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.” 24 When
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.”
Matthew highlights the miraculous nature of Jesus’
conception and emphasizes how His birth perfectly aligned with the divine plan
as prophesied in Scripture (Is.7:14). During
that era in Judea, the act of betrothal signified the union of a couple as
husband and wife, granting them the privilege to live together. The specific ages mentioned in historical
texts regarding girls at the time of betrothal vary, with some sources
suggesting around twelve and a half years old while others indicate
approximately 15 years old. Before Mary
and Joseph lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy
Spirit. The Spirit of God is the author
of physical human life (Ez. 37:1-14). The
Virgin Mary conceiving by the Holy Spirit is a theophany, a visible
manifestation of God (Is. 42:5).”
Under the Mosaic Law, if a betrothed young woman
was discovered not to be a virgin, the consequence could be severe, potentially
leading to the penalty of death by stoning (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 shame
Mary or possibly have her stoned to death, so he planned to divorce her
privately. An angel from God appeared to
Joseph and addressed him as “son of David” and reassured him in a dream
that Mary had not committed adultery and he should not be afraid to take her as
his wife because it was part of God’s divine plan. Jesus became a son of David through his legal
father Joseph. Joseph was obedient to
God’s instruction and by his betrothal and subsequent marriage to Mary, he acknowledged
Jesus as his own and adopted him.
Jesus was the son of God, a royal child whose
name meant, ‘God is with us (v. 23).’
God was 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
abundance of love you sent your son into the world to be cared for by two humble
and righteous people. Help us to imitate
your son and obey your commands. This we
pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.
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References
Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ, United States, Prentice Hall, 1990.
Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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