Welcome to The MHB Podcast. This is Michael Baun. And welcome to my 172nd episode. In this episode I want to continue our study of the book of Matthew. We are in chapter 1. In the previous episode we discussed the genealogy of Jesus Christ and why it’s significant. Tracing Christ’s lineage through David and back to Abraham helped ancient people realize Jesus is indeed the Messiah. But having a pedigree from the house of Abraham isn’t enough to show that Jesus is God among us. He was also born of a virgin and performed many miracles – the most striking of which is the Resurrection itself. All of Christianity hinges on the resurrection of Jesus. The Christian worldview is unique in that regard because it’s a faith which is entirely falsifiable. All one needs to do to put an end to Christianity forever is locate the dead body of Jesus Christ. Undoubtedly people have been searching for 2,000 years and for some reason no one has been able to find it. I think it’s because Jesus is alive. Let’s explore the miraculous conception, the birth of Jesus Christ, by reading verses 18-25:
Mat 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
Mat 1:19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
Mat 1:20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Mat 1:21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Mat 1:22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
Mat 1:23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”
Mat 1:24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife,
Mat 1:25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
When considering the incarnation of Christ it’s important to remember that this event is fundamentally a mystery to us. There’s still a lot about our own lives which appears mysterious to us. For example, no one really knows what consciousness is. We don’t know if it’s produced by brain activity or if it exists independent of the brain. We know that certain drugs which influence the brain also influence the quality of consciousness. We know that certain forms of brain damage are able to alter consciousness as well. But none of what we know really tells us what consciousness is – and you can research what’s called the hard problem of consciousness if you’re interested in learning more about this topic.
I think some mysteries are given to us by God so that we can adore the mystery rather than solve it. Think of how many deeply engaging conversations you’ve had with your loved ones concerning the grand mysteries of life. There’s something about mysteries which binds us together in communities of love. The mystery of Christ’s incarnation has been binding people together all over the world for thousands of years. If Christ being born of a virgin seems incredulous to you, I would encourage you to reflect on it with a spirit of adoration rather than skepticism. This spirit of adoration is demonstrated by king David in the Psalms when he reflects on his own birth and how God formed him in secret. David is captivated with awe when he considers how God has written all the days of his life before any of them have come to pass. David says that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. This sense of awe and reverence is the same frame of mind by which we should consider the incarnation of Christ.
It’s interesting to note that Mary was already betrothed to Joseph when the incarnation happened. She was a virgin and she was not yet truly married to Joseph, but God could have given her Jesus even if she had been completely single. I think one of the reasons God chose to do it this way was to honor the institution of marriage. It’s a wonderful blessing when a single parent is able to work doubly hard to raise a child in a loving and stable home – but it’s definitely not the optimal way of doing it. Undoubtedly Mary’s betrothal to Joseph was also part of God’s design to protect her reputation in the sight of the world.
Joseph was also an upright and honorable man so he made a good life partner for Mary. The betrothal period between Joseph and Mary also illustrates the value in approaching marriage slowly and deliberately. If you’re a Christian desiring marriage, you should be very careful to heed the advice against being unequally yoked with someone outside the faith. It’s much easier to take the proper time in consideration before marriage than it is to repent after a failed marriage. Having said that, failed marriages are not uncommon and that’s just another area where humanity has demonstrated its desperate need for God’s gracious forgiveness.
You have to imagine things were quite difficult between Mary and Joseph when she was first found to be with child. Even while having an angel himself tell them what was going on it would take a lot of faith to understand the situation. Mary knew her pregnancy was an incarnation of the Spirit of God and not the consequence of sex with another man. But even still she must have struggled with fears of perception and how on earth anyone would believe her. The miraculous nature of Christ’s conception is so mysterious that it demands observers to suspend reality. I wonder how many nights Joseph fell asleep with the creeping fear that all of this was nonsense and there had to be an unwholesome explanation for Mary’s pregnancy. 2,000 years later people still make such suggestions about it.
When you reflect on this you notice that something similar happens every time the Spirit of God begins to form Christ in a person’s heart. Onlookers as well as friends and family might smile and be polite while wondering what on earth is happening to the individual. Is their transformation really of God or are they just lying for their own shameful motives? An incredibly important lesson to be learned from the incarnation of Christ is that even a divine plan such as this resulted in perception problems from the rest of the world. By all accounts Mary was able to calm her mind and be at peace because she was conscious of her own innocence. She understood that God knew the truth and she knew the truth.
