“Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “23 Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means “God is with us.” 24When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. 25 He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus (Mt. 1:18-25).”
Matthew focused on the extraordinary way Jesus was conceived and his birth fulfilled a divine plan foretold in Scripture. In Judea in the time of Jesus, betrothal meant that they were man and wife and gave the couple the right to cohabitate. Some texts give the age of girls at betrothal as twelve and a half years old. The role of the male in the birth of Christ is replaced by the Holy Spirit, the OT Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is the cause of human life (Ez. 37:1-14). The Virgin Mary conceiving by the Holy Spirit is a theophany, a visible manifestation of God, “Who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and its produce, Who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk on it (Is. 42:5).”
If a betrothed young woman was found not to be a virgin, the penalty under the Law was stoning to death (Deut. 22:20-21). Joseph did not know of the divine plan and being a just man he would have been obedient to the Law of Moses and would not marry Mary if she was not a virgin. Being righteous, he showed mercy and compassion and did not want to have Mary stoned to death. An angel from God addressed Joseph as “son of David (v. 20)” and explained to Joseph in a dream that Mary had not committed adultery. Jesus became a son of David through Joseph. Joseph was obedient to God’s instructions and by naming the baby as instructed he adopted the baby.
Jesus was the son of God was a royal child whose name meant, ‘God is with us (v. 23).’ This can be considered God fulfilling his promise, “You shall be my people, and I will be your God (Jer. 30:22; Lev. 26:12).” The finite and temporal Joseph was given the responsibility of being the father to the infinite and eternal God. Jesus reversed the roles when he made us adopted sons of God so that we could participate in an infinite and eternal life with God.
O infinite and eternal God from whom all life flows, out of your abundant love you sent your son into the world under the care of two lowly but righteous people. Your son in turn gives all who care for him a share in your divine and eternal life. Help us to be lowly, righteous, compassionate and loving people as we serve you with humility and obey your commands. This we pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Expanded Edition, Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
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