Matthew 1:18-25
The primary theme in the Gospel According to Matthew is that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Davidic King that the Old Testament foretold. Hence, Matthew not only points out the kingship of Jesus but also points out the kingdom of Jesus and the kingdom message. So, the Gospel According to Matthew, opens with the genealogy of King Jesus, which we examined last Lord’s Day.
Now, we are about to look closely at how this king was born. From our text, I would like for us to see the four events surrounding the birth of the King Jesus. And these four key events are as follows: 1) the divine intervention, 2) the divine conception, 3) the divine mission, and 4) the divine realization.
Context of the Betrothed Period
Before we begin, let’s understand the context. Let’s start with verse 18. The translators have translated the Greek verb to mean “betrothed” (in NASB, NKJ, ESV), “pledged to be married” in NIV, or “espoused” in KJV. However, this verb needs some clarification. The term “betrothed” at the time of Jesus is more formal, legal, and contractual than today’s engagement period.
In today’s term “engagement,” we understand that this is not permanent, legal, or contractual. During the engagement period, there is still the possibility of a breakup because the couple is not legally bound together. However, in Jesus’ day, the “betrothed” period was likened to today’s marriage, the first contractual period. The Jewish people had two marriage stages: betrothed (Kiddushin) and the actual wedding (Huppah). The early phase was when the two families would draw up a binding contract that says Joe Shalom would marry Jane Kibbutz in the presence of eyewitnesses at a private chamber. Hence, betrothal is a legally binding promise of marriage (Deut. 20:7).
Usually, the betrothal period was anywhere between six months to a year before the actual wedding celebration. And one of the purposes of this betrothal period was to test each other’s faithfulness and purity. However, if there was a violation or breaching of the contract during this period, a bill of divorce was officially made.[1]
When the engagement period ends successfully, the two families would then proceed for the actual wedding ceremony of bringing home the bride. And for Jewish people, the marriage ceremony was an all-out and ongoing celebration that lasted for seven days.
Do you think the parents have it tough today? When you marry off your daughter, how would you like to have your friends, family, and your neighbors over for seven days in which you have to continually feed them 24-7 and attend to their needs? Perhaps, you now have a better understanding in John 2 when Jesus was at a wedding when the wedding party ran out of the drink. If you had a wedding party for a whole week (24-7), I’ll guarantee you that glass would not be the only thing that would bottom out! At the end of the wedding night, it was customary for the bride’s parents to show the blood-stained sheet as proof of the daughter’s virginity. You can read about that in Deuteronomy 22:13-21.
Now, it was during this one-year betrothal period that Mary was found to be with a child! Up to this point, Joseph and Mary never had any sexual intercourse. That is the meaning of the phrase “before they came together” in verse 18. So, you can imagine the shock of Joseph’s life. But notice the character of Joseph in verse 19: “being a righteous man.”
Do you know what a righteous man would do? He would say, “I cannot marry this girl. She’s pregnant, and she has violated and breached the covenant. I must do what the law requires.” To a righteous man, he would not join himself to a morally and spiritually incompatible woman. That’s how Joseph viewed the whole situation.
At the same time, Matthew describes another attribute of Joseph in verse 19 – i.e., his graciousness. The verse reads, “Not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.”
Joseph had two options. If the girl were not found to be a virgin or faithful during the betrothal period, she would be publicly humiliated and faced judgment, which usually meant death (cf. Deut. 22:23-24). So, he had that option.
Another legal option that Joseph had was a quieter and secretive way between the two parties before two or three witnesses and would write out the bill of divorcement as indicated in Deuteronomy 24. Because this was done privately, he wouldn’t bring Mary to public scrutiny and shame, including his embarrassment.
Now, what would you do if you were Joseph? Which Old Testament option would you choose?
From verse 19, we know precisely the option Joseph took. If anything, this shows Joseph’s graciousness and mercy toward Mary. Many scholars suggest that this reveals Joseph cared for and loved Mary. Without a doubt, he must have been heartbroken when he found out that Mary was pregnant.
Now, here comes from verse 20, and it is wonderful. The text says that when Joseph was thinking about his decision, guess what happened? The divine intervention!
