Matthew's Geneaology: A Vindication of Mary

I recently started reading the Book of Matthew in order to prepare for teaching the middle schoolers come September. However, in my own reading I came to a rather interesting conclusion that I hope to turn into a legitimate article but for now am just sketching out.

In Matthew’s genealogy he lists forty fathers, one named brother who lineage is not described (Zerah, 1:3) and more than eleven unnamed brothers (Judah’s and Jechoniah’s). In the sea of all these men Matthew mentions one unnamed woman, the wife of Uriah, and only four named women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Mary. Without a doubt in my mind these four other women were intentionally choices, women whose stories would resonate with the Jewish-Christian part of the Matthean community. Interestingly enough, in my limited personal collection of books on the Gospel of Matthew only one makes reference to the four women is Douglas R.A. Hare’s Matthew. He explains their inclusion as necessary to remind “the Jewish and Gentile readers of the Gospel that G-d’s great plan of salvation included Gentiles, even unrighteous Gentiles.” (6) Like Hare’s other conclusions, my additional volumes are concerned with what the genealogy says about Jesus and who he is. Instead, I would like to consider what the reference to these four women tells the audience about Mary.

Who are these women? A pretend-harlot, a for real harlot, a foreign woman, and a woman who commits adultery (though whether or not she had a choice is debatable since David was the king) and then ascends to power through her role as wife of David and son of King Solomon. 

Tamar turns to the custom of her people as laid out by G-d and is redeemed. Rahab acknowledges the power and existence of G-d and in doing so saves her family. Ruth takes on the yolk of G-d and saves herself and her mother-in-law from suffering and starvation. Bathsheba becomes mother to King Solomon, one of the most prosperous kings to ever rule the land of Israel and makes him King by relying on a promise made to her in front of G-d. No matter how questionable each woman’s background or choices seem (depending on the modern or ancient reader) each woman is ultimately vindicated by her faith in G-d. And thus so will be Mary.