Genealogy is somewhat important to us today, but it was far more important to the ancient Jews. They kept strict genealogical records, and many of the Jews could trace back their lineage through many generations.

We find two lists of Jesus’ genealogies, one in Matthew and one in Luke. If we are reading through the Gospel accounts, I imagine that most of us would admit that we usually skim over this material or skip it altogether. Reading genealogical lists is not terribly exciting or relevant for us today.

But it was very important information to the ancient Jews. Hidden within those genealogical lists are some rather surprising details. Two of the Gospel writers, Matthew and Luke, thought the genealogical record of Jesus was important enough to include in their accounts. These accounts are located right next to the accounts of Jesus’ birth. So the genealogies say something important about Jesus.

Christmas is a celebration of Jesus’ birth. But that birth was the culmination of a long list of people who lived and events that happened before Jesus was born. Today I want to take a look at some of the interesting information locked away in Jesus’ genealogy. These accounts should give us even greater confidence in the Bible and in Jesus’ claims to be the Son of God.