had taken safety precautions in the way of getting pledges from Judah that she was able to spare her own life by producing these pledges at the right time.

The end of the story was that Tamar gave birth to twins, Perez and Zerah. It is most remarkable that even though Judah still had his son Shelah, it is Perez, one of the twins to whom Tamar gave birth, who ends up being the one through whom the line from Abraham to our Lord Jesus is traced.

When we look at this story in its totality, there is no evidence of anyone acting out of faith. Judah had not shown the same concern as Abraham when he sent his servant to his family in Haran to find a wife for Isaac. Judah had gone to the world. With respect to Tamar, we have no indication that she acted out of faith. All we can tell for sure is that she acted out of self-interest. There was nothing that merited praise. If anything, it is a story that would bring forth shame. The line from Abraham to our Lord Jesus contains people whose motivations and actions seem to have nothing to do with the LORD’s promises. Nevertheless, the LORD gave this woman a place in the line of Jesus.

Rahab🔗

The next woman in the line of our Lord Jesus is Rahab. When we reflect on the story of Rahab, then again we are filled with wonder that she would be a woman in the line of Jesus our Lord. She is clearly identified as a prostitute (See also Hebrews 11:31; James 2:25). Furthermore, not only was she a woman with an unwholesome past, there was also the fact she was a Canaanite. With respect to the Canaanites, Moses had firmly impressed upon the people of Israel that the LORD did not want them to mix with the people of the land. They were to destroy the Canaanites and other peoples of the land, making no treaty, showing no mercy, and not intermarrying (Deuteronomy 7:1-7).

Even though Rahab had against her that she was a prostitute and a Canaanite, Scripture does testify to her faith. It was evident in the way she spoke to the spies and helped them. It is also acknowledged when she is mentioned in Hebrews 11. Yet, the marvel of it all is that, not only was she spared, she was granted a place in the line of the Lord Jesus. In his grace, the LORD rehabilitated a womb polluted by prostitution, a womb of a woman who belonged to a people that had been put under the ban.

Ruth🔗

Immediately after Rahab, we read of Ruth. Of the women in the line of Jesus, this is the one we might think of as worthy of being there. When we read the book by her name, we come away with the impression that she was truly a very nice, godly woman. Her love for the LORD, her care for her mother-in-law, and her concern to do things right, stand out as shining examples of virtue and uprightness.

There is one thing, however, that is against her and that makes also Ruth a remarkable mother of our Lord. She was a Moabite. With respect to the Moabites, we read in Deuteronomy 23:3, 4,

No Ammonite or Moabite or any of his descendants may enter the assembly of the LORD, even down to the tenth generation. For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor… to pronounce a curse on you.

In the case of Ruth, it was only the third or fourth generation since Israel entered the Promised Land. Furthermore, when it says that they were not to be admitted even unto the tenth generation that, in effect, indicated they were banned forever. It is thus remarkable that the LORD made her a woman in the line of our Lord Jesus.

At the same time, there is another aspect that merits attention. The book of Ruth tells us of the concern to preserve the family line of Elimelech. Boaz stepped in as the kinsman-redeemer to restore the property to Naomi. When Ruth gave birth to a child, Naomi considered it as her own. Yet, while the story of Ruth appeared to be all about the line of Elimelech, the genealogy in Matthew does not mention him at all. Rather, the genealogy in Matthew follows that same surprising conclusion as the book of Ruth when Obed is shown to be a link in the line from Perez to David.

The story of Ruth thus has two surprises of grace. First, there is the fact that the LORD took this girl from a cursed people and put her in the line of our Lord. Second, he took the child to which she gave birth, that legally would stand in the line of Elimelech, and he put it in the line of Boaz, that is, in the Messianic line.

The Wife of Uriah🔗

The fourth woman in the line of Jesus is the wife of Uriah. It is remarkable that she is not mentioned by her own name, Bathsheba, but that of her original husband. We can notice the same thing in the book of Kings when mention is made of David, how he loved and served the LORD except for one glaring sin. That sin is described not in terms of Bathsheba but with reference to Uriah the Hittite (1 Kings 15:5). That highlights the sordid character of the whole affair, touching on not only the adultery but also the cover-up by having Uriah killed.

It is most remarkable that of all the wives David had, the LORD chose a child born from the woman that David had obtained in a devious way. If we did not know of David’s subsequent family history, we might think the LORD sanctioned David’s action. We know David paid a heavy price for his sin. The child born from the adulterous relationship died and his family life was filled with untold misery from that time on. Yet, the LORD chose the next child born from Bathsheba, namely, Solomon. Because the LORD loved that child he even gave it the name Jedidiah, meaning, “beloved of the LORD” (1 Kings 12:25).

The story of the wife of Uriah brings to mind the darkest part of David’s life. In the most important role of David’s life, namely, to bring forth the next child in the line of promise, there was nothing for David to take pride in.

A Gospel of Grace🔗

Taken together, the four women in the line of Jesus truly highlight God’s grace. Each had something in her life that would give every reason to consider her an unworthy candidate to stand in the line of the Saviour. They were all a far cry from the virgin Mary, the final woman in the line of Jesus. While we know that Mary too was sinful, she comes across as a young woman of faith and integrity. Her womb was kept pure as no man had known her when she conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. The consideration of the women in the line of Jesus indicates most vividly that our Saviour came at the end of a long line of sinners. Not one received a place in that line because of personal righteousness. It was all by the grace of God. At times, the LORD seemed to take the worst and He sanctified them, to highlight that salvation is truly by grace. It reinforces what Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1 and 2 about the way the LORD will work with the weak and with the despised of the world, so that no one can boast.

We should note that our Lord Jesus Christ was not ashamed to come from that line of sinners. He did not hide his ancestry. In fact, the Spirit has seen to it that they are mentioned right up front. He was not ashamed to call sinners his brothers and sisters. That gives us reason every Christmas again to marvel not only at the miracle of the incarnation, but also at how He came from a line of sinful people. He came from sinners, for sinners. The women in the line of Jesus impress upon us that God includes people in his plan not because of merit but out of grace. For those who know themselves to be sinners, all this is good news we cannot hear often enough.

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