Malcolm Cox

Last Sunday we welcomed my good friend Dr Andy Boakye as a visiting speaker to the Watford church of Christ. He spoke on "The Advent of Jesus in Matthew's genealogy” from Matthew 1:2-6. Something has stayed with me since Sunday so I thought I would share it with you today.  Andy observed that four women are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus — Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and ‘the wife of Uriah’. All are questionable as to dignity. The theme of dignity restored to those who have lost it is a theme in Matthew’s Gospel. Especially when it pertains to women.  ‘Jesus affirmed the dignity of women by accepting them as disciples and treating them with a respect that was considered scandalous in his patriarchal culture.’ Four views on women in ministry  Jesus came to restore the dignity of the disregarded and the forgotten. We see that in his treatment of any who are marginalised including by race — Matthew 15.22, the Canaanite woman.  ‘We have endured traumatic histories and the almost daily assaults on our dignity, lik