Matthew 1:18-25 comments

 

Matthew 1:18 ¶  Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23  Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24  Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25  And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

 

Here is an abbreviated account of the events surrounding Christ’s birth. You can review these events in Luke 1 and 2 and read over my comments on them including John the Baptist’s entry into the world.

Under the Law given to Moses Mary could have been killed but Joseph was a good man and must have loved her very much. He was rewarded by an explanation of events from an appearance of God, the preincarnate Christ who was also living in his betrothed’s womb.

Notice what the meaning of this conception is. It is not like the heathen gods who came down in the form of humans to mate with human woman carnally, as Zeus did with Leda disguised as a swan. Nor is it like the fallen sons of God in Genesis.

Genesis 6:2  That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.

What happened between Mary and the Holy Spirit is something different.

Luke 1:35  And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

 

Now see another mention of overshadow.

 

Acts 5:15  Insomuch that they brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and couches, that at the least the shadow of Peter passing by might overshadow some of them.

It means, of course, to throw a shadow upon, and in no way suggests the sex act.

Jesus is named as such because He will save His people from their sins. Jesus is a Greek version of Hebrew names, most notably Joshua. Some say it means Saviour, deliverance, etc. This is evident in the verse.

In verses 22 and 23 the Holy Spirit has linked Jesus to verses in Isaiah showing that a verse in the Old Testament can have an immediate meaning and a prophetic meaning. Isaiah refers to an immediate event;

Isaiah 7:14  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. 15  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.16  For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

 

While the Holy Spirit applies this through Matthew to Jesus. The Hebrew Immanuel in Isaiah 7:14 means, according to Strong, “with us is God.”

 

Joseph did not have intimate relations with Mary until she gave birth to Jesus. Jesus was her firstborn son, which tells us she would give birth to more sons. The Roman Catholic church says she remained a perpetual virgin. There is a huge problem with that interpretation.

 

The perpetual virginity of Mary is one of the four main dogmas regarding Mary of the Roman Catholic Church. It was first declared in a work called the Gospel of James supposedly written some time in the second century by a half-brother of Christ from a previous marriage of Joseph. Sounds pretty modern doesn’t it? It is thought by some to have come from a group called the Encratites who regarded sex as the original sin. Although rejected by the pope in 405 and rejected by the Gelasian Decree in 500 it managed to creep into Roman Catholic Church doctrine so that it was confirmed at the Council of Ephesus in 431 and then again at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553 and then the Lateran Synod of 649, Mary’s perpetual virginity that is.

 

But, verse 25 shows us that Christ was Mary’s firstborn meaning she had other children.

 

Mark 6:3  Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.

 

That some Catholic writers say they had to be cousins is an absurdity not worth arguing.

 

His name is JESUS and this is capitalized twice in this chapter, I believe, for emphasis. Jesus is the English transliteration of a Greek word and is the same name as the Hebrew Joshua.