God’s Extraordinary Plan

The genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17).

By: Steven Roe

While the inclusion of Jesus’ genealogy may seem tedious to us today, it establishes Jesus’ place within the Jewish tradition and his continuity with great Old Testament figures.

It also highlights the Father’s deliberate preparation for the sending of the Son. God carefully unfolded his plan by using his people across the generations—some admirable and some not.

Bible scholars have long commented on the “irregularities” found in Matthew’s genealogy, especially its inclusion of women, an unusual occurrence in Jewish genealogies of that time. St. Jerome said that Matthew chose sinful women for his list, such as Rahab, but this doesn’t accurately explain Ruth’s inclusion. Others have said that Matthew chose foreign women, which is true of Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. Still others have commented that their “irregularity” is the very thing the women in Matthew have in common. Yet each also played an extraordinary part in the history of Israel. They thus prepared the way for the unique and extraordinary role of Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus.

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