Matthew 1:18

Thursday, 25 July 2024

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 1:18

“And the birth of Jesus Christ was thus: For his mother Mary, having been betrothed to Joseph, rather before they came together, she was found – from Holy Spirit – having in womb” (CG).

The previous verse explained the number of generations from Abraham to David, from David to the Babylonian exile, and from the Babylonian exile to the coming of Christ. Now, it says, “And the birth of Jesus Christ was thus.”

Matthew immediately begins with an explanation of how Christ Jesus was conceived. He has just carefully detailed the line of Jesus, demonstrating that with all certainty He descended from Abraham and then David in a legal manner. This established His right to the Davidic throne. However, there is more to be considered, and so Matthew next says, “For his mother Mary...”

Mary is a human being. As all things produce after their own kind, she will have a human child. This is the pattern set in Genesis 1. It has remained without exception since creation. Mary’s life was a typical one in regard to marriage at that time as Matthew next notes with the words, “having been betrothed to Joseph.”

Marriages were often arranged in Israel. For example, in Judges 14, Samson saw a girl he wanted to marry, and he told his parents. They accompanied him to her home and Samson then spoke to the girl, liked her, and a marriage was agreed upon. Something like this was probably the case with Joseph and Mary.

She was now his in a legal sense, which was protected by the Law of Moses. However, in the case of Mary, it next says, “rather before they came together.”

Though most translations skip the word é, which is translated as or, rather, than, etc., it is an important thought. It is a conjunction used disjunctively, distinguishing things or thoughts which either mutually exclude each other or where one will take the place of the other.

m

In this case, Matthew is noting that Mary is betrothed, and so she is the legally espoused wife of Joseph, but rather, something else is brought into the relationship before they actually united in marriage: this but now this. The thing that occurs is that “she was found – from Holy Spirit – having in womb.”

Said plainly, Mary was pregnant. Joseph has a legal right to Mary, but he has not yet consummated the marriage, and yet she is pregnant. In the normal course of events, a man must lie with a woman in order for her to conceive.

Should this have been the case, it would be considered adultery. In the Law of Moses, he had a right to have her stoned. At his discretion, he could divorce her and be done with the matter. But Matthew clearly stated that the child in her womb was “from Holy Spirit.”

The words bear no article in the Greek. This is the same as Luke 1:35. It was understood that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Yehovah, this is seen, for example, in Psalm 51:11 and Isaiah 63:10, 11. In Daniel, the term “Spirit of Holy God” is used several times.

In other words, the Spirit Yehovah has generated a Child in the womb of Mary. As all things reproduce after their own kind, this means that this Child is, in fact, Yehovah, the God of Israel.

Life application: What is recorded in Matthew is unmistakable in its meaning. Jesus Christ bears the right to the Davidic throne because of the genealogy of Joseph. Joseph had the right of marriage to Mary through their betrothal. Mary is a human. Before Joseph’s marriage to Mary was consummated, she was found to be pregnant by Yehovah’s Holy Spirit.

Thus, this God/Man, Jesus Christ, is being clearly represented as having the right to the Davidic throne. This is what Matthew’s commentary is unmistakably revealing to us. With this set forth, the ongoing narrative will use this thought to continue through its pages. The Lord God has united with humanity and has come to redeem His people. Praise God for what He has done!

Lord God, What Your word tells us is simply astonishing. We stand in awe of Your workings in the stream of time and human existence as You fulfill every promise that You have made to Your people. Thank You for allowing us the honor of seeing it laid out in Your word and having it realized in our lives through faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. All glory to You, O God. Amen.