Episode notes
Matthew was a Jewish Christian who wrote his gospel to reassure others from his nation that Jesus of Nazareth really was and is the Son of David - the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. Beginning his gospel with a long list of names may seem a strange way to do that for us, but for his first readers this "family tree" is among the strongest proof Matthew could provide of Jesus' credentials as Messiah. A closer look at the names here reminds us that God Keeps His Promises, and that His Grace Finds All Kinds of People.