The Holy Spirit inspired Matthew and Luke to record Jesus Christ's genealogy for a reason. While most people will disregard or skim over "who begets who," these two genealogies are not irrelevant. They are significantly more important and exciting than we often believe. A thorough investigation will provide numerous fascinating findings.

Let's consider a portion of Matthew's genealogy.

Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by Uriah's wife... And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ."

Matthew 1:3-16 (NKJV)

 

Matthew mentioned five different women. Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. Each of these women was far from perfect, but God transformed their tales into amazing testimonies. We can discover the beauty of the gospel in their lives.

Tamar disguised herself as a prostitute and slept with her father-in-law, becoming pregnant and unwittingly saving the tribe of Judah, from which Jesus descended. Rahab was a non-Jewish prostitute whose life was spared because she hid two Israelite spies who surreptitiously entered Jericho, and she eventually became the mother of Boaz, Ruth's husband, and a forefather of Jesus.

Ruth, a Moabite who was regarded a political enemy of Israel, later gained favour with Boaz, and they became the parents of Obed, who was the grandson of David, whose throne Jesus would succeed. Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah, whose adulterous romance with David ended tragically, but she later became the mother of Solomon, and as a result, every king after Solomon (including Jesus) was descended from her.

Mary means "bitter or rebellious". We can't be certain, but it appears likely that Mary had a rough childhood, and that her name didn't help her. Regardless of her personal circumstances, God picked Mary to be the mother of Jesus.

The testimonies of these five women teach us one vital lesson: God can choose and use anybody, regardless of their background, life circumstances, or past misdeeds. As a result, don't limit what God can do through you.