Scripture: Matthew 1:5
Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz was the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed was the father of Jesse.
Thought for the Day: Right in the middle of an opening genealogy in Matthew’s Gospel, we find these names. For too many people, they are names that need to be endured in the reading process on the way to the good stuff. But let’s be clear – this is the good stuff. Two women are mentioned in this part of the genealogy which is bit unusual as genealogies tend to dismiss women even though we’re pretty sure they played a big part in the begetting process. Rahab was a woman who was sexually exploited by men. The word prostitute or harlot is used in most translations, and strangely we have romanticized this “profession” that was really not a profession. It was forced on women who did not have any other way of living. And she wasn’t a Jew. Ruth was also not Jewish, and she too found herself in a very difficult situation. Yet these two names are not only the good stuff, but they are an embodiment of the Good News. This is the genealogy of Jesus, and it shows the power of God’s redemptive and transformative grace… a grace that does not take society’s opinions seriously, but gifts and calls forth every single human being.
Prayer: I celebrate your redemptive and transformative grace! Thank you for never dismissing even one of us, even when society or our own sense of self-worth has determined us unfit. Amen.
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