Jesus is the Son of Sinners. Matthew 1:1-17 

 Matthew includes the names of four women in the genealogy of Jesus. The names of the women are Tamar, Rahab and Ruth, and a certain “wife of Uriah”. Why did Matthew go against the conventional wisdom of the day by letting women into his list! Why these four instead of those with a better reputation such as Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel?” “Doesn’t Matthew remember that lineage is traced through men, not women? And that the function of a genealogy is to give solemn honor to the final descendant, Jesus? Matthew breaks both of these time-honored rules

At the heart of Matthew’s genealogy is this grand gospel. Jesus loves people who are victims as well as perpetrators of family dysfunction and deceit (Tamar); who feel used and worthless (Rahab); who bury loved ones and endure the pain of leaving their homeland (Ruth); and who are used by others for pleasure only to witness the death of so many dreams (Bathsheba). In the end, these four women’s lives are amazing testimonies to God’s love and Immanuel, God is with us.

Question: Who is Rahab, an ancestor of Christ?

Answer: Rahab was, according to the Book of Joshua, a woman, a prostitute, who lived in Jericho in the Promised Land and assisted the Israelites in capturing the city by betraying her people. In the New Testament, she is lauded both as an example of a saint who lived by faith, and as someone “considered righteous” for her works. Matthew’s genealogy records her as one of the ancestors of Jesus.