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Exegetical Notes on Matthew 1:18-25


Matthew 1:18-25

Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

“Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”

which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.


Observations:

Birth of Jesus Christ
Mary was engaged to Joseph
They had not yet lived together
She was pregnant from the Holy Spirit
Joseph was righteous and did not want to shame her
He planned to divorce her quietly
An angel appeared to him in a dream
Don’t be afraid b/c the child is from the Holy Spirit
Name the child Jesus b/c He will save his people from their sins
Prophet: Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14)  - God is with us
Joseph obeyed the angel
Had no marital relations until Jesus was born

Who: Joseph
What: Discovered his wife was pregnant, and was reassured by an angel that this was from God
Where: Bethlehem? (2:1) Luke has this taking place in Nazareth (Luke 1:26)
When: 0AD/4BC or thereabouts

Repeated Words:
Holy Spirit is mentioned in vv 18 and 20
The name Jesus is mentioned 3 times

Contrast/Cause and Effect:
Joseph was ready to break off the engagement, and then had a change of mind when the angel visited him in a dream

Interpretation:
Jesus born of a virgin indicates that God is reaching out to us even before we reach out to Him
.
Author:
  • Apostle Matthew,
  • former tax collector called to be an apostle,
  • probably had many enemies in the Jewish world due to him being a tax collector, but this also served as a witness to God’s redemption of sinners.
Audience:
  • Irenaeus, recorded that Matthew wrote the Gospel in the language of the Hebrew people, most likely this was Aramaic.
  • This Gospel was most likely written to early Jewish followers of the Way
  • Matthew structures stories to show how Jesus is the fulfillment of prophets’ messages.  This raises a logistical question because many of those prophecies had immediate fulfillments.  (Isaiah 7:14 is followed up in vv. 16 showing how Assyria and (Egypt?) will no longer be attacking the Kingdom of Judah.)  Everett Fox suggests that fulfill means, to give even more meaning, to fill up.  Matthew was showing how the prophecies point towards Jesus.
  • The Sermon on the Mount demonstrates that Jesus’ understanding of the Torah was not only about outward behavior, but also an inward mindset.
Cultural Context:
  • Early Jewish Christians faced possible martyrdom.
  • They would have lived in Palestine before, during, and possibly after the destruction of Jerusalem
Message to the Original Hearers:
  • Jesus Christ was born of a virgin
    • God made sure He was born in an extraordinary way
    • This is no ordinary child
    • This is no ordinary person
    • God performed a miracle in bringing Jesus into this world
  • Joseph practiced obedience in the face of possible scandal.  (How many other people realized Mary was pregnant?)
  • Christ’s coming indicated that God is present – Immanuel
  • Don’t be afraid of what is happening around you.
Timeless Principles:
  • God acts in supernatural ways
  • Don’t try to explain the extraordinary with ordinary means
  • Jesus Christ is the surest sign that miracles do occur.
  • A huge act of faith is to be obedient in extraordinary circumstances
  • God is with us – Immanuel
  • Bravely go forward with God’s calling

Correlations:
  •  … Conceived by the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary (Nicene and Apostles Creeds)
  • Jesus is the only perfect image of the Father, and shows us the nature of God. (BCP pg. 849)
  • By God’s own act, his divine Son received our human nature from the Virgin Mary, His mother. (BCP pg. 849)
  • The divine Son became human, so that in Him human beings might be adopted as children of God, and be made heirs of God’s kingdom. (BCP pg. 850)
  •  … when we had fallen into sin and become subject to evil and death, you, in your mercy, sent Jesus Christ, your only and eternal Son, to share our human nature, to live and die as one of us, to reconcile us to you, the God and Father of all. (BCP pg. 362)



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