FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:18-25

Conceived by the Holy Spirit – Continued

From last lesson: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’ ” (Matthew 1:20). Every phrase from God counts.

The address “Joseph, son of David” links the virgin conception to the Davidic genealogy. The Holy Spirit is the author of this life, yet Joseph has a role to play.

“Do not fear to take Mary as your wife” addresses his sad resolution to divorce the woman he loves. The angel assures Joseph that things are not as they seem. Because the child is conceived not by a man but by the Holy Spirit, Joseph can marry his beloved. She is as pure and godly as he had hoped. Into his new marriage, Joseph must take this child as his son. Jesus is conceived by the Spirit of God, but Joseph must adopt him into the line of David. From that line, the deliverer of Israel must come. Therefore Jesus is both the Son of God and the son of David. Because of the adoption, Jesus will grow up in a normal home, with both father and mother to love and nurture him.

“That which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” The church traditionally speaks of the virgin birth, but the Gospels stress the miraculous conception, the virgin conception, of Christ. The miracle lay in the manner of Jesus’ conception. So far as we know, the process of birth itself was normal. Again, every phrase from God counts!

The Child’s Name and Mission

God tells Joseph the child is a boy and that his name must be Jesus: “She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). As we have seen, Jesus means “the Lord is salvation” or “the Lord saves.” The Lord saves and delivers his people in many ways: he gives food to the hungry, he heals the sick, he comforts the brokenhearted. Many hoped the Messiah would save Israel from its Roman oppressors.

But the angel declares God’s agenda. Jesus will not save his people from physical enemies; he “will save his people from their sins.” Sin is the root of all other calamities. Yes, calamity comes from many sources, accidents, forgetfulness, and disease, for example. But the root, the cause, of disorder is sin, and the greatest disorder is to be at odds with God. Jesus will save his people from that.

This birth of Jesus begins the unfolding of God’s salvation; it also fulfills Scripture. Matthew’s precise words are instructive: “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet” (Matthew 1:22). That is, the prophet Isaiah spoke as God moved him (2 Peter 1:21). These are God’s very words, spoken by a prophet, to prepare the way for God’s salvation.

The birth of Jesus shows that God is with us. In important ways, God is always with us. We can never flee from his presence. He is in the heavens and the depths, on land and at sea (Psalm 139:7-10). We can ignore God, we can deny God, we can curse God. But he never disappears. His reign extends over all creation, even, in a way, over hell itself. God is omnipresent. Nevertheless, Matthew says that with Jesus’ birth, God entered human history in a new way. He is with us with power and for blessing.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Daniel M. Doriani, The Incarnation in the Gospels, Reformed Expository Commentary.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:18-25

Conceived by the Holy Spirit

Mary and Joseph are betrothed (legally pledged to be married), however, not yet married, when the account of Jesus’ birth begins. “Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Mary and Joseph did not live in the same home. They were, Matthew says, sexually chaste; they had not yet “come together.” They were betrothed and pure, yet she was pregnant.

In Israel, betrothal was much weightier than engagement in western societies today. It was so binding that Matthew already calls Joseph “her husband” (Matthew 1:19). The couple did not sleep together during their betrothal, yet Mary’s body was swelling. Her body declared that she was pregnant. What a crushing blow to Joseph! He had never been with Mary but, so it seemed, someone else had. His bride-to-be was pregnant but was not carrying his child. He was a righteous man and wanted a righteous wife. If Mary had been unfaithful to him before they even married, what kind of woman was she? What kind of marriage could they have? In every moral, emotional, and legal way, he had a right to plan to end the betrothal. Since betrothal was so binding, its termination amounted to a divorce. However miserable the thought, Joseph considered divorce. Matthew says: “Her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19).

This indicates that Joseph was just and upright and wanted no part of a corrupt marriage. As a just man, Joseph had a right to cancel the marriage since Mary was pregnant but not by him. Given these (apparent) facts, it was sensible to put her aside. But Joseph was merciful too. He could have exposed Mary, as an unwed mother, to public disgrace and to severe penalties. A quiet divorce, however, would preserve some of her dignity. She would bear the consequences of her action, but would not suffer the most public humiliation. So Joseph settled on a quiet divorce.

