The Gospels are a proclamation of the "good news" of the Lord Jesus Christ, not a biography. He came to "seek and to save that which is lost" (Luke 19:10). Matthew states that His very name defines His mission: "for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:26). Jesus is the promised Messiah. In his Gospel, Matthew quotes or alludes to the Old Testament sixty-five times stressing that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises. In straight-forward fashion, Matthew states the circumstances of Jesus' birth. "Now this is what happened" (1:18).