The 5 Mothers In The Messianic Line Of Jesus Show That God’s Promise Was Preserved By Grace And Fulfilled In Jesus Christ

Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus Christ does something startling and deliberate when it identifies Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. In a record dominated by fathers and sons, the Holy Spirit stops the reader and shines a light on five mothers whose stories preach the mercy, sovereignty, and prophetic precision of God. Thamar reminds us that the promise of God survives the failure of men. Rachab shows that saving faith can reach into a doomed Gentile city and pull out a sinner marked for mercy. Ruth stands as the redeemed Gentile bride brought under the wings of the God of Israel through the kinsman redeemer. Bathsheba, identified not by name but as “her that had been the wife of Urias,” keeps David’s sin in the record and proves that Bible truth does not whitewash its heroes. Then Mary appears, not as an object of worship, but as the chosen virgin vessel through whom “Jesus, who is called Christ” entered the world according to the scriptures.

“And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” Matthew 16:1 (KJB)

Together, these five mothers declare that the line of Christ was never preserved by human purity, religious respectability, or spotless family history. It was preserved by the faithfulness of God. There is scandal in the line, Gentile blood in the line, widowhood in the line, failure in the line, sorrow in the line, and finally a virgin birth at the end of the line. That is not an accident; that is doctrine in genealogic form. God is showing us that the Saviour did not come from a sanitized human record, but into the very ruin He came to redeem. Every mother in that line points beyond herself to the promised Seed, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, and the Son of God. The glory is not in the bloodline itself, but in the Christ who fulfilled it, entered it, and rose above it.

SUNDAY SERVICE STUDY NOTES: The 5 Mothers In The Messianic Line

The 5 Mothers In The Messianic Line

The Old Testament Mothers In The Line Of Christ

1). Tamar: The Mother Of Phares

Matthew’s Chronology

“And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram;” Matthew 1:3 (KJB)

Old Testament Corresponding Verse

“And it came to pass in the time of her travail, that, behold, twins were in her womb. And it came to pass, when she travailed, that the one put out his hand: and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, This came out first. And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, How hast thou broken forth? this breach be upon thee: therefore his name was called Pharez. And afterward came out his brother, that had the scarlet thread upon his hand: and his name was called Zarah.” Genesis 38:27-30 (KJB)

Synopsis

Tamar’s story is one of failure, shame, and family disorder, yet God brings Pharez through that broken situation. Matthew reaches back into Genesis 38 and names her because the Holy Spirit is showing that the Messianic line of Christ is preserved by God’s promise, not by man’s perfection. Pharez is the child of Judah, from whose line Jesus will come, and Tamar Judah’s daughter-in-law who is the first prostitute mentioned in the Bible. Israel is typified in throughout the Old Testament as a harlot that wanders away from God. “…but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 3:1 How fitting it is that the first mother mentioned in the Messianic line “plays the harlot” as well. In spite of these rough beginnings, God will show grace and mercy, and ultimately, blessing.

2). Rahab: The Mother Of Boaz

Matthew’s Chronology

“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;” Matthew 1:5 (KJB)

Old Testament Corresponding Verse

“And Joshua saved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father’s household, and all that she had; and she dwelleth in Israel even unto this day; because she hid the messengers, which Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.” Joshua 6:25 (KJB)

Synopsis

Rahab was brought out of a city marked for judgment and brought into Israel. Matthew names her in the line of Christ to show the reach of God’s mercy. She was a Gentile, a sinner, and a woman from Jericho, yet faith brought her into the covenant people and into the Messianic line.

“And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.” Isaiah 49:6 (KJB)

“But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.” Matthew 21:28-31 (KJB)

3). Ruth: The Mother Of Obed

Matthew’s Chronology

“And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse;” Matthew 1:5 (KJB)

Old Testament Corresponding Verse

“And let thy house be like the house of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the seed which the LORD shall give thee of this young woman. So Boaz took Ruth, and she was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the LORD gave her conception, and she bare a son.” Ruth 4:12, 13 (KJB)

Synopsis

Ruth is the redeemed Gentile bride brought into Bethlehem by providence and joined to Boaz, the kinsman redeemer. Her son Obed becomes the grandfather of David. This is one of the clearest Old Testament pictures of redemption, inheritance, and grace reaching outside Israel while still flowing through Israel’s covenant line.

4). Bathsheba: The Mother Of Solomon

Matthew’s Chronology

“And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias;” Matthew 1:6 (KJB)

Old Testament Corresponding Verse

“And David comforted Bathsheba his wife, and went in unto her, and lay with her: and she bare a son, and he called his name Solomon: and the LORD loved him.” 2 Samuel 12:24 (KJB)

A second Old Testament confirmation is found in Chronicles:

“And these were born unto him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bathshua the daughter of Ammiel:” 1 Chronicles 3:5 (KJB)

Synopsis

Matthew does not call her Bathsheba by name, but says “her that had been the wife of Urias.” That is deliberate. The Holy Spirit keeps David’s sin in view while still showing that God’s royal promise moved through Solomon. Bathsheba’s place in the line does not erase David’s sin; it magnifies God’s mercy and faithfulness.

Summary Table

 Closing Thoughts

These Old Testament verses show that Matthew’s genealogy is not floating by itself. It is rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures, line upon line, mother by mother, promise by promise.

• Tamar shows grace overruling personal failure.
• Rahab shows faith spared from judgment.
• Ruth shows the Gentile bride redeemed by the kinsman.
• Bathsheba shows mercy operating after sin has been exposed.

And all of it points forward to Jesus, who is called Christ.

The New Testament Mother In The Line Of Christ

5). Mary: The Virgin Mother Of Jesus Christ

Main Text

“And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” Matthew 1:16 (KJB)

Synopsis

Mary is different from the other women in the genealogy. The verse does not say Joseph begat Jesus. It says Joseph was “the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” That wording protects the virgin birth and shows that Jesus Christ is not the natural son of Joseph.

“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Isaiah 7:14 (KJB)

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6 (KJB)

“And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.” Luke 1:46,47 (KJB)

MUST READ: The Real Mary In The Bible Was A Sinner Who Trusted In The Salvation Of The Lord

Mary is blessed among women, not above women. Mary is chosen by God to bear the Messiah according to the flesh. But she is not divine, not sinless, not a mediatrix, and not an object of worship. She is the chosen vessel, a servant. Christ is the Saviour. Mary’s place in the line brings the genealogy to its glorious end. The promise to Abraham, the throne of David, the prophetic expectation, and the Messianic line all arrive at Jesus Christ.

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The post THE BIBLE BELIEVERS SUNDAY SERVICE: The 5 Mothers Mentioned In The Messianic Line Of Jesus appeared first on Now The End Begins.