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Matthew 1:18–25

Thursday Nights

September 22, 2022

Introduction

Last week we did a bit of introduction to Matthew as both a book and a person, so I won’t say much tonight other than to remind you that Matthew was a Jewish tax collector who decided to follow Jesus.

We also looked last week at the magnificent, complex, and beautiful genealogy of Jesus that Matthew laid out that stretched from Abraham to David to Babylon and then to Jesus.

1:18-25 Christ is born

:18 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.

:18 Mary was betrothed

betrothed

We might consider them to be “engaged”, though the custom of the day was a bit more complicated than just being “engaged”.

Marriages in those days were typically arranged by parents, because after all, don’t parents know much better for their children what’s best for them?

Men typically married around age 20-25, while women were married just after menstruation, around age 13.

After the final contracts were negotiated between families, the individuals were considered married and were even called husband and wife.

Couples didn’t start living together for an entire year. The waiting period was to demonstrate the faithfulness of the pledge of purity that the bride’s family made concerning her virginity.

If the gal was found to be pregnant during that year, it was obvious she was not a virgin and the marriage could be annulled.

If after the year was over, the gal was still not pregnant, then the groom would go to the house of the bride’s parents and lead the bride back to his house with a grand procession and a party.

They would then begin to live together as husband and wife and their marriage was consummated physically.

So it seems that Joseph and Mary were in this year long waiting period, and Mary has become pregnant.

:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

:19 being a just man

just

Joseph was a good guy who always tried to do the right thing.

Yet he didn’t want Mary to go through the public humiliation of being declared “unfaithful”.

public example

:19 was minded to put her away secretly

Joseph thought that perhaps he could divorce her secretly and not hurt Mary.

:20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

:20 Joseph, son of David

Notice that the angel knows about Joseph’s lineage back to King David.

:20 do not be afraid

What could Joseph have been afraid of?

Perhaps he was afraid of what people would think. Perhaps he was afraid of what would happen to Mary.

Lesson

It’s not over

For many of us, our first reaction to a situation that’s strange or unknown is to be afraid.

I have seen many people encounter situations that at first seemed hard or scary.

I’ve seen good girls become pregnant out of wedlock, and the whole family thought that the end of the world had come.

I’ve seen people be diagnosed with serious health conditions, some even facing death.

I wonder how many of us could benefit from having those four simple words whispered into our ears, “Do not be afraid”.

Video: It’s Not Over

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not promising that things are going to turn out miraculous when you hear difficult things. Things may still be difficult. But you’re not alone. God wants to walk with you through your difficulty.

For a God who raises people from the dead, nothing is impossible.

Don’t quit. Let God walk with you through your difficulty.

for that which is conceived in her …

:20 is of the Holy Spirit

Mary was not pregnant from another man’s sperm.

Jesus was a product of the power of the Holy Spirit being upon Mary.

Jesus was fully human and fully God.

He was human as a son of Mary.

He was God as a Son of God.

:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

:21 you shall call His name Jesus

Jesus is our English version of His name. In the Greek it’s Iesous. But those are both translations of what His parents would have called Him in Hebrew – Yashua.

Yashua means “Yahweh is salvation”.

It’s also the name of Moses’ servant Joshua.

The name of the prophets Isaiah and Hosea are all forms of the same name.

:21 He will save His people from their sins

How would He save His people from their sins?

He would die on a cross. He would be a substitutionary sacrifice for us, dying in our place.

This was spoken to Joseph before Jesus was even born.

:22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:

:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

:23 the virgin shall be with child

virgin – parthenos – a virgin; a marriageable maiden; a woman who has never had sexual intercourse with a man

This is a quote from the prophet Isaiah, who wrote,

(Isaiah 7:14 NKJV) Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

This strange passage was originally spoken to King Ahaz by the prophet Isaiah. It was speaking of God’s promise of deliverance from Ahaz’ own enemies of the day.

The original intent of the passage was to say to Ahaz that the nation would be delivered in the time it would take for someone who was currently a virgin to be married and get pregnant.

Some scholars try to make a point that the word “virgin” in Isaiah’s Hebrew text (almah) could simply refer to a young gal, and that it is not necessary to believe that in Mary’s case that she had to be a virgin. They would say it is not important to believe in the “virgin birth”.

While that may be true with the Hebrew word, the seventy scholars who translated the Old Testament into Greek 200 years before Jesus (called the Septuagint) used a word that does mean “virgin” (parthenos), and Matthew quotes the Septuagint to say that Mary was indeed a virgin at the time of conception, and she had become pregnant through the work of the Holy Spirit.

Why is it important to believe that Mary was a virgin when she became pregnant? Because her son would be called the “Son of God”.

