Today we continue with our study of Matthew, and conclude chapter one. Previous posts in this series were – Son of David, Son of Abraham, and also The Cast List.

Let’s read the final verses of chapter one:

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,[f] 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 1:18-25 (NIV)

This is part of the Christmas story which we think about each year. Matthew gives us a fairly brief account of how Jesus was born, although goes into further detail in the next chapter.

We learn that Joseph is pledged to be married to a young girl named Mary. “Pledged to be married” in this context means betrothed, and perhaps what we might think of as “engaged.” However, in the culture of the day, our understanding of “engaged” does not go nearly far enough. Couples today can break an engagement by simply deciding to do so. In the culture Matthew is describing, you would need a divorce to break such a betrothal. It was a commitment, and could not be broken.

Before the couple are formally married, and so before they consummate their marriage, Mary is found to be pregnant. This is no small scandal. Either Mary has been unfaithful to Joseph, or else Mary and Joseph have jumped the gun as it were. Neither of these scenarios are true of course, but no one in their community would understand that.

Joseph, of course, knows he has not slept with Mary, and so finding her pregnant leads to only one conclusion. Verse 19 tells us that he is faithful to the law, and therefore he must act. In such cases of adultery, he would not be wrong to insist on the justice of law and condemn Mary to death by stoning. Yet, he does not do this. Instead, he has in mind to divorce her quietly.

Why would he make such a choice? The law allows for him to condemn her, yet he chooses instead to dismiss her as quietly as possible so as to not expose her to public shame. He must care about her, and although must do what is right and just, he does not wish to seek revenge or punishment. An unmarried pregnant girl and then mother in that culture would be punishment enough.

Things do not work out as planned…

Verse 20 tells us that an angel of the Lord appears to Joseph in a dream, and tells him that Mary will have a son. This Son will not be any old child, but the Messiah and conceived by the Holy Spirit. The angel instructs him to take her home, and to name the child Jesus when He is born.

Verse 24 tells us that when he awoke, Joseph did exactly what the Lord had commanded him. He took Mary home as his wife. We must not underestimate this. How many of us can claim that we have done precisely what God told us? Not many, I’d wager. This obedience is costly too, as it means (in the world’s eyes at least) admitting he and Mary were unfaithful before they were married. You and I know this to be untrue, yet his community would not have. This took tremendous courage for him.

There are a couple of points in this passage worth noting. Firstly, verses 22 and 23 quote the prophet about a virgin conceiving and having a child. It is often Matthew’s habit to quote the prophets and point to Jesus as fulfilling them. There is some debate about the word for “virgin” here, and some say that the original text of the Old Testament uses a word for “maiden” rather than specifically “virgin.” This is typically to argue that the Virgin Birth was not credible.

However, there are two things to point out about this. First off, a maiden aka a girl having a child is not a sign. Women have children all the time all over the world, and it was no different two thousand years ago. It’s hardly a sign! A virgin, however, having a child is something else entirely!

Secondly, the Greek Septuagint translation of the Old Testament used a very clear term for “virgin.” I think there is little room for doubt here. The Bible clearly teaches that Jesus was born of a virgin – amazing at it sounds – and so we choose whether to believe it or dismiss the text as untrue. i choose the former.

Another thing to note from this passage is found in verse 25. It says clearly that Joseph did not consummate his marriage with Mary “until after” Jesus had been born. There will be people who tell you Mary remained a virgin for her entire life, yet the biblical text disputes this. The verse says “until” implying she was a virgin for a time, and then not after. Likewise, we know from other texts that Jesus had siblings (half-siblings at least) again showing us that Mary had other children in a more traditional way.

Finally, Joseph names Jesus as he was told to. To give a name is to be someone in authority. I name my children because I am the parent. Joseph here does name Jesus, but only as instructed. This indicates that the authority over Jesus was not in Joseph, but in another… namely the Father.

Matthew chapter one communicates the heritage of Christ. It shows us that He was the descendent of both David and Abraham, and that He entered the world in an extraordinary fashion. Matthew has established that this Jesus was no ordinary man, nor just another Rabbi or teacher. Matthew claims Him to be the long-awaited Messiah.

We often reflect on Mary’s holiness and the miracle of the Virgin Birth. We think of other well known Christmas things, such as Shepherds or Magi or the angelic host. We rarely think of Joseph’s courage. Becoming a father is tough enough in any circumstances, yet for him, he was taking on responsibility for God’s Son. And, as discussed above, he would not have the support of his community to do so. Joseph was something of a hero in my eyes.

Are you willing to obey the Lord, no matter the cost to you or your reputation? I wish I could say a definite yes, but I also know my weaknesses and limitations. I thank God for His patience with me, and for the Son He gave us to fulfil all aspects of the Law on our behalf. Thank God that Jesus came and completed His sacrificial work that you and I might not be trapped forever in our sin.

I pray I may have even half of Joseph’s courage to follow the Lord’s direction whatever it may be.

• Palm Sunday talk – Andy Brown
• Stones that shout for joy – Andy Brown
• This Sunday at Church: Pray for the neighborhood around Church
• Glorify the Lord – Andy Brown
• When a rich man met Jesus..Encounters with Jesus