Matthew 1:18-25
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
18 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 pregnant from the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. 20 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. 21 She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
23 “Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” 24 When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife 25 but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.
Meditation
Matthew begins his account of Jesus’ life with a three-fold genealogy (each section with 14 generation) beginning with Abraham (see Matthew 1:1-17). He completes the genealogy with Joseph and proceeds to tell how Joseph became Jesus’ earthly father (since he wasn’t Jesus biological father). Matthew includes this story because there was no DNA testing back then and a pregnant girl can only mean one thing—she got physical with a man. Joseph knew he was not the father of the child, so logic says Mary must have gotten pregnant with one of the neighbors. This is embarrassing for both Joseph and Mary. You see, the marriage contract has already been signed and the two “kids” are committed to the marriage. The official wedding hasn’t happened so they are not living together as man and wife. It’s a bit of a pickle for Joseph because he is a rule follower (which means righteous in the biblical context) and fulfilling the marriage contract with a woman who has become pregnant after signing the contract is against the rules. At the same time, he likes Mary. She’s sweet and considerate and devoted and (before she got pregnant) righteous. What is Joseph to do with Mary? If he marries her, he in essence admits the child is his and they are both given the stink eye from the elders for inappropriate behavior prior to the wedding. If he breaks the contract, she is publicly disgraced and the letter of the law requires that she is stoned for cheating. Either way, disgrace is involved.
Thankfully, God sends an angel—in a dream—to clarify what Joseph needs to do. The message – this is the one! Do not be afraid, the child is the one Isaiah talked about (see Isaiah 7:14) who is Emmanuel, God with us. “He will save his people from their sins” (vs. 21b) which is why you will name him Yeshua (original Hebrew name which becomes Jesus in Greek). Yeshua means the Lord is Salvation.
Wow! Must have been one powerful dream because Joseph does two astounding things when he wakes up. First, he is no longer confused about what to do with Mary and fulfills the marriage contract. Second, he agrees to become Jesus’ father by naming him according the angel’s message. Through a dream the Holy Spirit changes a disgraceful situation into a completion of a family that will usher the Messiah into this world and raise him in faithfulness. This is the one – there is no need to be afraid.