The New Testament begins with a genealogy of Jesus Christ which shows that He is "the Son of David, the Son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1). We are sometimes tempted to skip over genealogies as we are reading the Bible because they contain many names that we don't know and can't pronounce. However, Bible genealogies are important, especially this one.

Matthew's gospel was written to a Jewish audience. In this account he sets forth the case that Jesus is the promised Messiah. The Jews were very familiar with the great promises that had been made to Abraham and David. The promise to Abraham was that through his seed all nations were to be blessed (Gen. 12:3). The promise to David was that a blessing to the nations would come through a king of his lineage (2 Sam. 7:12-13; Is. 9:6-7; Jer. 23:5).

After waiting many centuries, both promises were being fulfilled in the birth of Jesus. Matthew shows that His physical lineage meets the requirements necessary to be the anticipated Christ. This is the first of many, many arguments the writer presents to prove that Jesus is the Christ.

Another interesting thing about this genealogy is the inclusion of four women: Tamar (v. 3), Rahab, Ruth (v. 5) and Bathsheba (v. 6). Tamar seduced Judah by dressing as a prostitute. Rahab was the harlot who lied to protect the spies. Ruth was a godly woman, but she was a Moabite. Bathsheba was the woman with whom David committed adultery.

Why are these women, representing these incidents, included in our Lord's genealogy? The gospel of Jesus Christ offers salvation to all of mankind - not just the Jews. Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth are Gentiles, but were incorporated into our Lord's family line. Jesus came to seek and to save the lost (Luke 19:10). The sick need the Great Physician, not those who are whole (Matt. 9:12-13). If individuals who were involved in sinful activities could find their place in the Lord's genealogy, then, by God's grace, anyone can find their place in the Lord's family today. The gospel is for "whosoever."