As we’ve looked at the five women named in Jesus’ lineage, one name is not like the others.

Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and today — Mary.

No scandalous sin is recorded of Mary like that of Tamar or Bathsheba. She’s not a Gentile like Ruth or Rahab.

She was Jesus’ mother and of course she would be named in Jesus’ lineage. But Matthew 1 lists Jesus’ family tree through Joseph, so her name wasn’t necessary to prove Jesus descended from Abraham and David.

“…and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.” (Matt 1:16)

And yet God chose to name Mary in Jesus’ lineage. 

4 Examples from Mary in Jesus’ Lineage

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What comes to mind when you hear the name Bathsheba?

What words? What pictures? What labels?

Today we’re looking at the fourth woman named in Jesus’ family tree – Bathsheba.

 Why does the Bible name Bathsheba in Jesus’ lineage?

Let’s do two things as we answer this question.

First, while we most often read the narrative from David’s perspective (David’s sin, David’s confrontation by Nathan, David’s repentance and David’s punishment), let’s uniquely read it through the eyes of Bathsheba.

Second, let’s wipe clean all we think we know of Bathsheba. Hollywood’s epic film of David and Bathsheba paints her as a seductress who knew David would walk the roof, knew her husband was away and intentionally bathed in the open to lure the king.

European art from the 16^th century onward portrays Bathsheba in ways that will plain make you blush and our modern era makes her the stuff of romance novels.

Let’s control-alt-delete all these preconceived notions and the cultural stereotypes and look at what God tells us with fresh eyes.

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I have to admit, I love a good Hallmark movie.

You know the plot: Ms. Sweet-now-Single leaves loss behind and moves back home, where working hard to make a new life, she meets Mr. Everything-You-Could-Ever-Want, who pledges true love and becomes her happily ever after.

What is it about these movies that keeps us coming back? The rescue? The perfect man? Or maybe it’s the true love.

These are the elements in the story of Ruth, the third unlikely woman named in Jesus’ family tree.

But Ruth’s story is so much more than a great romance. Why is Ruth in the genealogy of Jesus? The greatest love story ever.

(If you’re just joining us, you can find the introduction here, and posts on Tamar here and Rahab here.)

Ruth’s story starts in the little village of Bethlehem. Yep, that Bethlehem.

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Ever feel like you’ve been sidelined? Everyone else’s life is moving forward and you’re stuck in what feels like perpetual waiting?

That was Tamar.

Today we’re starting with the first of five women named in Jesus’ family tree. If you missed yesterday’s introduction, you can catch it here.

Yesterday we saw that in a list of patriarchs, fathers and sons, Matthew named five women. 

We saw that Jesus not only came to a world fractured and hurting, but fractured and hurting was right there in his own family tree.

Today, we’re looking at the the scandal of Tamar in Jesus’ family tree. 

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