The Book of Matthew! An explanation of chapters 1 and 2

Hello everyone! As mentioned in my last blog, yesterday was a very powerful day for me. I experienced Jesus in a way I never had before. Because of this, I was interested in his life from when he was a baby to his crucifixion. I decided to read a few chapters of the book of Matthew, which tells the story of Jesus's life, each day. And why not share what I have learned with my blog? So each day I will summarize what I have read and try to make it easy to understand for new believers or even those who just need an explanation.
The book begins by listing all of Jesus's ancestors, and trust me, there is a lot! You can read all of these names in Matthew 1: 1-16. If you are a new believer or a young child, I'd suggest reading an NIV or NIRV just to get a better explanation of the list. But to summarize this list, there were 14 generations from Abraham to David, 14 generations from David until the exile of Babylon, and 14 generations from the exile to the birth of Jesus, the Messiah.
Verses 18-25 describes the birth of Jesus. Mary, the mother of Jesus, had been promised to Joseph in marriage. However, Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit before the marriage. Joseph wanted to call off the marriage because being pregnant before marriage was looked down on during this time. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him, "Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for she is pregnant by the Holy Spirit and you shall call him Jesus." When Joseph woke up, he as he was told.
In chapter 2 verses 1-12 tells about the wise men visiting Jesus. Jesus was born in Bethlehem, where the current king was Herod. When Herod found out about the birth of the Messiah, he secretly called the Wise Men to get a little more information on this Messiah that was born. Keep in mind that this wasn't right when Jesus was born it was actually a few years later. They followed a star that led them right to Jesus's house. They offered Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. If you want to know what these things are and what they represent, let me know and I can do a separate blog on that. Back to the story, God warned the wise men in a dream not to return to Herod. So they went another route back home.
Verses 13-18 in chapter 2 are very interesting. God appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him to escape and flee to Egypt as soon as possible because Herod intended to kill Jesus. He said to stay there until he told them it was safe to leave. Joseph got up immediately and began the flee to Egypt that night. Herod realized that the wise men had tricked him and became very angry. So he sent out soldiers to kill every boy in Bethlehem that was two years old and younger. This passage ends by quoting a prophecy that was predicted by Jeremiah that came true. (This prophecy describes what Herod did to the children.)
In verses 19-23, we find out that Herod is dead. God appears to Joseph in a dream again and tells Joseph the go to Israel with the baby and his mother because everyone who had tried to kill him was dead. However, Joseph was afraid to go because Archelaus, the son of Herod, took the throne of his father. But Joseph listened to God and left for Galilee. They made there home in a city called Nazareth. Many of the prophets said that Jesus would be called a Nazarene, which came true.
So that was the end of chapter two! I hope that everyone understand what these chapters were saying and I hope that if you have any questions you will comment them below. I hope everyone has a blessed day!

Jesus has Risen!

Hello everyone! I hope that everyone has had a great Easter Sunday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. I was recently in an Easter play at my church. I was the light that removed sin before Jesus was born. However, my father played Jesus. The music and acting was so realistic, I could barely watch the scene where he is captured because it my dad. Then I realized, Jesus is our father too. And now watching all the videos that people have posted today and the videos at church, I can barely look at them without bursting into tears. Why? Because I realized that he is my heavenly father and I don't know what I would do without him. I love him so much! Even writing this blog makes me want to cry because I have never appreciated what he did for me this much ever in my entire life. One of my favorite Easter songs is "You Thought of Us." I really encourage you to listen to it. It describes my feelings right now perfectly. It goes:

"You thought of us, everyone of us, and all your love for us caused you to stay. You could have spared your life, and still had paradise. But even all the pain we put you through became too much, you thought of us."

If you don't know Jesus's story, I really encourage you to ask a pastor or a friend. It is the most beautiful and saddening story and really will affect your heart. If you do know the resurrection story, share it with those who don't and lead them to know Jesus.

Dear Lord,
I can feel your presence right now and I know, I know, I know that I am not the best follower of you. I pray on this Easter Sunday that you will lead me out of sin and guide me to your light. I also want to thank you for what Jesus did for me and for everyone on this Earth. I know some people do not appreciate it but Lord, please help them. They need to experience your love like I have just a few moments ago. Lord help those who are needy, sick, and need your presence. You know who they are, help them be leaded to the right path.
In your name I pray, Amen.