For Christians, yesterday was a day to celebrate the birth of our Savior. Either at home, or at a Christmas Eve service, many return to Matthew or one of the other gospels to hear the Christmas story. Most will start with Matthew 1:18 to read about the virgin Mary being visited by an angel to announce that she would give birth to the Son of God. But what about the first 17 verses of Matthew? Those verses give a genealogy of Jesus, and let's just say that if you spend a little time in the Old Testament, you will find many have quite a colorful past, including prostitutes and murderers. Why would Matthew kick-off one of the most beautiful stories ever told with an account that would seem to be so ugly? I believe it is because Matthew wanted his readers to know that Jesus came to save sinners - sinners like me. And he wasn't just born for me, he died for me. And that death paid the penalty for all of my sins - past, present and future. Praise Him.
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