The incarnation of Christ was a perfect and sinless enterprise undertaken by God Himself and even so the accusers of the world sought to perceive Mary as guilty of a terrible crime. Here’s a rule to remember: any time God does a big thing in the world or through yourself you’re going to face perception problems. Satan, who is called the accuser, is going to work through godless people and sometimes even through Christians to question your ability as well as your motives. If you’re an effective Christian there’s no way for you to get around the false perception of bad actors. Jesus Himself said the world will hate you because the world hated Him first.
Even with the birth of Christ, the Cornerstone of God’s ultimate redemptive design, the world still doubted Mary and the world crucified Jesus. You can’t do big things for the Kingdom of God without also incurring the hatred and accusations of the world. The way to maintain your peace of mind through these trials of false perception is the same way Mary did it: you must always remember that God knows the truth and God’s opinion is the only one that matters and it’s the only one which will be left standing at the end of all things. You will experience a profound sense of calm once you realize that God’s judgment is the only judgment that matters. In the end He will reveal the truth about you and the slander you face in this world will be no more.
Mary’s difficulty with false perception was probably only one part of the equation here. Imagine how Joseph must have felt. He obviously loved Mary and thought highly enough of her to commit himself to marry her. But then there’s her pregnancy. In Joseph’s mind Mary’s pregnancy either represented a divine miracle orchestrated by the Spirit of God or a horrific betrayal of trust. The tug-of-war he must have felt in his heart was difficult to bear. Adultery is a betrayal unlike many others because it often comes at the hand of the person you love most in this world. To uncover this kind of betrayal is to be thrust into chaos so thoroughly that you may even begin to question your own identity. Your past is not what you thought it was. Your future, at least how you imagined it, is gone forever. The person you love becomes a stranger and the house you share is no longer a home. All of that was likely rushing through Joseph’s mind even while the angel told him the child is from God. I can’t imagine how confusing it all must have felt for him.
If Mary were guilty of adultery while in betrothal to Joseph then Jewish law permitted her to be stoned to death. But Joseph was unwilling to let this happen. He refused to allow Mary’s reputation be dashed in the streets for all to witness. Something we can learn from Joseph’s choices in the aftermath of Mary’s pregnancy is the value of calm, patient deliberation. Joseph didn’t lose his temper and hand Mary over to capital punishment. That makes you wonder how many of your decisions would be better flavored with mercy if you just waited to calm down a bit before making them. You should always be careful in your deliberations and your meditations when it comes to big decisions. Don’t rush to judgment.
Scripture says Joseph was a just man and credits this as being the reason he was unwilling to expose Mary. Joseph was a godly man which means he was inclined to be merciful as God is merciful. He was also generous with his forgiveness. A person who has been forgiven much tends to readily forgive others. As a Christian it’s good practice to give others the benefit of the doubt and hope for the best concerning them. While walking in wisdom you should do your best to minimize assumptions which may turn out to be unfounded. We don’t want crimes or injustices to go unnoticed, but sometimes the crushing weight of the law itself becomes the injustice if it’s targeted at an innocent person. But even if the person is guilty it’s also possible they themselves are oppressed by their sins. So as Christians we always need to remember grace and mercy when evaluating the truth about others.
Before Joseph knew what was going on with the incarnation, he had determined to send Mary away quietly. He was an upright man with regards to the law so he discontinued his plans to marry her. Even so, he didn’t go all over town telling everyone what he thought she did. This is a display of prudence and wisdom all Christians can stand to learn from. When you discover what you think might be a terrible sin or a grievous mistake someone has made, you should endeavor to sort things out as quietly as possible. The wisest people are the ones who handle difficult things in a quiet and subdued manner. This is not to say that you should help someone hide or cover up their sins in order to keep committing them. And it’s neither to say you should fellowship with that person in the midst of their sins. It’s just that you should always remember a person is not the sins they commit. You don’t want to aggravate a situation and help ruin a person’s life because of their sins or their mistakes.
