Matthew, also known as Levi, wrote the gospel for the purpose of showing that Jesus is the Messiah that the Jews had been waiting for. He begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus and shows how the prophecies from the Old Testament regarding the Messiah are fulfilled in Christ.
A New Kind of Genealogy
Among the forty-two men mentioned by Matthew in his trace back from Joseph to Abraham, he also mentions five women. This was unheard of in that time period that women could be included as part of someone’s genealogy. Perhaps Matthew was influenced by Jesus having seen the inclusion of a lot of womenfolk in his ministry. However, the five women who are mentioned are also those who did not have such a good reputation.
The first woman mentioned was Tamar who disguised herself as a prostitute to trick her father-in-law Judah into giving her a legal heir (Genesis 38). The second woman mentioned was Rahab, the prostitute who helped bring down the city of Jericho by hiding spies in her house (Joshua 2). The third woman mentioned is Ruth, a Moabite who was an idol worshiper in her past life. Fourth is the woman who was the wife of Uriah the man whom David had killed after having illicit relations with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). The last woman mentioned in this genealogy was Mary, who like the others, was perceived to be an immoral woman as she was pregnant out of wedlock (Matthew 1:20).
No one is perfect but what we need to know is that God works through us despite our faults. We shouldn’t hold back from becoming a part of God’s plan as God has His own ways to use us. We shouldn’t think that we are not worthy to go to God as that is the deceiver fooling us into believing that we are a lost cause. God calls us as we are and wants us to come to him with all our baggage so that he can make our load lighter. We need to surrender ourselves to him in order for him to mould and use us. We should not think that there is no hope for us, as, for this very reason, Christ came into this world to show us the light at the end of the tunnel.
The world may speak ill about us, our character or the life we lead, but we shouldn’t get disheartened as this world is just our temporary home. We need to prepare ourselves for our everlasting life with our Saviour (Matthew 6:19-20).
Joseph – The Silent Hero
We see how the birth of Jesus came about. Mary, was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through Holy Spirit.
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18
With the whole world focusing on the virgin Mary, we fail to recognize the works of Joseph. Joseph was brought up in a society where women caught in adultery were not tolerated and were stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). He proved to be a Silent Hero in this situation. He decided on divorcing her privately instead of publicly disgracing her, which shows his humble nature.
Unlike other people during this time, like Mary and Zechariah, Joseph showed immediate acceptance of God’s plan after the angel of the Lord came to him in a dream and revealed God’s plan. We don’t see him questioning God like Mary did (Luke 1:34) or running away from His plan like Jonah (Jonah 1:3). He readily took Mary home as his wife and took care of her and the unborn child. Though much has not been written about Joseph, what we can learn from his life is how God wants us to be willing and accept His plan in our lives.
Discussion Questions
- What is the purpose of detailing the family tree of Jesus?
- What is the significance of the people mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy?
- How must have Joseph felt when he first heard about Mary?
- Why was Jesus born of a virgin?
The Jordan Valley 
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