When He died, He would lay down an infinite, eternal life, not just paying for the sins of one person, but for the whole world.

As we will see with many other passages, Matthew takes a prophecy that had one original target, and shows us that the prophecy had a secondary fulfillment in Jesus.

This is an important truth when it comes to interpreting prophecy. Prophecy may have more than one fulfillment.

:23 they shall call His name Immanuel

Matthew tells us that Immanuel, in Hebrew, means “God with us”.

This is one of the ways we look at Jesus.

He was not only fully human (being born of Mary), but He was also fully God, born of the Spirit, and was truly “God with us”.

Lesson

God’s plans

There are times in life when things seem completely out of control.

I would imagine that on the night of the Last Supper when Jesus was betrayed and then arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, things seemed out of control to the disciples.

And yet Jesus wasn’t surprised.

Jesus had been dropping hints all along.

Early in His ministry, on one of their early trips to Jerusalem, John recorded Jesus saying,

(John 2:19 NKJV) Jesus answered and said to them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Of course nobody had a clue what He meant.

Later, when Jesus and the disciples were up north at Caesarea Philippi, Peter had that great moment of revelation where he declared that Jesus was the Christ, but immediately after that…

(Matthew 16:21–23 NKJV) —21 From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. 22 Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!” 23 But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Later on, on their last trip to Jerusalem…

(Matthew 20:17–19 NKJV) —17 Now Jesus, going up to Jerusalem, took the twelve disciples aside on the road and said to them, 18 “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and to the scribes; and they will condemn Him to death, 19 and deliver Him to the Gentiles to mock and to scourge and to crucify. And the third day He will rise again.”

And if that wasn’t enough, we saw back in Matt. 1:21, that the angel told Joseph that Jesus would save His people from their sins.

Now when you look in the mirror, your life may not seem as significant to God as Jesus’ life was, but I have to tell you that God is aware of you and your life.

He’s not surprised by the things that surprise us.

When Jesus died on the cross, it was not a surprise. It was planned.

Jesus’ dad Joseph had hints of it.

The prophets had hints of it.

In the book of Revelation, the apostle John even calls Jesus “the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world” (Rev. 13:8)

God spoke through Jeremiah…

(Jeremiah 29:11 NKJV) For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.

Even though God spoke this to the Jews living in exile in Babylon, He’s speaking it now to you as well.

Things may be hard, but God is not trying to destroy you. He has plans for you.

Do you have Jesus in your life?

Have you opened your heart to Jesus?

If you have, then you own this word “Immanuel”, which is “God with us”.

God is with you. He has plans. He knows what He’s doing.

:24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,

:24 did as the angel of the Lord commanded

Joseph ignored his own internal fears of what people would think, and he went ahead and married Mary.

Lesson

Obedience

Joseph obeyed the Lord. He did what the Lord had spoken to him about.

Pay attention to what God wants you to do.

Even if it seems strange. Even if it makes you uncomfortable. Even if you’re afraid of what people will say.

I know that Jesus by Himself was simply wonderful, but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that his earthly father must have had some measure of influence on Jesus.

Jesus said,

(John 8:29 NKJV) And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him.”

Jesus was talking about His heavenly Father, but I think you can see the example of Joseph’s obedience being reflected in the life of Jesus.

Parents influence through example.

This next video has some rough parts in it. I apologize in advance…

Video: Children See Children Do

Parents, don’t underestimate how powerful the example is that you set for your kids.

They may not acknowledge it, but your choice of obedience to God gives them a taste of what God has for their life as well.

Sometimes parents can think they need to be “perfect” to set the right example.

Not so. Sometimes setting the right example is learning to admit to your kids that you too fail and you too need grace and forgiveness.

:25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.

:25 did not know her till …

So Joseph married Mary, but they did not have any physical relationship until after Jesus was born.

The Catholic church teaches that Mary was always a virgin, but the Bible speaks of Jesus having brothers and sisters (Mat. 13:55-56).

richcathers.com

Introduction

Do people see Jesus? Is the gospel preached? Does it address the person who is: Empty, lonely, guilty, or afraid to die? Does it speak to the broken hearted? Does it build up the church? Milk – Meat – Manna Preach for a decision Is the church loved? Target 3300 words Video = 75 wpm

Last week we did a bit of introduction to Matthew as both a book and a person, so I won’t say much tonight other than to remind you that Matthew was a Jewish tax collector who decided to follow Jesus.

We also looked last week at the magnificent, complex, and beautiful genealogy of Jesus that Matthew laid out that stretched from Abraham to David to Babylon and then to Jesus.

1:18-25 Christ is born

:18 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.

:18 Mary was betrothed

betrothed – mnesteuo – to woo her and ask her in marriage; to be promised in marriage, be betrothed

We might consider them to be “engaged”, though the custom of the day was a bit more complicated than just being “engaged”.

