In today’s lesson two text of scripture frame the narrative of Jesus and his importance to all humanity. Israel has known very few times of freedom in their existence and during the life of Jesus was no exception. After Babylon came Persia, then Greece, and finally Rome. Therefore, it is important to see why Matthew, a predominately-Jewish letter, takes an opportunity to promote the idea of Jesus’ Jewishness as a way of promoting family pride and self-confidence. They moved from an insignificant group to national leadership.
