When Jesus was born, most people didn’t know how to read or write. Instead of reading books, they told stories, which were then passed down from one generation to the next. Some of those stories involved kings, such as King David and King Solomon. The Jewish people loved hearing about these kings because it reminded them of a time when their nation was powerful. By the time Jesus was born, the Jews were ruled by the Romans and were often treated badly. They didn’t have good kings anymore, even though they really wished they did.