Harlots and Heroes

Matthew 1:1-17

1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, 3 and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram, 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, 6 and Jesse the father of David the king.

And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, 7 and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, 8 and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, 9 and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, 10 and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, 11 and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.

12 And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, 15 and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.

17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Matthew wrote his Gospel account tailored for Jews, so that they would understand that Jesus of Nazareth was their Messiah. As such, he begins with a genealogy so that they would see that He met their most important human criteria for the Savior: that He was the legal descendant of King David.

Much has been said about the women who are included in this list. Tamar, who seduced her father-in-law in order to secure her place in the lineage; Rahab, a Canaanite prostitute-turned-spy; Ruth, the Moabite who risked everything; the adulterous wife of Uriah, Bathsheba.

The men in the list have the genetic qualifications needed to carry the lineage of Abraham, and the Blessing promise God gave him. The women named came from everywhere and nowhere. The women carry the human qualification in all its shabby, needful inglory. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba—these were all women who did what they had to do. The genealogy concludes with Joseph, who was not Jesus’ biological father.

I am continually grateful for the people in God’s story of redemption. There are no heroes-turned-demigods here. It gives me hope that God continually tells his story through ordinary human beings. Bathsheba’s appearance in the genealogy reminds us that the most blessed, most mighty, most heroic people have their weaknesses. God could have insisted that Christ’s line be populated only with the unblemished and unimpeachable, but He chose otherwise. That tells me that there is also hope of redemption in my story.

I can relate to the desperation and vulnerability of Tamar more than the courage and confidence of heroes and mighty men. From such as these was born the Messiah, the Savior of the world.

Heavenly Father, I love Your story and I am grateful for making it so human and real, at the same time that it is so incredible. The blessings of Abraham followed a line of people who made terrible mistakes, but none of them subverted Your purpose in bringing redemption to all people. Lord, I am a sinner who is so glad to be saved by Your grace; a flawed earthen vessel so blessed to carry the treasure of Your resurrection-life. Nothing can prevent Your plan from being realized in my life. Since no one can take that from me, I am no longer desperate, I am not vulnerable. I am strong in Your strength. In all the challenges I face, You make me a hero of faith. Thank you, Lord. AMEN.