This week we want to introduce the family tree of Jesus into the Christmas story. This genealogy of Jesus is of incredible importance, because in this long list of names are people, history, stories, and family members we would probably leave out of our story if hoping to truly save the world; yet God chose to include all of them in the heritage of Jesus Christ—the Savior of the world. The history found in the genealogies of Jesus Christ is essential spiritually and historically. We learn through this section of scripture that Jesus is the Messiah, the “Anointed One” the Jews had been waiting for, and whom the prophets had proclaimed throughout the Old Testament. In these verses we also see that the lineage of Jesus goes all the way back to Abraham, thus further validating who He is both historically and spiritually. This may not be your history, but to the people hearing the book of Matthew, this was profound ,and attached directly to their heritage, their family tree, and their genealogy (Genesis 12:1-3; Isaiah 9:6-7). Jesus is who they had been waiting for, and He is who we need for salvation, rescue, and hope even now.