Joseph meditated on his own situation until he couldn’t think of any further answers. That’s when God sent His angel to guide Joseph and give him advice. Often we wish for God to just come into our lives and give us the answers we need. But God doesn’t want unthinking followers. Part of our being we are called to love God with is our minds. Sometimes God won’t step in with guidance until you’ve used up your own resources. Undoubtedly this is because human beings tend to give themselves the credit for figuring something out. The word of God brings peace and certainty into our lives even when all other things seem awash in chaos. God loves to still your heart and calm your mind if you seek Him in the midst of your confusion. God sent the angel Gabriel to give Joseph the answers he needed and the guidance to move forward. Sending Gabriel shows us two things: first is that God considered Joseph’s state of mind important enough to send a dignified servant to soothe his fears. Second is that Jesus Christ was about to enter the world and all of heaven was standing at attention for their King.
It’s true that angels are still at work today ministering to the spirits of humanity and helping them out of their difficulties. We know this is happening but we don’t know the extent of it. Gabriel appeared to Joseph in a dream while he slept. Dream-based revelations were not unheard of because the angels sometimes interacted with the fathers of Israel this way. I think God’s divine will comes through during dreams because it’s in the quiet moments of life where we are most receptive to it. The Spirit of God moves on calm waters. When the angel brought Joseph news of the incarnation the first thing the angel did was remind Joseph he was a son of David. Everyone knew the Messiah would be a descendant of David so reminding Joseph of this lineage probably served to prepare him for the miraculous news.
Sometimes godly people are so humble that they are unwilling to accept the mantle God has set apart for them. Reminding Joseph of his lineage to king David may have helped encourage him to walk this road with Mary. Joseph might have been afraid to take Mary as his wife because up until this moment he wasn’t sure whether she was with child as a consequence of harlotry. To marry someone who had done this during those days would have brought tremendous guilt onto yourself. But the angel sent by God assured Joseph this wasn’t the case. Even once he knew Mary was carrying the King of Kings in her womb this also could have brought him great fear. How could he be good enough to wed Mary the mother of God? But God silenced these fears in Joseph when the angel told him to fear not taking Mary as his wife. God does not give us a spirit of fear when it comes to advancing His Kingdom. He gives us a spirit of power. With Jesus on your side you can go about your Christian work with great boldness and satisfaction because the Spirit of God will make you brave enough to face your fears.
In Joseph’s culture it was considered impure to consummate your marriage with a woman who wasn’t a virgin. Joseph learned that not only should he abandon this concern, but that to be with Mary meant a dignity greater than anything a normal marriage could offer him. Mary was to give birth to the Son of God Himself. Such a calling bestowed incredible honor onto both Mary and Joseph. The conception of Christ was done by the power of the Holy Spirit. God speaks and creates the world. This same power to usher in realities was used to bring the everlasting King into the world. Jesus Christ partook of Mary’s nature by being born to her. In this manner the incarnation represents the word of God becoming flesh to dwell among us. The birth of Jesus Christ meant God had become both fully divine and fully human simultaneously. No doubt this was an incredible honor for Mary but she kept it quiet and held it close to her heart. When God uses us for great things we should never announce our own glory in it. God sent an angel to testify on behalf of Mary’s honorable position – she didn’t have to do it herself. God honors the humble.
The name Jesus is the same as the name Joshua. In the Old Testament Joshua was a type of Christ in that he was the captain of Israel during their first settlement in Canaan. There’s another Joshua in the Old Testament who was the high priest of Israel during their second settlement after the Babylonian exile. Jesus Christ is our Joshua in the sense that He is both the Captain of our salvation and the High Priest through whom we may stand before the throne of the Father. Early on Moses changed the Old Testament Joshua’s name from Hosea to Joshua. He did this to prefix the name to match Jehovah which was one of the Hebrew names for God. This name change was a foreshadow of how Jesus would be Jehovah – the only one capable of saving us from our sins.
The name Jesus Christ is given to indicate He will save His people from their sins. When Scripture says His people here it doesn’t mean exclusively the Jews. Indeed the Bible also mentions how Christ came unto His own and they rejected Him. Those who are meant in this passage when it says His people are all those God has set apart for Christ and all those who have chosen Jesus of their own free will. Kings and judges in the Old Testament protected the Israelite people from their enemies and continually saved them from permanent destruction. Jesus is the King and the Judge, but the danger He is protecting and saving us from is our own sins. The guilt of sin is lifted from us by the merit of His perfect sacrifice on the cross. The dominion of sin over our lives is shattered by the Spirit of grace which He offers us. The saving grace of Christ does not give us liberty to sin, rather it gives us liberty from sin. When we give our lives to Jesus we are giving ourselves over to one who is completely set apart from sin. So the more interest we take in our Savior the greater distance we put between ourselves and sin.
