I love these stories, and I love that these women show up with pointed little reminders of who they were, and are featured right here in this introduction, as you point out, to not only the Gospel of Matthew but also whole the New Testament itself. They're featured right here, like little placeholders, in the beginning of what is notably the most Jewish of the gospels, written to a Jewish Christian community, these women named like asterisks the significance of which is to be unfolded later until reaching its climax in the last chapter of the gospel when the Risen Christ commands the disciples "Go and make disciples of all nations." So yes, these seemingly unimportant verses, "just genealogies", are laden with meaning.
I love these stories, and I love that these women show up with pointed little reminders of who they were, and are featured right here in this introduction, as you point out, to not only the Gospel of Matthew but also whole the New Testament itself. They're featured right here, like little placeholders, in the beginning of what is notably the most Jewish of the gospels, written to a Jewish Christian community, these women named like asterisks the significance of which is to be unfolded later until reaching its climax in the last chapter of the gospel when the Risen Christ commands the disciples "Go and make disciples of all nations." So yes, these seemingly unimportant verses, "just genealogies", are laden with meaning.