<p><span>1:5</span><em> Salmon begot Boaz of Rahab and Boaz begot Obed of Ruth and Obed begot Jesse- </em><span>Rahab was a Gentile and a sinner. Jesus was morally perfect, and yet the genealogy shows how He had much against Him spiritually. We can&rsquo;t blame our lack of spirituality upon our bad background. Note that there was so much intermarriage with Gentiles like Rahab and Ruth throughout Israel&rsquo;s history; their standing with God was therefore never on the basis of ethnic purity, but rather by cultural identity and God&rsquo;s grace.&nbsp;Matthew&rsquo;s genealogy features [unusually, for Jewish genealogies] several women, who had become the ancestors of Messiah through unusual relationships. It&rsquo;s almost as if the genealogy is there in the form that it is to pave the way for the account of Mary&rsquo;s conception of Jesus without a man.</span></p>