The Word Made Flesh

John 1:1–18; Matthew 1:1–3:17

Before Matthew's own account begins, John reaches back to the very beginning, introducing Jesus as the eternal Word who became flesh. Matthew then traces Jesus' ancestry through forty-two generations, from Abraham through King David, before an angel appears to Joseph in a dream to explain Mary's unexpected pregnancy. Wise men from the East follow a star to Bethlehem, prompting Herod's murderous rage and a hurried flight to Egypt. Years later, back in Nazareth, a wilderness preacher named John begins baptizing crowds by the Jordan — until, one day, Jesus himself wades in to be baptized.

We are in a Matthew-John Harmony. Today's episode covers: John 1:1–18, Matthew 1:1–3:17 (the Prologue, the genealogy and birth of Jesus, the flight to Egypt, the return to Nazareth, John the Baptist's ministry, and the baptism of Jesus).