Matthew began his testimony with an important family history to show that Jesus was a descendent of Abraham and a descendant of king David. To be a descendant of Abraham was important because God had promised Abraham that his descendants would bless and bring salvation to the whole world (see Genesis 12:2–3; Abraham 2:9–11). To be a descendant of King David was important because the Jews knew that the Messiah would be a literal descendant of David (see Isaiah 11:1–9).Elder James E. Talmage, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, taught that if Judah had been continually ruled by kings since the time of David, Mary’s husband Joseph “would have been her crowned king; and his lawful successor to the throne would have been Jesus” (Jesus the Christ, 3rd. ed. [1916], 87).The story of Christ’s birth is also found in Luke 2. Matthew 1 tells the story of Joseph and the birth of Christ, while Luke 1–2 tells Mary’s story. As you read Matthew 1:18–25, look for qualities in Joseph that would make him a good guardian and father to Jesus.