Matthew 1:18–25

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 Christ ( 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 did not tell us all the facts about Jesus’ birth. But we can be sure about two great facts. He told us enough for this. First, a virgin gave birth to Jesus. (Note: A virgin is someone who has never had sex.) 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. (Read more about this at the end of this section.) 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 honour 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. Joseph was familiar with the OT. So, he would know the words from Isaiah 7:14.

Joseph acted very bravely. He obeyed God’s message. He married Mary. Some people probably laughed at him. They would think that there had been sex before marriage. Some friends would know that he would not do this. 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. They might say that she would have sex with any man for money! 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 bad habits. The bad habits come from sin. All of the OT and all of human history show us this. Men and women are unable to help themselves. This is very sad. People need someone who will rescue them. The Bible teaches something more. People are sinners. They are against God. In the end, God must punish them.

So, in these verses, Matthew suggested a truth. He would explain more about it later.

Questions

  1. 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?
  2. Christians believe that Mary was a virgin. They teach that it is true. Why do you think that this is important? (The NT only mentions the special birth clearly twice.)
  3. We live in a world where people often suffer. They are often sad. What message does this passage give your church to declare? What does it suggest that your church could do about it?

More explanation

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. This still happens today in many places. 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 sexual relationships with many men. There should be a public meeting about the matter. Then there should be a divorce (Read 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 (Read 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.

Important truths

Birth by a virgin

Matthew told how a virgin gave birth. People often doubt his account. Even some important teachers of the OT have questions about it. In verse 23, Matthew repeated Isaiah 7:14. He used the word ‘virgin’. These teachers say that Isaiah’s word just means ‘young woman’. (The Hebrew word is ‘alma’.) ‘Alma’ is the closest word to ‘virgin’ in Hebrew. It does not necessarily mean someone who has never had sex. But it does seem to suggest a virgin. It comes from a word that means ‘secret’. In fact, the OT never uses the word ‘alma’ about a married person.

There is another explanation. Isaiah may be referring to an event that would happen soon. But he could have been pointing to a much greater event too. Matthew would be writing about the greater event. Whatever Isaiah meant, we can be sure about one thing. It is this. We know that the Bible is true. NT writers never changed the meaning of the OT.