Matthew was a Jewish tax collector who became one of Jesus’ twelve disciples. The book of Matthew’s purpose is to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed and promised eternal King, our Savior.

1. Matthew list the Jewish family line of Jesus. Jesus was a descendant of Abraham, the father of all Jews, God’s chosen people.
2. The first 17 verses of Matthew span 2000 years, 46 individual people are listed. All were ancestors of Jesus.
3. The ancestors of Jesus had different personalities and spiritual levels of maturity.
4. Some ancestors were champions of faith, like Abraham, Ruth and David.
5. Some ancestors had bad reputations like Rahab and Tamar.
6. God is not limited in who He can work through.
7. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
8. Joseph was faced with a very difficult situation when he learned Mary was pregnant.
9. God’s wisdom and guidance helped Joseph to make the right decision.
10. Angels are spiritual beings created by God who help carry out his work.
11. Joseph chose to obey God’s command through the angel.
12. When our decisions affect the lives of others, we must always seek God’s wisdom and then be willing to follow God’s direction no matter how difficult.