Matthew begins his gospel with a genealogy – a listing of his earthly ancestors, beginning with the Father of the Jewish people, Abraham. It suits the theme of His gospel which presents Jesus as the Messiah, the King of Israel, and the true Son of God; a direct assault on the Roman Emperor, who was “king of the world”, including Israel, and was often referred to as the Son of God (Zeus in the Emperor’s case). Matthew’s genealogy shows that Jesus, not Caesar, was the Son of David, entitled to the throne of Israel. The narrative of Jesus’ birth that follows in Matthew 1:18-25, shows Jesus, not Caesar, to be the Son of God. Caesar has overstepped his bounds, as well as Herod, and countless others who seek to rule the world, the lives of others, or even their own life. Only One has the credentials to be King.

But the genealogy does more than simply show us Jesus’ family line. It also shows us the plan and order of God’s working in human history. Matthew does this by revealing Jesus’ genealogy in 3 sets of 14 generations. (Matthew 1:17) He lists 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 generations from David to the exile of the nation of Judah to Babylon, and 14 generations from exile to the appearance of the Messiah, Jesus. He does this to show that God has a plan, and has orchestrated history to this point. Jesus’ coming has not happened by chance or happenstance, but by the direct will and purpose of God.

Matthew’s genealogy also has one more surprise. Four women are listed in the genealogy. This is fascinating because in the ancient world, women were rarely ever mentioned in genealogies, only the fathers. Yet, Jesus’ genealogy lists not only four women, but four Gentile women. The first is Tamar, most likely a Canaanite. It is an interesting story told in Genesis 38. She is a Gentile included into Judah’s family through the marriage to his two sons. She eventually has twin boys by her father-in-law (I told you it was an interesting story!) Perez and Zerah – Zerah put a hand out to be first-born, but then withdrew his hand, and Perez was born first. This is a common story line in the Old Testament; the younger son somehow gets favor over the elder son to inherit the promise or favor of God. (Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, and Ephraim and Manasseh are others) This again underscores God’s activity in executing His plan, not just following birth order.

Rahab, the prostitute in Jericho, who hid the spies of Israel and asked to be spared in Israel’s conquest of the city is the next Gentile woman listed. She became a part of Israel that day. Then, there is Ruth, the Moabitess, the loyal daughter-in-law to Naomi who then wins the heart of Boaz and becomes the great-grandmother to King David. And finally, the wife of Uriah is mentioned (strange that she is not mentioned by name) highlighting David’s indiscretion as well as her own non-Jewishness (Uriah was a Hittite). But Bathsheba became the mother of Solomon.

These four women mentioned tell us a lot about the good news of Jesus. Women are elevated to equal status with men, for one thing. They have an honored place in God’s plan of redemption. And the good news of Jesus, His coming Kingdom, is not just for Jews, but for the whole world. For just as these Gentile women are included into the people of God, so will all those, Jew and Gentile alike, who receive the good news of His kingdom and submit to His authority, be welcomed into His kingdom.

God’s activity and plan insure our place in His family, among His people of faith.

Happy Advent!