I am she… the Woman with the Alabaster Box PT. 2

Written By:

Evelyn Denise

Could Jesus’ acceptance of this woman and her gift be because He took a hard look at his lineage and remembered? Did He remember the women that along the way help create him?

Let’s take a look. We will start with the first woman mentioned in Jesus’ genealogy as written in Matthew 1. Her name is Tamar and her story is found in  Genesis 38. Tamar was Judah’s daughter in law and ultimately became her baby’s father. *insert shocked face* Yes, that same Judah means ‘praise’  Judah. Yep, Judah. You know Judah Judah. One of the twelve tribes of Israel. 

Tamar was married to Judah’s eldest son Er. Judah ultimately had three sons Er, Onan, and Shelah. Now Er wasn’t a man who was upright before the Lord. So God took his life. Er died without leaving an heir. It was customary that the next brother, Onan, take her as his wife. Marriage was not enough in that culture. Onan was supposed to give his brother an heir by having one with Tamar. The child that was to come from this union wasn’t technically his but his brother Er’s child. Onan did marry Tamar. Judah commanded him to have a child with Tamar as was customary but 

“But Onan was not willing to have a child who would not be his own heir. So whenever he had intercourse with his brother’s wife, he spilled the semen on the ground. This prevented her from having a child who would belong to his brother.” (Genesis 38:9) 

So because of Onan’s disobedience, he had to go too. Whelp *Kanye Shrug*. Judah told Tamar to go back to her parents until Shelah was old enough for her to marry. But Judah never planned on giving her to Shelah because I guess he thought she was some sort of black widow. Who knows but his plan was to basically play her. 

Some time passes and Shelah becomes an adult and she was never given to him. At this point, she still has to wear garments signifying that she is a widow. She takes matters into her own hands and changes out of her clothes and gets extra fly. Sis heard Judah was taking his flock to be sheared so my good sis did what she had to.I mean sis disguised herself and served up some legs and thighs. Judah saw her and could resist and propositioned her. Tamar wasn’t foolish though. She asked him for his id seal with the cord and walking stick. He never knew it was her at all. 

She became pregnant and someone told Judah that she was pregnant. Judah tried to order her to be killed but as they tried to take her out she produced the id seal with the cord and the walking stick. 

*AND.I.OOP*

Judah recognized the items as his and had to admit his wrongdoing in regards to Tamar. She did have a set of twins, Perez and Zerah, by Judah. 

Look, what she had to go through in order to receive the children that were rightfully supposed to be hers anyway? She had to become an entire Catfish to have children! That’s crazy. Absolutely crazy!

As crazy as this story, I’m sure Jesus was aware of it. According to Matthew 1, this wasn’t the only woman that is mentioned. Maybe Jesus remembered another woman from his family tree? Maybe he looked at the most notorious prostitute in the bible. Maybe he looked at Rahab…

Rahab is one of my favorite characters from the bible. Her story can be found in Joshua 2.  One of the reasons I love her story is that there she was a woman with a past. She is a woman that most likely had to get it done on her own. I feel like Rahab is like myself and a lot of women that I know. She is a woman that made lemonade, lemon pound cake, lemon tarts, and lemon cookies with the lemons that she was given.   

While we don’t know about her life in Jericho prior to her encounter with the Israelite spies, I like to imagine how she got to where she was. Maybe she lost her virginity to a man that she thought loved her and because of society she literally had no other option than to sell her body. Maybe she longed for a life where she wasn’t ostracized by those around her. This was an opportunity that she seized. She was able to be saved by the Israelite spies. She married into the Israelite family and became a mother…

She was Boaz’s mom!

Yes, Boaz. The kinsman-redeemer! Boaz who married Ruth. 

Which brings me to the next woman in Jesus’ genealogy. 

Ruth. 

Her story can be found in the book of Ruth. Her story is familiar and often told. So I will stick with the key points. 

I look up, He looks down.