Jesus’ Grandmothers, Part 2

Now these are the generations of Perez: Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Ram, Ram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz, Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered David. Ruth 4:18-22

Ruth was the third woman named in Jesus’ lineage (Matthew 1:5; Genesis 19:30-38; Ruth 1-4) – Ruth was a Moabite, an entire race that was the product of incest when Lot got drunk and had sex with his daughter who thought the end of the world was coming. Ruth converted to the Lord after her husband died, and she became one of the godliest women in the Bible. She was King David’s great-grandma.

Bathsheba was next (Matthew 1:6, 2 Samuel 11) – Bathsheba was a beautiful woman married to Uriah the Hittite who fought in King David’s army. David remained safe at home while Uriah was out fighting on his behalf, when David spied Bathsheba bathing from his roof. David was so taken with the woman that he had her brought to his residence where he seduced her. She later informed David that she was pregnant, so David conspired to put her husband on the front lines of a fierce battle and then have the other soldiers retreat so that he would be murdered. David’s plan was successful, and Bathsheba the adulteress became the wife of David and mother of Solomon.

Finally, there is Mary (Matthew 1:16, 1:18-2:23) – Mary was a godly teenage virgin girl from a poor rural town who was engaged to a carpenter named Joseph when God spoke to her and told her she would give birth to Jesus. At first, Joseph was saddened because he understandably believed she had been unfaithful. But then an angel appeared to him explaining that Mary was still a virgin and that her child was the Savior born in fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14. Joseph obeyed the Lord, was wed to Mary, and became the adoptive father who raised Jesus. But, throughout her life people didn’t believe Mary had been faithful to Joseph and many believed that she was a sinful and perverted liar.

Matthew was written to religious people prone to self-righteousness and the erroneous belief that they/we are less offensive to God than sinners and proverbial Moabites like Ruth. Yet, by including women like Ruth in the line of Jesus, we see that Jesus is our glorious Boaz who has redeemed people from all nations and, like Ruth, loved them as His bride the church. Furthermore, Jesus was born in Bethlehem where Ruth resided. And, the same Redeemer Jesus Christ who was at work through His invisible hand of providence in the life of Ruth remains today still sovereign, good, and at work in the details of our lives to redeem us and bless us as He did Ruth. Indeed, Jesus Christ, the descendant of Ruth and Boaz, transforms our life and our legacy and places us in a royal line in the family of God. Their little love story is a part of God’s big love story.

  • How is your family like Jesus’ family?