What is surprising about a Gentile like Rahab being in Jesus' genealogy?
Rahab was a Gentile harlot, and God had commanded the Jews to have nothing to do with Gentiles. Yet she appears in Jesus' genealogy, which is surprising given that strict separation under the Jewish economy. Her inclusion is unexpected for a non-Jew in the Messiah's lineage.
Les teaches that Rahab was a harlot and a Gentile, a non-Jew. He points out that God had always mandated the Jews were to have nothing to do with the Gentiles, yet here she is in the genealogy of Jesus. Les also notes Ruth, a Moabite, another taboo people, is in the genealogy, and he connects this to Romans 5:20, where the same unchanging God operates even under the Jewish economy.