Bible Study series: Matthew 1:18-25. Mary and Joseph get engaged–betrothed is a better word.
A warm welcome to this Bible study! I write to learn, so let’s learn together. I also translate to learn. The translations are mine, unless otherwise noted. If you would like to see many others, please click on this link:
In the next link to the original chapter, I comment more and offer the Greek text. At the bottom you will find a “Summary and Conclusion” section geared toward discipleship. Check it out!
In this post, links are provided for further study.
Let’s begin.
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25
18 The birth of Jesus Christ happened in this way. After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph and before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and not wanting to make a spectacle of her, decided to divorce her privately. 20 After he reflected on these things … Look! An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is borne in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son, and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. 22 All of this has happened in order to fulfill the word spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 “Look! The virgin shall be pregnant and shall give birth to a son, and you shall call his name Emmanuel!” [Is. 7:14],
which, interpreted, means “God with us.”
24 Then Joseph got up from his sleep and did as the angel commanded him and took her as his wife, 25 and he did not know her until she gave birth to a son, and he called his name Jesus.
Commentary
Let’s go verse by verse.
Short Intro
In this long passage, heaven comes down to earth, in the person of Jesus the Messiah. The curtains to heaven have been pulled back, if only a little, in order to reveal heaven’s plan and what the heavenly realm is like. I really do believe that if we open our hearts to Scripture and a revelation to our minds and hearts, God in his sovereignty reveals it to us.
The circumstances of his birth were dicey. Joseph was about to put her away or divorce her, but an angel intervened in a dream. He took her as his wife. Joseph and Mary really are the heroes of the story, and Mary deserves special status because she had to carry and birth the child under a social cloud, but Joseph had his own test of obedience, and he passed. He really was a “righteous man.”
Let’s start off with a table of similarities between Matthew’s and Luke infancy narratives.
The table has been moved here:
Common Details in Matthew’s and Luke’s Birth Narratives
18:
“birth”: it translates the noun genesis, which could be translated as origin. The vast majority of translations go with “birth.”
Betrothal was much more than today’s engagement between two people who decide on their own to get married. Families were involved and contracts signed or an oral agreement was reached. Betrothal was much more binding than just a “couples only” promise to get married. Breaking it was a divorce.
Commentator France writes:
The difference between our modern concept of “engagement” and that of the first-century Jews is indicated by the description of Joseph already in v. 19 as Mary’s husband and by the use of the normal word for divorce to describe the ending of the engagement. Though the couple were not yet living together, it was a binding contract entered into before witnesses which could be terminated only by death (which would leave the woman a “widow”) or by divorce as if for a full marriage… sexual infidelity during engagement would be a basis for such a divorce. About a year after the engagement … the woman then normally about thirteen or fourteen would leave her father’s home and go live with her husband in a public ceremony (such as described in 25:1-12), which is here referred to as “coming together” and will be recorded in v. 24. (p. 50).
Mary is already called Jesus’s mother, while he is in the womb. When a woman is pregnant, she is a mother. She is not just a mere pregnant woman with disposable cargo. He really was considered a human being, and an angel from God is about to name the baby in the womb. Now friendly outsiders to Christianity can at least appreciate why we value life in the womb. All babies are human beings, in God’s sight and by science. It is not a chimp or a plant, and it has all the necessary DNA, and it is living and growing, so it is a living human being. Being healthy, the living human being would grow to the time of birth and then keep growing until the day God calls the full adult home.
What the Bible Really Says about Abortion and Prenatal Life
“before they came together” means “before they had sexual union.” I translated it more literally, which I am prone to do. However, “she was found pregnant” is literally “she was found having in her belly” and the “baby” is implied, so I can’t go literal all the time. The Greek phrasing is a circumlocution or a roundabout way of saying “pregnant.”
She was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is at work in this chapter, though he is not a major theme in Matthew’s Gospel, as often as he is in Mark and Luke. Yet, Jesus is ushering in the Church Age and the Age of the Spirit. That is, the Spirit empowers the Church, even to this day.
Mary supplied the ovum, and the Spirit, by a miracle, conceived the child. Therefore, Jesus has both a divine nature and a human nature. Further, we Christians of all three major branches (Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and Protestants) and all the numerous denominations within those three branches believe—when we respect Scripture as we should—we all believe that Jesus’s divine conception protected him from having a sin nature. The details are impossible to understand, but other Scriptures support our belief.
Jesus is shown to be the Messiah and Son of God. He was born of Mary on the human side and of the Spirit, the divine side. He was fully human and fully God. The Father willed that his Son should take the divine attributes with him, but his humanity was added to them, and now his divine attributes—even the omni- ones—were hidden behind his humanity. Jesus was born in the flesh, but not of the flesh. He did not share in the innate proneness towards evil that we have.