1. The Divine Intervention (v. 20)
What perfect timing! The timing cannot be any better than this. God’s timing is always perfect, according to his perfect will. John Calvin said, “How slow or late soever his assistance may be thought to be, it is for our advantage that it is thus delayed.”[2] In other words, it is beneficial that God does not answer our prayer according to our time.
Like Joseph, whatever you may be going through, you are not forgotten by God. Like Joseph, you may be in a crisis, and your mind is occupied with many thoughts and decisions. But be assured that God’s perfect plan for your life will come to pass. However, it will come only in God’s timing, not yours or mine. God says in Isaiah 55:8-9,
NAU Isaiah 55:8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
So, in what way does God’s intervention help Joseph? It is by God’s comforting words, God’s comforting promise in verse 20: “Joseph, do not be afraid.” Those are comforting words of God. The Greek word is φοβέω, where we get phobia from. In essence, what God is saying to Joseph is this: Don’t be afraid and don’t worry. Why? It’s because I have everything under control. I am about to do something that never happened in the history of humanity. I am about to perform a miracle that only I can do that I have planned for eternity.
And what is this miracle that God is speaking of? This leads to our second aspect.
2. The Divine Conception (Vv. 18, 20)
Verse 18 does not end with a scandalous note. Instead, Mary is found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. Also, in verse 20, “The Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” There you have it: divine conception!
This is one of the essential truths of Christianity. In theology, this is called the Doctrine of Virgin Birth. It merely means that Mary had no sexual relationship with a man before giving birth to Jesus. Technically, the term virgin birth is no birth at all. The expression refers to Mary’s miraculous conception of Christ through the Holy Spirit’s power, without any male participation.[3]
The virgin birth is so important that this was one of the tests of Christian orthodoxy in the early church. For instance, the Apostles’ Creed, which dates far back to the late first century or the early second century, clearly teaches the divine conception of Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. You recall the following statement in the creed:
I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth. And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord; who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary.
One of the tests of Christian orthodoxy is the doctrine of virgin birth because it deals with the core nature of Jesus, namely his deity. This doctrine should also not be confused with the Roman Catholic’s teaching of the “immaculate conception,” which teaches that Mary herself was conceived without sin. That is, she was born without sin. That is why the Roman Catholics elevate Mary like she is some sort of a divine being. Several years ago, millions of Catholics signed and submitted a petition to Pope John Paul II to name Mary as Co-redemptrix, which means that Mary can advocate for sinners who need redemption – hence, the title co-redemptrix, the co-redeemer.[4] However, the Bible says there is only one advocate, Christ alone (1 John 2:1). Nowhere in the Scripture can such a view be supported. This undermines the sufficiency of Christ. Now, do you understand why Reformed Christians are so adamant about the Five Solas? The Catholic’s view is not only erroneous but blasphemous.
3. The Divine Mission (v. 21)
Verse 21 tells us why Jesus was born – i.e., for He will save His people from their sins. The name Jesus in Hebrew is Johoshua, which means “God is my salvation.” The very name Jesus carries his mission. And that mission is stated crystal clear in verse 21: for he will save his people from their sins.
This verse is perhaps one of the most important verses in the entire Matthew’s Gospel (if not in the whole NT) because the reason for the birth of Jesus is explicitly stated! This verse also reveals who Jesus Christ is. Can you see it? Perhaps the better question is: who can save people from their sins other than God? That implies that Jesus is God. After all, who can save people from their sins other than God?
And that is precisely Matthew’s point! This king who came and was born is fundamentally different in his nature than all other kings before him and after him! Jesus is as Paul says in Colossians 2:9, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form.” Also, in 1 Timothy 3:16, Jesus Christ is “God who was revealed in the flesh.” This is the core of Christology. This is the core of Christianity.
