Rahab

Rahab is one of the most surprising figures in the Bible — a Canaanite prostitute in the city of Jericho who became an ancestor of Jesus Christ. When Joshua sent two spies into the city before the Israelite invasion, Rahab hid them on her roof, lied to the king's soldiers who came searching for them, and helped them escape over the city wall. Her reason was a stunning confession of faith: "The Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath" (Josh 2:11).

In exchange for her help, the spies promised that Rahab and her family would be spared when Jericho fell. She was instructed to hang a scarlet cord from her window as a sign. When the walls of Jericho collapsed, Rahab's house alone was preserved, and she and her household were welcomed into the community of Israel. The Church Fathers saw in the scarlet cord a powerful symbol of the blood of Christ — the sign that marks those who are saved from destruction.

Rahab's inclusion in the genealogy of Jesus (Mt 1:5) is one of the most radical statements in all of Scripture. She was a Gentile, a woman, and a prostitute — three categories that placed her at the absolute margins of Israelite society. Yet God chose her to be in the direct ancestral line of the Messiah, alongside Sarah, Ruth, and Mary. The Letter to the Hebrews honours Rahab for her faith (Heb 11:31), and the Letter of James holds her up as an example of faith expressed through works (Jas 2:25). Her story proclaims that no one is too far from God's grace, and that faith — wherever it is found — is honoured by God.