Matthew 1

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (v1).  Jesus was conceived by the Spirit (v18) and angels announced His birth, but Matthew also describes His human ancestry through his adopted father Joseph. The genealogy mentions Bathsheba, and Ruth the foreigner, and Rahab the prostitute, and the Jews’ deportation from Israel (v11).  When the Son of God took on flesh, He took on all that complicated, messy history.  

Jesus is called “God with us” (v23).  He is with us in the ugly and painful parts of our lives as well as the good parts; He redeems it all and makes us holy.