These posts are about systematic theology on the life of Christ and what it means for the Son of God to become a man:
3. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Was God Incarnate
4. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Took the Form of a Servant
5. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Came Down from Heaven
6. Do I Really Know Jesus? Why Did He Become a Man?
7. Do I Really Know Jesus? Thirty Truths about His Life
8. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Was Sinless
2. Two Natures in One Person: He Was Human and God
Therefore, we accept it by Scripture first and then by faith.
The Holy Spirit, mentioned here for the first time, plays a central role in Jesus’ life. He is present at the Lord’s conception (1:18, 20), empowerment (3:16; 12:18, 28), and leading (4:1). These latter two passages represent many other unrecorded verses where Jesus was being empowered and led by the Spirit, as he ministered to people (cf. Acts 10:38).
The Spirit in the Life of Christ
This conception was not a crass coupling that we see in pagan literature, when a god comes down and has physical sex with an unwilling partner. Instead, the Spirit worked a miracle without physical sex.
19:
I really like how the Spirit through the Scriptures call Joseph a righteous man. It is possible for a man of Israel to be law-abiding and maintain a certain level of righteousness. But what makes him righteous in this verse? He did not wish to “make a public spectacle” of her. The Greek root of “make a spectacle” really does indicate pointing at her, showing her to the village. “Look what she did!” France says that he would have to repudiate Mary in a public trial for adultery (p. 51). It’s very moving to me that he was going to divorce her privately. As noted in v. 18, the Scriptures call him “her husband,” so betrothal meant something beyond what engagement does for us.
Would Mary had been stoned to death during the betrothal period because she seemingly committed adultery (Lev. 20:10)? It’s not clear ancient Israel really did carry out that law in the first century. But technically she could have been.
Deuteronomy 24:1-3 describe the reason for divorce:
“When a man takes a wife and marries her, if then she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, and he writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, and she departs out of his house, 2 and if she goes and becomes another man’s wife, 3 and the latter man hates her and writes her a certificate of divorce and puts it in her hand and sends her out of his house, or if the latter man dies, who took her to be his wife (Deut. 24:1-3, ESV, emphasis added)
And one cause for sure was indecency. And one sure-fire definition of indecency was sexual unfaithfulness. Therefore, Joseph had the legal right to divorce her.
“So he compromised by deciding to do so [put her away] privately. According to Jewish tradition, this would be done by giving her a writ of divorce … privately in front of two witnesses rather than in front of the whole town” (Osborne, comment on 1:19).
A betrothed woman (before marriage), if found pregnant by another man, could be executed:
23 If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, 24 you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death—the young woman because she was in a town and did not scream for help, and the man because he violated another man’s wife. You must purge the evil from among you. (Deut. 22:23-24, NIV)
Joseph really was a good man. He did not want this to happen to Mary, so he decided not to publicly expose her but divorce her privately.
20:
Then God intervened. He sent an angel.
“Look!” This is often translated as “behold!” It introduces an unexpected or surprising event. Turner translates it simply as “unexpectantly.” I like it.
This story element actually happened. Rescue by clarity is God’s specialty. It flows out of his mercy, when people are in distress. Joseph was mulling things over, “Who was the father? The neighbor boy closer to her own age? What will her family think? How should I divorce her? Will her parents send her away to another village, to visit her cousin Elizabeth and deliver the baby? Should I myself send her away and not tell her parents?” Clearly Joseph was enduring a sleepless night, as he was pondering these things while in bed. Then Joseph’s mind was made up. He had to divorce her. But he fell asleep eventually and had a dream. Dreams are a frequent way for God to communicate in the OT. The angel addressed Joseph as the “son of David,” which is designed to remind the reader that Matthew’s genealogy was valid, and Jesus’s ancestry had royal linage in it.
I believe that angels appear today, whether in dreams or in person, just like they did back in biblical times. God is the Lord, we are not. He can work miracles as he sees fit. He will accomplish his plans, and in this case the angel was a messenger to guide him.
Here is a multi-part study of angels in the area of systematic theology, but first a list of the basics.
Angels:
(a) Are messengers (in Hebrew mal’ak and in Greek angelos);
(b) Are created spirit beings;
(c) Have a beginning at their creation (not eternal);
(d) Have a beginning, but they are immortal (deathless).
(e) Have moral judgment;
(f) Have a certain measure of free will;
(g) Have high intelligence;
(h) Do not have physical bodies;
(i) But can manifest with immortal bodies before humans;
(j) Can show the emotion of joy.
See my posts about angels in the area of systematic theology:
Angels: Their Duties and Missions
Angels: Their Names and Ranks and Heavenly Existence
Angels: Their Origins, Abilities, and Nature
Please see my post on how to interpret dreams:
Dreams and Visions: How to Interpret Them
Don’t go overboard, as some dream interpreters advocate.
