Today, we will continue our reflections on the Gospel According to Matthew, reading in the account of Jesus’ birth. Let’s read Matthew 1:18-25.
18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Matthew 1:18-25 (NIV)
20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name 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 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
There are two biblical themes that we already mentioned yesterday and that reappear in this text, and there are two new themes.
The theme of the promise from Genesis 3:15 reappears, of one born of a woman who will defeat the serpent. This takes much more shape in this passage: verse 18 says that Mary “was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.” Once again, Matthew points to Jesus being born of a woman. Not born of Joseph and Mary, but born only of a woman as prophesied in Genesis 3:15. Jesus is the descendant of the woman who will defeat Satan.
Another theme that reappears in this passage, which we also saw yesterday, is that Jesus is the King descended from David. In verse 20, the angel called Joseph, “son of David.” For Matthew, it is important that his readers understand the connection of Jesus to the Davidic line of kings. Jesus is the heir to the throne of David, and He is the Anointed One who will reign for eternity. The rest of the angel’s words to Joseph are also important for understanding this. The rest of verse 20 says, “… do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” The Father of this child is God Himself. Verse 18 says, “pregnant through the Holy Spirit,” and verse 20 says, “what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” One of the quintessential Messianic Psalms, Psalm 2, says about the Anointed King of God: “You are my son; today I have become your father….” (Psalm 2:7) and verse 12 says: “Kiss the Son…” Jesus is the Davidic King, the Son of God, who will have an eternal kingdom and must be honored.
So, Jesus is the promised descendant in Genesis 3 and the Davidic King, the Son of God promised in 2 Samuel 7 and prefigured in Psalm 2. In addition to these important biblical themes that find their fulfillment in Jesus, Matthew identifies Jesus with the figure of the Suffering Servant and with the fulfillment of the New Covenant.
The angel said to Joseph in verse 21: “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” The history of Israel was one of a cycle of sin and disobedience, breaking the covenant God had made with them on Mount Sinai when giving them the Torah. The consequence of this was the exile, but along with the words of judgment about the exile, came also words of hope from the prophets, pointing to the forgiveness of the people’s sins through the suffering of the Servant of Yahweh. Isaiah 53 says that the way the people’s sins would be healed was through substitution, where Yahweh would send His Servant, who would die and be punished in place of the people, so that they could experience the forgiveness of sins. Jesus is the Suffering Servant who, as the angel told Joseph, “will save the people from their sins.” And the theme of forgiveness of sins is another important biblical theme that Matthew brings to our attention because it points his readers to the New Covenant.
After their redemption, Israel is called to be the people of God, enjoying a special relationship with Him by living in obedience to the Torah. God made a covenant with them, which they broke. The prophets before and during the exile announced a New Covenant, different from the one at Mount Sinai, and this new covenant would include the forgiveness of sins, the regeneration of people’s hearts, and the dwelling of the Spirit in their hearts. The prophet Jeremiah, for example, speaks of this new covenant in chapter 31 of his prophecy. Thus, by announcing the forgiveness of sins through Jesus, Matthew is pointing his readers to realize that the fulfillment of the prophecies of the New Covenant was near. This is also reflected in the quotation Matthew includes from the prophet Isaiah in verse 23: “’The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel‘ (which means ‘“’God with us’).”
When reading about the New Covenant in the prophets, we see that God promises to dwell with His people, and a phrase that is repeatedly mentioned in these prophecies is: “they shall be His people, and He shall be their God.” Ultimately, this will be possible because Jesus is Immanuel, God with us—God dwelling among His people, the Presence of God with His people. This also points to other major biblical themes, such as the tabernacle and the temple. There is much richness in these passages, but for now, we’ll leave it here.
Let us reflect for a moment on these things: Jesus as the promised descendant of the woman, the Davidic King, the Son of God, the Suffering Servant, and Emmanuel “God with us,” who is the fulfillment of the New Covenant. All these promises and prophecies point to a glorious future; they point to victory over Satan, to a Just, Peaceful, and Eternal Kingdom, to the forgiveness of sins, to eternal comfort, rest, well-being, and joy. These promises point to a bright future through Jesus. In other words, without Jesus, there is no future; without Jesus, there is no victory, no peace, no justice; without Jesus, there is no forgiveness of sins, no comfort, no rest; without Jesus, there is no well-being and joy. Without Jesus, there is no future. All future hope for the universe, for Israel, and for the nations is centered in one person: Christ.
People throughout all times, not just in biblical times, have desired a better future. The famous John Lennon wrote the well-known song where he said: “Imagine there’s no countries, it’s not hard to do, nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too, imagine all the people living life in peace.” The problem with this thinking is that such a future of peace is not possible without Christ. It is of little use to work toward a better future without Christ because it will not last. Only in Jesus do we have hope for a future of peace, victory, well-being, forgiveness, comfort, and glory. So, as the redeemed people of God, looking forward to the glorious future in Christ, we can now live by loving our neighbors, serving others, persevering through affliction, and bringing light into this world—only because we know that in Jesus there is a future, and without Him, there is none.