Marriages in those days were typically arranged by parents, because after all, don’t parents know much better for their children what’s best for them?

Men typically married around age 20-25, while women were married just after menstruation, around age 13.

After the final contracts were negotiated between families, the individuals were considered married and were even called husband and wife.

Couples didn’t start living together for an entire year. The waiting period was to demonstrate the faithfulness of the pledge of purity that the bride’s family made concerning her virginity.

If the gal was found to be pregnant during that year, it was obvious she was not a virgin and the marriage could be annulled.

If after the year was over, the gal was still not pregnant, then the groom would go to the house of the bride’s parents and lead the bride back to his house with a grand procession and a party.

They would then begin to live together as husband and wife and their marriage was consummated physically.

So it seems that Joseph and Mary were in this year long waiting period, and Mary has become pregnant.

:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

:19 being a just man

just – dikaios – righteous, observing divine laws

Joseph was a good guy who always tried to do the right thing.

Yet he didn’t want Mary to go through the public humiliation of being declared “unfaithful”.

public example – paradeigmatizo – to set forth as a public example, make an example of; to hold up to infamy; to expose to public disgrace

:19 was minded to put her away secretly

Joseph thought that perhaps he could divorce her secretly and not hurt Mary.

:20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

:20 Joseph, son of David

Notice that the angel knows about Joseph’s lineage back to King David.

:20 do not be afraid

What could Joseph have been afraid of?

Perhaps he was afraid of what people would think. Perhaps he was afraid of what would happen to Mary.

Lesson

It’s not over

For many of us, our first reaction to a situation that’s strange or unknown is to be afraid.

I have seen many people encounter situations that at first seemed hard or scary.

I’ve seen good girls become pregnant out of wedlock, and the whole family thought that the end of the world had come.

I’ve seen people be diagnosed with serious health conditions, some even facing death.

I wonder how many of us could benefit from having those four simple words whispered into our ears, “Do not be afraid”.

Video: It’s Not Over

Please don’t misunderstand me. I’m not promising that things are going to turn out miraculous when you hear difficult things. Things may still be difficult. But you’re not alone. God wants to walk with you through your difficulty.

For a God who raises people from the dead, nothing is impossible.

Don’t quit. Let God walk with you through your difficulty.

for that which is conceived in her …

:20 is of the Holy Spirit

Mary was not pregnant from another man’s sperm.

Jesus was a product of the power of the Holy Spirit being upon Mary.

Jesus was fully human and fully God.

He was human as a son of Mary.

He was God as a Son of God.

:21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

:21 you shall call His name Jesus

Jesus is our English version of His name. In the Greek it’s Iesous. But those are both translations of what His parents would have called Him in Hebrew – Yashua.

Yashua means “Yahweh is salvation”.

It’s also the name of Moses’ servant Joshua.

The name of the prophets Isaiah and Hosea are all forms of the same name.

:21 He will save His people from their sins

How would He save His people from their sins?

He would die on a cross. He would be a substitutionary sacrifice for us, dying in our place.

This was spoken to Joseph before Jesus was even born.

:22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:

:23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

:23 the virgin shall be with child

virgin – parthenos – a virgin; a marriageable maiden; a woman who has never had sexual intercourse with a man

This is a quote from the prophet Isaiah, who wrote,

(Isaiah 7:14 NKJV) Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.

This strange passage was originally spoken to King Ahaz by the prophet Isaiah. It was speaking of God’s promise of deliverance from Ahaz’ own enemies of the day.

The original intent of the passage was to say to Ahaz that the nation would be delivered in the time it would take for someone who was currently a virgin to be married and get pregnant.

Some scholars try to make a point that the word “virgin” in Isaiah’s Hebrew text (almah) could simply refer to a young gal, and that it is not necessary to believe that in Mary’s case that she had to be a virgin. They would say it is not important to believe in the “virgin birth”.

Why is it important to believe that Mary was a virgin when she became pregnant? Because her son would be called the “Son of God”.

As we will see with many other passages, Matthew takes a prophecy that had one original target, and shows us that the prophecy had a secondary fulfillment in Jesus.

This is an important truth when it comes to interpreting prophecy. Prophecy may have more than one fulfillment.

:23 they shall call His name Immanuel

Matthew tells us that Immanuel, in Hebrew, means “God with us”.

This is one of the ways we look at Jesus.

He was not only fully human (being born of Mary), but He was also fully God, born of the Spirit, and was truly “God with us”.

Lesson

God’s plans

There are times in life when things seem completely out of control.

I would imagine that on the night of the Last Supper when Jesus was betrayed and then arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, things seemed out of control to the disciples.

betrothed

just

public example