Gospel of Matthew, 1:18-25

 ¹⁸ Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹ Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. ²⁰ But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” ²² So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” ²⁴ Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ²⁵ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

Commentary

Vs. 18 The birth of Jesus Christ is not only the fulfillment of the Scriptures regarding this glorious historical event, but it is the long awaited and longed for redemption from sin and death and restoration with God that each and every human heart longs for. And so Matthew in this section of Scripture records for us the supernatural conception of Jesus Christ, something which was foretold in God’s Word some 700 years before its occurrence (see vs. 23 quoting Isaiah 7:14). While the Gospel of Luke also records the historical events that preceded Jesus’ birth but in greater detail (see Luke 1:26-38). And so Matthew’s Gospel is very succinct and to the point, stating:

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.”

Thus though Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married they had not known each other intimately, and so before they ever did so Mary (according to the angels prophecy, see Luke’s Gospel) was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit by which her Supernatural conception took place, and thus Jesus’ life here on earth began as all of us begin, as a fetus in our mother’s womb. Now what is unique too Jesus is that though Jesus was fully human, He did not have a human father, but rather He choose to enter the world this way so that He could become fully human, but be born (and this is important to note) outside of the realm of human sin, which entered the world through Adam, the first human being God created, (and thus as such Adam was the head of the human race, indeed God set him over all of His creation, that is until Christ’s becoming a Man, the Son of Man in this fashion). And so though we are all biologically and spiritually descended from Adam; through whom we are all born into sins domain and realm. Yet it is through Christ’s becoming a Man that we by our faith in His Person Crucified and Risen from the dead are transferred out of the realm of sin and darkness and death and into Christ’s realm, the Kingdom of God’s realm, where everlasting light and life is found (consider John 8:12). Therefore the Lord Jesus Christ in entering humanity this way was so that He could retain His full Divinity while entering into full humanity without entering into our sinful condition. Therefore throughout the Gospels the Lord Jesus Christ will refer to Himself as both the Son of Man, as well as the Son of God.

 Vs. 19 “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.”

 Now Joseph upon hearing of Mary’s pregnancy, (though initially not understand these things), being a just man did not want to make a public example of her, and so the Scripture states he was minded to put her away secretly so as not to put her to a public shame and reproach. And so this very unselfish consideration of Mary’s well being by Joseph reveals just what kind of person he was, a just and quite obviously a gentle man, who yet unknown to himself had been chosen by God to be the earthly parent of God’s only begotten Son.

 Vs. 20-21 “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. ²¹ And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

 God then knowing Joseph’s confusion as well as his heart’s desire to do what was right now sends His angel to Joseph to reveal to him the truth about Mary’s pregnancy. Now the Word of God spoken to Joseph by the angel must have been a cause of great joy and amazement. The fact that his betrothed bride Mary was pregnant with a Child by the Holy Spirit, (and thus she had not been unfaithful to him), must have been an astonishing revelation from God to him to digest. For this was no ordinary child, for this Child was to be named Jesus (which means Savior) for as the angel stated: “He will save His people from their sins.” Which again must have left both Joseph and Marry amazed as well as bewildered as to how? Nonetheless their innocence and simplicity of persons would allow them to simply believe and trust God and allow God to work out those details, theirs then would be to care for and raise the Child according to the Word of God.

 Vs. 22-23 “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ²³ “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

 Therefore in Jesus Christ’s Supernatural conception and birth through the virgin Mary is brought the fulfillment of the Word of God spoken through Isaiah, specifically Isaiah 7:14 who foretold of God coming to us like this. Now that Jesus would also be called Immanuel is not just a Name, but a designation that In Christ God is with us. For both the Presence and Person along with all the Promises of God are wrapped up in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, the Savior of the world, the Savior of everyone who repents and believes in Him.

 Vs. 24-25 “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, ²⁵ and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”

 Joseph then having been instructed by the angel in a dream, being aroused from his sleep then puts his mind to do as the angel said to him to do, and so Joseph abandons any and all thoughts of putting Mary away secretly, rather he will do as the Lord has commanded him, and so Joseph takes Mary to be his wife (vs. 24). Now when Joseph took Mary to be his wife, he did not know her (that is intimately) until after the Christ Child was born, and in doing so Mary would remain a virgin until then. Now with the Child’s birth Joseph names the Child Jesus (Savior) as the angel told him to do.

 Scripture Citation

The New King James Version. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982.