The angels sang Joy to the world for a group of shepherds at the birth of a baby in the city of David. But removed two thousand years, and separated by more than that many miles, we need to ask: what is so joyful about Christmas? We answer by digging into the context of the birth of Jesus through a series of questions: Why did Israel need a Messiah? What did Israel expect from a Messiah? And what type of Messiah was Jesus of Nazareth? The answers to these ground our joyful celebration of the birth of the promised Messiah.