The virgin birth of Christ was also the fulfillment of Scripture. All the way back during the times of Isaiah God had promised Israel deliverance. Isaiah spoke to king Ahaz and told him of the sign wherein a virgin shall conceive. These promises of deliverance during Isaiah’s time applied on a micro-scale in terms of Israel’s deliverance from the Assyrian king Sennacherib, but they also pointed to a much greater deliverance from sin in the future. The acts of salvation God carried out through the Old Testament were types and figures of the grand salvation which would be accomplished by Jesus Christ. When Israel witnessed God save them from Sennacherib during Isaiah’s time a proper evaluation of the prophecy would have given them hope and security for this ultimate salvation which lied ahead. When we look back and witness how God has fulfilled His word over and over we should feel a great sense of security that He will not fail us when it comes to the final works of redemption.
This passage quotes the Old Testament prophecy which points to Jesus and the quote begins with the word behold which commands both attention and admiration. Christ came into the world with the great mystery of the virgin birth, and He left the world with the even greater mystery of the resurrection. The virgin birth meant that Christ came into the world supernaturally, but it also meant His birth was pure. He was not born into sin. God could have chosen an empress or queen to bear Jesus but He chose Mary because divine power is not marked by worldly glory. The virginity of Mary also represents how God calls us toward spiritual purity as He continues to sanctify our hearts.
The birth of Jesus also meant the arrival of God among humanity. That’s what the name Immanuel means. The brokenness of reality and the fact of human sin makes us irreconcilable to the holiness of God. We could have never gotten there on our own and it was never God’s intention for us to do it alone. So He came to us Himself. If we’re not able to have communion with God by going to Him then He shall have communion with humanity by coming to us. That is the love and the mercy of God. God was with the Israelite people throughout the Old Testament in forms and shadows, but never had God been with us so concretely as when the word became flesh in Jesus Christ. You can imagine the birth of Christ like the meeting of two worlds in one person. The world of humanity meeting the world of the divine all in the form of our Savior. When we view God in the light of nature we see Him as above us. When we view God in the light of the law we see Him as a God against us. But when we view God in the light of the gospel we see Him as a God who is with us. He is with us in our nature and He is with us in our interest.
Calling Christ Immanuel and saying that He is God with us is an inextricable part of Him being Jesus as well. He wouldn’t save us if He wasn’t with us. God and humanity are brought together in the person of Jesus Christ and this bringing together is our great happiness. For God to come to us brings us joy and for us to go to God is our duty.
You’ll notice how quickly Joseph acted to obey what God expressed to him in the vision. As soon as Joseph woke from the dream he accepted Mary as his wife without hesitation or dispute. I don’t think we should expect God to guide us so clearly today as He did with Joseph. But He doesn’t leave us in the dark either. He gives us hints of providence and He brings wise people into our lives to speak into us. When we surround ourselves with a community of believers God will work through that community to guide us in the steps we take. Of course it’s necessary to constantly be meditating on His word in Scripture and to discuss it among your fellow Christians. But if you do these things I think you’ll notice God’s will being laid out for you and you’ll have a sense of peace when you walk down that road.
It’s also useful to understand the distinction between a work of God and the work of humanity. Often works of humanity will miscarry or fail. But when God is doing a work in you it’s certain to be brought to fruition so long as you remain faithful. The birth of Christ proves to us that that which is conceived in grace will be brought forth in glory. After Joseph accepts the vision from God and realizes his betrothed is carrying the Savior of humanity, he diligently keeps her as his wife. But it’s important to note that he kept sexual distance from Mary until after Christ was born. Jesus Christ was the first-born of Mary which is symbolic of the fact that He precedes all life on earth. Jesus is the Heir of all things because all things were made through Him and for Him. He is the beginning and the end. He is preeminent over all aspects of life because life itself originates in Him. The birth of Christ brought us a King. The birth of Christ brought us hope. And the birth of Christ brought us salvation.
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