God became human for us. Jesus was God. He was also completely human. The story of his birth showed how this could be true. God promised to send the Messiah. Jesus is the Christ. Matthew has told us this. He has shown us that Jesus had the right family. He was the son of Abraham. He was the son of David too. Now we want the story to begin!
Matthew 1:18-25
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Matthew tells us two great facts about Jesus’ birth here. First, a virgin gave birth to Jesus. Second, Jesus’ strange birth was special. It had special meaning.
Joseph and Mary had agreed to marry. This agreement would be for a year. Then there would be the marriage. It was during this year that Joseph found out about something. Mary was going to have a baby. Of course, he thought that she must have had sex with another man.
God’s law demanded action. Joseph wanted to give honor to God in his life. But, he did not act before he had thought about it. Then, he had a very clear dream. He knew that it was from God. An angel brought a message to Joseph. It was hard to believe it. Mary was going to have a child. But she had not had sex with another man. She was still a virgin! Her child belonged to God in a special way. He was from the Holy Spirit. This was exactly what God had said would happen. The angel reminded Joseph about this. He would have known the words from Isaiah 7:14.
14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel
Joseph acted very bravely. He obeyed God’s message. He married Mary. Probably, some people laughed at him. They would think that there had been sex before marriage. They might think that he was not obeying God’s laws. Other people might accuse Mary. They might say that she was a wicked woman. It is not always easy to obey God!
Matthew explained why this strange event happened. God became a man. He did this to ‘save his people from their sins’ (verse 21). Men and women can do many good things. But all people have sinned. Men and women are unable to help themselves. People need someone who will rescue them.
Customs of Jewish marriage
There were three periods to a Jewish marriage. First, there was the ‘engagement’. This was often while the couple were still children. The parents would use someone else to arrange it. The couple might not even see each other. Marriage was a serious matter. You could not trust the emotions of young people.
The second period was the ‘betrothal’. This was an official agreement. It was between the two young people. It meant that the engagement should continue. Up to this time, it could end. After the betrothal, they could not end the agreement. It lasted one year. During this time, people spoke to them as if they were man and wife. But they did not live together. Divorce was the only way to end it. Joseph and Mary were in this period when we first hear about them. The marriage was at the end of the year of betrothal.
Joseph was a good man. This meant that he obeyed God’s law. Some laws spoke about women who had sex with many men. There should be a public meeting about the matter. Then there should be a divorce. (Deuteronomy 22:23–29.) By the time of Joseph and Mary, the Jews did not kill people for this sin. But, there was another way to deal with it. The law seemed to allow a ‘secret’ divorce. (Deuteronomy 24:1–2.) Joseph was a kind man. So, he decided to have this kind of divorce. That would mean that Mary’s shame would not be so bad.
Birth by a virgin
Matthew told how a virgin gave birth. In verse 23, Matthew repeated Isaiah 7:14. He used the word ‘virgin’. We know that the Bible is true and these two writings generations apart refer to Jesus
Think about it
God called Joseph to do a very brave thing. Is there any part of your life where you are like Joseph? What could you learn from this passage to encourage you?
Christians believe that Mary was a virgin. (She had not had sex with any man.) They teach that it is true. Why do you think that this is important?
We live in a world where people often suffer. What message does this passage give you? What does it suggest that your church could do about it?