“take Mary your wife” is literal. It does not say “take Mary as your wife.” The “as” is not in Greek. Maybe it is implied, but I say they were betrothed, and betrothal meant something. My application: No more easy divorce. No more men abandoning their households. Learn from Joseph.
God has a plan that no one expected. God was fulfilling it by the Holy Spirit. God conceived Jesus through the Spirit. Impossible humanly speaking. Possible, divinely speaking. When you cannot figure it out, God will break in and clarify what you should do next. He told Joseph to keep going even through the most difficult of circumstances. His betrothed was pregnant without him. It was “from the Holy Spirit.” Conception was not described in detail.
The Spirit and Mary conceived the child. It is, once again, the divine passive. God is behind the scenes of the passive verb, working things out. “Conceived” is a translation I like.
God through the angel called Joseph by his heritage: “son of David.” How could a mere carpenter be a son of David? Joseph did not have a lot of status, so the lineage was definitely collateral and not direct from David through prominent people to him.
The angel is referring to Psalm 130:8, which says he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. So why does Matthew switch it up to “people”? It is probably because he sees a remnant within Israel (Turner, p. 68).
21:
“In the Jewish world names were not just marks of identification but were symbols containing the hopes and prayers of the parents for their children. ‘Jesus’ means that through him God promises the salvation will come to his people, though the Jewish people mistakenly interpreted it in terms of the other meaning of ‘save,’ that God would ‘deliver’ his people by destroying their enemies” (Osborne, comment on v. 21).
This verse is loaded with information. First, she shall have a son. No need for sonograms! It is a done deal! A son. Second, you shall name him Jesus. Joseph, there is no option. That is his name. You have no say in the matter. Why? Third, because Jesus is Joshua, and it means “he saves.” Save his people from what? From their sins. He won’t save them from the Romans. He will save their souls, one at a time.
The verb is sōzō: Since the theology of salvation (soteriology) is so critical for our lives, let’s look more closely at the noun salvation, which is sōtēria (pronounced soh-tay-ree-ah and used 46 times) and at the verb sōzō (pronounced soh-zoh and used 106 times) You can search out the words at this link:
As I will note throughout this commentary, the noun salvation and the verb save go a lot farther than just preparing the soul to go on to heaven. Together, they have additional benefits: keeping and preserving and rescuing from harm and dangers; saving or freeing from diseases and demonic oppression; and saving or rescuing from sin dominating us; ushering into heaven and rescuing us from final judgment. What is your response to the gift of salvation? You are grateful and then you are moved to act. When you help or rescue one man from homelessness or an orphan from his oppression, you have moved one giant step towards salvation of his soul. Sometimes feeding a hungry man and giving clothes to the naked or taking him to a medical clinic come before saving his soul.
All of it is a package called salvation and being saved.
“sins”: it comes from the noun hamartia (pronounced hah-mar-tee-ah). A deep study reveals that it means a “departure from either human or divine standards of uprightness” (BDAG, p. 50). It can also mean a “destructive evil power” (ibid., p. 51). In other words, sin has a life of its own. Be careful! In the older Greek of the classical world, it originally meant to “miss the mark” or target. Sin destroys, and that’s why God hates it, and so should we. The good news: God promises us forgiveness when we repent.
Bible Basics about Sin: Word Studies
22-23:
Some Bible teachers want to shove aside the Old Testament, but they are wrong. It just needs to be interpreted properly. The Spirit, who inspired Matthew’s Gospel, also inspired the prophet Isaiah (7:14), and Mary and her son Jesus is the ultimate fulfillment of that verse about the virgin getting pregnant. And, what is more, the phrasing in Greek in Isaiah for “get pregnant” is what is said in v. 18: “having in belly” except Isaiah’s prophecy is in the future tense: “shall have in belly.” Circumlocution. In any case, Mary and her son are the fulfillment. I never saw it before. I always just focused on Jesus in that verse, but it says “a virgin,” and that means Mary.
The wonderful phrase “God with us,” coming from the one word Immanuel, is also repeated in Matt. 28:20, when Jesus promised he would be with us every day. These announcements form an inclusio of sorts, which means two bookends of envelope or framework to the entire Gospel. He also said in the middle of it that he will be there in the middle of those who gather together in a small group of two or three (Matt. 18:20).
24:
Joseph’s obedience was instant. This instant obedience contrasts with Zechariah’s reluctance (Luke 1:18-23). Joseph was not struck mute; Zechariah was. Joseph’s circumstance was more difficult than that of Zechariah because Mary was pregnant before they had “come together.” God had to intervene so that Joseph would not fulfill the law and have her stoned to death or divorce her. Luke’s Gospel says that Mary told the angel, “See the Lord’s servant. Let it happen to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). Instant acceptance and obedience. She was willing to take the social shame to have a baby. People knew how long pregnancy lasted. They could count the months between the formal marriage ceremony and the birthdate.
