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Matthew 1:3-6 - Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar, Perez the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram,  ⁴ Ram the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon,  ⁵ Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab, Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth, Obed the father of Jesse,  ⁶ and Jesse the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah's wife,

I am sure, if you are like me, you usually skip over the genealogies in the Bible.  Instead of skipping over this one, my hope is to help you recognize what is going on in Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus by his inclusion of these four women.  There is a powerful statement being made here about who Jesus is, what His mission is here on earth, and who is a part of His family.   Matthew is calling attention to how much surprise and scandal there is in the Messiah’s lineage. 

The past few weeks we’ve seen just how scandalous Jesus’ ancestors were:  there is Tamar, a young woman who tricked her father-in-law Judah into sleeping with her in order to provide a baby.  There is David & Bathsheba, a king who slept with his friend’s wife and had her husband killed to try to cover it up.  And Ruth & Boaz, a young woman who proposed marriage to a man in order to make sure her mother-in-law would be cared for.  The sovereign plan and purpose of God are often worked out in and through the most unlikely turn of events, and even through women who are receptive to God’s will.  And this includes, as we will see this morning, Rahab, a prostitute who feared God and honored Him even when it meant risking her life.  I take tremendous heart in the genealogy of Jesus, and I hope you will too, because it is a reminder of what sort of people are used by God.