Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,/ and they shall name him Emmanuel,"/ which means "God is with us."

Matthew rejoices in telling us in the very first line of his gospel that Jesus Christ is "the son of David." That’s similar to Luke’s gospel (2:4) which tells us that Jesus "was of the house and family of David." Matthew wanted to show his fellow Jews for whom he intended his gospel that Jesus was in the line from which the prophets had foretold the Messiah would come. Jesus was registered in the royal house through Joseph, since, as St. Ambrose said, he who came into the world ought to be registered according to the custom of the world.

Jesus’ human ancestry mentions, in addition to Bathsheba, three other women: Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth. Tamar had dressed as a temple prostitute to win Judah’s favor and conceive a child through him (Gn 38). Rahab, a harlot of Jericho, helped two of Joshua’s spies escape from Jericho (Jos 2); yet the New Testament mentions her faith (Heb 11:31) and good works (Jas 2:25). Ruth, who entered biblical history as a polytheist, came to the bed of Boaz at night to inveigle him into marrying her (Ru 3). Bathsheba was the wife of a Gentile — a Hittite; Tamar and Rahab were Canaanites, and Ruth was a Moabite.

The last woman to be named is Mary, who acquired royal privileges through her husband Joseph. The irregular unions in Jesus’ family tree were strange foreshadowings of the virginal conception of Jesus by Mary.

By his family tree, Matthew shows that Jesus is fully human. He’s like us in everything but sin (as the Letter to the Hebrews tells us). He shares all the emotional, physical, and psychological burdens — as well as the joys — of being human, to show us that he understands what we go through.

Secondly, we’re perhaps surprised to see how God exercised great patience and understanding throughout the highs and lows in the history of Israel in preparing a people to become the people of the Messiah. God continually allows the great gift of freedom in our personal history, too.

SOURCE: "366 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.