The Lord let Joseph struggle to solve his problem for a season before he revealed a better plan. He often does this, letting us make our plans, then revealing a better way. When this happens, we must change our plans, as Joseph did. We must test our plans and purposes against God’s will, as revealed in Scripture and in the counsel of the wise. Even plans that look sound must be open to revision.

God wanted Joseph to proceed with the marriage, and sent an angel to tell him why. Here we must purge our popular images of angels. In the Bible, angels are not cute and do not specialize in romance. They are as likely to say something frightening as to say something comforting. Their appearance in our realm is a rare, weighty, and awesome event.

Angels are God’s mighty messengers. There is a cluster of angel appearances near the birth of Jesus because it is such a great event. Here God’s angel intervenes for the sake of Joseph (and for our sake) so he will know what this virgin conception means: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit’ ” (Matthew 1:20). Every phrase from God counts.

The address “Joseph, son of David” links the virgin conception to the Davidic genealogy. The Holy Spirit is the author of this life, yet Joseph has a role to play.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Daniel M. Doriani, The Incarnation in the Gospels, Reformed Expository Commentary.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture Reference: Matthew 1:18-25

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18).

Matthew 1:18 begins, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way . . .” but close reading shows that we are not yet considering the birth itself, narrowly conceived. It is more the story of the virgin conception of Jesus, as the eternal Son of God becomes a man. God’s Spirit forms the human baby in the womb of a virgin. His angel tells Joseph and Mary all they need to know to care for this child who was, months later, born into their family.

Matthew so describes the beginning of Jesus’ life that it foreshadows much of the rest of his life. Matthew’s account describes more than a birth. In fact, the Greek word translated “birth” in verse 18 is not the ordinary word for birth at all. To translate literally, Matthew says, “The origin of Jesus Christ was like this.” Matthew wrote his account so all may know the origin and conception of this virgin-born child named Jesus.

The story is told from the perspective of Joseph, and that makes sense. Through Joseph, his adopting father, Jesus receives vital credentials for his mission. Through Joseph, he is counted the son of David. This fulfills the ancient promise that Israel would have a David-like king, to rule the people with justice (2 Samuel 7:11-16). The Lord promised this through Jeremiah: “I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely” (Jeremiah 23:5-6).

The Israelites endured many an evil king while awaiting this Davidic deliverer. Sadly, they could have endured a thousand generations of disappointment unless something changed. But there were hints that God was orchestrating events, leading them to a climax. By the time of Mary and Joseph, the line of David had shown its sinfulness, its fecklessness. Indeed, in its calling to rule Israel, that line was exhausted and all but invisible.

For this reason, Matthew reveals that Jesus is from the line of David, but not from the flesh of David. The promises to David’s heirs showed that Israel needed a mighty deliverer, a great and fearless king, a warrior to battle foes, and a man who loves God and his people more than life itself. Yet the history of Israel had been a sad tale of failed king following failed king. Human flesh could not deliver God’s people. They needed something different. This lesson is universal: no king or prophet can deliver us, for flesh and blood by itself cannot save. No politician or physician, no teacher or preacher, no father or mother, can deliver mankind.

Matthew says God has been orchestrating the needed deliverance. Since the Lord often uses names to reveal his purposes, he gives baby Jesus more than one name; no single name could describe all that he is. The baby is called both Jesus and Immanuel. Jesus means God saves; the name is given “for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Immanuel means God with us. The name Immanuel, says Matthew, fulfills a prophecy.

The birth of Jesus “took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)” (Matthew 1:22-23, citing Isaiah 7). This is a surprise. The people had been looking for a son of David, but not for Immanuel. Perhaps no one genuinely heard the prophecy; nonetheless, Isaiah gave it. (The fact that we are deaf does not mean God fails to speak). The birth of Jesus, God’s Immanuel, fulfills several prophecies, some clear, others veiled. (Fulfillment of prophecy is mentioned often early in Matthew. See 1:22; 2:15; 4:14).

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Daniel M. Doriani, The Incarnation in the Gospels, Reformed Expository Commentary.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Used by permission. All rights reserved.