Matthew’s Christmas story intends to show that Jesus is Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. Yet there is so much in the story that is unexpected and even scandalous for his first readers. The genealogy, the virgin birth, the visit of the wise men, the escape from King Herod, and then the return from Egypt, all illustrate Matthew’s point. With God, scandals become signs that God is at work in bringing Emmanuel (God with us) to all humanity, Jews and Gentiles alike.