In the ancient world, genealogies typically only mentioned men. However, the genealogy of Jesus (Matthew 1:1-17) mentions five women—Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and “the wife of Uriah” (that is, Bathsheba) and Mary—all of whom have sordid or questionable back stories. What prompted Matthew to include these women in the genealogy of Jesus and what does their inclusion tell us about who Jesus is and what He came to do?
