Matthew 1:1-17 The Genealogy

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham....So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations. [Matthew 1:1-17 NASB]

It is necessary, I guess, to discuss the differences between Matthew's genealogy and Luke's.

It is generally accepted that Matthew is presenting the genealogy of Joseph, as Jesus' adoptive father, and that Luke presents the genealogy of Mary. As Joseph's (adopted) firstborn, Jesus has the legal inheritance through the line of David. As a descendant of Nathan (David's son) through Mary, Jesus has the genealogical right to inheritance.

It is noteworthy that when the Jews refuted Jesus' claim as the Messiah, they never attacked his genealogy. To the Jews of the first century, their family's genealogy was their most prized treasure. Without it, there could be no inheritance.

There are countless articles and opinions written about the differences and meanings of the genealogies, but I'm not going to get into that here.

Paul tells us, "But avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, quarrels, and fights about the law, because they are useless and empty." [Titus 3:9 NET] And "...Instruct certain people not to spread false teachings, nor to occupy themselves with myths and interminable genealogies. Such things promote useless speculations rather than God's redemptive plan that operates by faith." [1 Timothy 1:3-4 NET]

This doesn't mean that there is no value in the genealogies given to us in Scripture. Only that we should avoid endless and foolish speculations about them.

What I find interesting in this long list of names is the four women who are mentioned.

The first is Tamar. She married Judah's son, who died. According to custom, she became the wife of  Judah's second son, who also died. Judah promised that she could marry the third son after he grew up. When it became apparent that Judah would not keep his promise, Tamar dressed as a prostitute, wore a veil so that she wouldn't be recognized, and had sex with Judah. She gave birth to twins, including Perez, one of David's ancestors.

Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute. She is renowned for helping the Israelites spy out Jericho. She hid the spies, and helped them to escape. In return, she and her family were spared when Jericho was destroyed.

Ruth was a Moabite. Because the Moabites opposed Israel in the wilderness, they were considered enemies. Yet, she followed her mother-in-law to Israel and married Boaz.

Finally, Bathsheba was the wife of Uriah. When David had an adulterous relationship with her, she became pregnant, and David tried to cover it up by having Uriah killed.

These women all had something "wrong" with them. Prostitution, adultery, or foreign bloodlines. But none of that matters as they are mentioned with honor in Jesus' genealogy.

All of us have something "wrong" with us as well. But through the redemptive work of Jesus, we have forgiveness, and are mentioned with honor in the book of life.