We know that God created the universe and could have fashioned a lineage of perfection for himself. He did not. In the lineage of Christ there is imperfection. Tamar tricked her father-in-law into having intercourse, whereby she became pregnant, and produced a son, Perez. Salmon, sent to spy out the land of Jericho, married Rahab, the prostitute who protected him, and produced a son, Boaz. Ruth, the Moabite, a nation born of incest (Genesis 19:30-37), married Boaz and produced a son, Obed, grandfather of David.
David, king of Israel, whom God described as a man after His own heart, had an illicit encounter with Bathsheba. When she became pregnant, David had her husband, Uriah, murdered to cover up his sin, and married Bathsheba. Following the death of their illegitimate son they had another son, Solomon. Perez, Salmon, Boaz, David, and Solomon are all members of that elite group that make up the lineage of Christ.
Such imperfection in the lineage of Christ! How can this be? I believe God is able to see what the world does not see. Rahab was a prostitute, a label denoting unsavory behavior, although God saw her heart and made her a part of his chosen people, and more importantly, included her in the ancestry of Christ. This is an amazing truth for all of us that feel the weight of imperfection and failure. When the world attaches labels, understand that God does not. He understands our struggles and is able to look beyond our failures. God made a way through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ, to offer redemption from our failures and sin. Through the perfect sacrifice of Christ, with his very imperfect lineage, God offers redemption to all who belong to Him, regardless of what the world may see or think. Mary Magdalene is also a reminder that God embraces imperfection.