Jesus Christ is the Messiah for women and men, for those with all kinds
of backgrounds, all kind of pasts. He is the Messiah for all people. Much has
been made of the Virgin Mary, but Matthew’s genealogy (Matt.1:1-6, 9:20-22)
highlights five other important women in Jesus’ family and ministry.
Tamar
Tamar was a widow who married Onan, Judah’s second son (Matt. 1:3, Gen.
38:1-30). She was left childless and a widow once again, resorting to trickery
and acting as a prostitute to find economic security. Her child continued the
line that eventually led to Jesus.
Rahab
Rahab was a Canaanite prostitute in Jericho who protected two Hebrew
spies in exchange for her own protection from the Israelites who surrounded the
city (Matt. 1:5, Josh.2:1-24, 6:22-25). She later married a Hebrew and gave
birth to Boaz, David’s great-grandfather.
Ruth
Ruth was a woman of Moab who was widowed when her Jewish husband died,
and she was left without sons (Matt. 1:5, Ruth 1:1-4:22). She migrated to
Israel with her mother-in-law, Naomi, married Boaz (Rahab’s son), and became
the mother of Obed, making her David’s great-grandmother.
Bathsheba
Bathsheba, wife of Uriah the Hittite (cf. (Matt. 1:6, 2 Sam. 11:1-12:25,
1 Kings 1:11), who attracted the eye of King David while bathing in ritual
obedience on her roof, cleansing herself from monthly flow. She committed
adultery with David and later married him, giving birth to Solomon.
The Bleeding Woman
The Bible did not reveal the name of this Bleeding Woman. According to
Matthew, for twelve years the woman had sought a cure for her serious health condition
(Matt. 9:20-22). Perhaps worse than the drain of her physical strength and
finances was the stigma of uncleanness.
Jews considered women ritually unclean during menstruation, and if a
woman experienced bleeding other than at her normal menses, she was considered
unclean until the bleeding stopped (Lev. 15:19-27). That meant exclusion from
participating in the life and worship of the community.
Scripture is silent on the source of this woman’s livelihood. Perhaps she
lived off an inheritance, or perhaps she was divorced and her dowry had been
returned to her. Whatever her means of support, it was gone. Jesus was her last
hope. So she approached him, breaking a rule that made it an unclean person’s
responsibility to keep away from others. In desperation, she reached out and
touched Jesus.
Perceiving that power had gone out from him, Jesus sought her out. Perhaps
as she explained her disease the crowd backed away, not wanting to contaminate
themselves. But Jesus didn’t withdraw. Rather, he drew her to him with the affectionate
term “dear woman” and sent her away
in peace, healed at last!
Reflect Yourself...
Who are the “untouchables”
in your world? Who is desperately trying to reach out for help? How can you
respond to their needs with Christlikeness?
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