This verse is also a great lesson on the doctrine of salvation. This verse teaches what you and I need to be saved from! Do you know what that is? You need to be saved from your sin! And I need to be saved from my sin! The problem with you and me is due to our sin! It is a sin that keeps you and me from heaven. It is a sin that keeps you and me from God. It is a sin that causes people to behave sinfully. It is a sin that breaks up a marriage, family, friendships, and churches. If you want to have a proper understanding of salvation and the gospel, you must have a proper view of sin. In his book Holiness, J.C. Ryle writes:
The plain truth is that a right knowledge of sin lies at the root of all saving Christianity. Without it, such doctrines as justification, conversion, sanctification are “words and names” which convey no meaning to the mind. The first thing, therefore, that God does when he makes anyone a new creature in Christ is to send light into his heart and show him that he is a guilty sinner.[5]
He also writes:
Men will never come to Jesus, and stay with Jesus, and live for Jesus, unless they really know why they are to come, and what is their need. Those whom the Spirit draws to Jesus are those whom the Spirit has convinced of sin. Without a thorough conviction of sin, men may seem to come to Jesus and follow Him for a season, but they will soon fall away and return to the world.[6]
I believe that’s why many churches are experiencing such spiritual decline because the people in the pew are not being convinced and convicted of their sin and their sinfulness by the type of messages that come out of the pulpit. People are interested in being accepted for their sinfulness or getting their sinfulness massaged, but many are not interested in God’s solution.
4. The Divine Realization/Fulfillment (Vv. 22-23)
Matthew’s repeated emphasis throughout his Gospel book, namely that Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of God’s covenant promise in the OT. As I mentioned before, Matthew wrote this document primarily for his fellow Jewish people. Matthew wants his readers to know that their Messiah’s birth was predicted, promised, foretold, and it is now fulfilled or realized with Jesus.
There are over 300 prophecies concerning the first coming of Christ that have been fulfilled.[7] And one of the OT prophecies concerning Christ’s birth is mentioned in verse 23, which is the direct quotation from Isaiah 7:14, which God had spoken through his prophet 700 years before Christ! Interestingly, there is no record that Jesus Christ was ever called “Immanuel” when he was here.[8] He was always called Jesus. But the fact that he was always with his people during his earthly ministry (he “tabernacled” amongst his people) implies that he is truly the Immanuel, God with us.[9]
As you can see, this narrative is filled with God’s activities, such as the divine intervention, the divine conception, the divine mission, and the divine realization. However, it is equally true that there is also a picture of man’s responsibility and obedience. And that is portrayed in verse 24: “And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary as his wife,” and in verse 25, Joseph “called His name Jesus.” In other words, we see Joseph’s obedience. And that’s our responsibility – when God commands us, we must obey immediately.
That is what a Christian looks like. He or she immediately obeys. The text does not say that it took a long time for Joseph to do what he was told. No. He immediately did as the angel of the Lord commanded him. The Greek word for angel is ἄγγελος, which means a messenger.
Indeed, you may never have an angelic encounter in your life as Joseph did, but as a Christian, you have a weekly encounter with God’s message through God’s messenger. How are you doing in your obedience to God’s message? Like Joseph, do you immediately apply God’s instruction with obedience? A.W. Tozer said:
Let a man refuse to obey God on some clear point, let him set his will stubbornly to resist any commandment of Christ, and the rest of his religious activities will be wasted. He may go to church for fifty years to no profit. He may tithe, teach, preach, sing, write or edit or run a Bible conference till he gets too old to navigate and have nothing but ashes at last. “To obey is better than sacrifice” (italicized his).[10]
Does that describe you? A test or proof of genuine conversion is obedience to God. May God grant you the faith to believe and for you to act upon faith with immediate obedience!
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[1]P. Trutza, “Marriage” in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible, vol. 5 (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), 4:96-97.
[2]John Calvin, “Harmony of Matthew, Mark, and Luke,” in Calvin’s Commentaries, Vol. 22(Grand Rapids: Baker, 2003), 16:96.
[3]Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago: Moody Press, 1989), 650.
[4]www.catholicsource.net/articles/coredemptrix.html (accessed on April 21, 2006).
[5]J.C. Ryle, Holiness (Moscow, ID: Charles Nolan Publishers, 2001), 1.
[6]Ibid., 12-13.
[7]J. Vernon McGee, Thru the Bible, Vol. IV (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1983), 11.
[8]William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1995), 1206.
[9]Grant R. Osborne, Matthew, Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, edited by Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 82.
[10]Harry Verploegh, The Quotable Tozer (Camp Hill, PA: Christian Publications, 1994), 136.
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