25:
“He did not know her”: Joseph and Mary did not have premarital sex.
“until she gave birth to a son”: Yes, Joseph and Mary had normal sexual relations after she birthed her son.
Then Joseph is simply shown in Matthew’s narrative to obey the angel. He named his stepson Jesus.
His parents were never confused about their son’s gender. God, taking a body, through his Son, teaches us that we should not view the body as being so pliable that we can change genders. Please don’t manipulate your body with chemicals and surgical procedures. If you do, then you can repent and detransition. You may not get your body restored after surgery, but God still loves and accepts you. He has a new mission for you. Find a church which accepts you and be discipled (trained) to think in new directions, in God’s ways. God can redeem you.
What Is Redemption in the Bible?
Now let’s get into some systematic theology. The church needs it.
Jesus is now incarnated. Did he lose his divine attributes, as some teach (I believe out of “noninformation,” not malice)?
Jesus did not “lay aside” or “set aside” or “lose” or “give up” his divine attributes when he became a baby in Bethlehem. Rather, a human nature was added to his divine nature. Now what happened to his divine nature and those powerful attributes with omni- in front of them? They were hidden behind his human nature, not lost or set aside. Therefore, he surrendered the use of his attributes to his Father, attributes he retained at his incarnation.
To say that Jesus was fully God while a human yet he lost or set aside or lay aside these powerful omni- attributes or other ones does not work. God cannot lose attributes and still remain God. It is best to say that Jesus took them with him at his incarnation, but they were hidden behind his humanity–yes, even when he was a baby lying in a manger. So, for example, if the Father had willed, the divine attribute of omnipotence could have manifested in the baby Jesus and flattened the soldiers whom Herod sent to kill the baby. But the Father wanted Jesus to experience his full humanity and Joseph and Mary to learn how to be good parents and take care of his Son, who was on loan to them.
Then why didn’t Jesus know the day or the hour when he would return (Matt. 24:36)?
I answer this question and others, here, in systematic theology posts:
2. Two Natures in One Person: He Was Human and God
3. Two Natures in One Person: Basic Questions and Answers
4. Two Natures in One Person: Tough Questions
Why Didn’t Jesus Know the Day or the Hour of His Return?
The main post you should click on for more information:
4. Do I Really Know Jesus? He Took the Form of a Servant
To conclude ….
Jesus is shown to be the Messiah and Son of God. He was born of Mary on the human side and of the Spirit, the divine side. He was fully human and fully God, true human and true God. The Father willed that his Son take the divine attributes with him, but his humanity was added to them, and now his divine attributes—even the omni- ones—were hidden behind his humanity. Jesus was born in the flesh, but not of the flesh. He did not share in the innate proneness towards evil that we have.
The Holy Spirit is at work in this chapter, though he is not a major theme in Matthew’s Gospel, as often as he is in Mark and Luke. Yet, Jesus is ushering in the Church Age and the Age of the Spirit. That is, the Spirit empowers the Church, even to this day.
One major theme in Matthew is the fulfillment of Scripture. It is difficult to find a chapter where an OT passage is not quoted. Matthew has a high regard for the OT, and so should we.
Jesus’s name in Hebrew is Joshua, and it means “he saves.” He is the Savior of the world. He is going to save his people from their sins; he was not going to rescue an entire nation from the Romans. Jesus was about to rescue people by fulfilling all the animal sacrifices in Leviticus and elsewhere in the OT.
Finally, God’s presence is embodied in Jesus. In the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night in Exodus in the wilderness wanderings, God’s shekinah glory was present. Now it is present in Jesus. Heaven is touching earth through his Son. He is the walking Holy Place, even the Most Holy Place.
See Osborne, pp. 45-47
Finally, I urge all teachers to stop teaching that Jesus got his divine attributes “lopped off” and yet was still full deity. It makes more sense to say that he was full deity, yet his divine nature was hidden behind his humanity. His humanity was added to his deity. He lost the environment of heaven, but his divine attributes remained intact at his incarnation.
GrowApp for Matt. 1:18-25
1. Has God ever interrupted your own plans? Can you share some details? How did you respond?
2. In obedience to God, would you be courageous enough to endure social shame, similar to what Joseph and Mary had to go through in their village?
3. Have you ever experienced sustaining grace to go through tough times even though people misunderstood you?
RELATED
9. Authoritative Testimony in Matthew’s Gospel
1. Church Fathers and Matthew’s Gospel
2. Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels
14. Similarities among John’s Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels
1. The Historical Reliability of the Gospels: Introduction to Series
Reconciling Matthew’s and Luke’s Genealogies: Mission: Impossible?
Common Details in Matthew’s and Luke’s Birth Narratives
SOURCES
To see the bibliography, please click on this link and scroll down to the bottom.
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