We will see in this passage that the story in Matthew focuses on Joseph, whereas Luke focuses on Mary.
Mary was “betrothed” to Joseph. Betrothal is a commitment to be married. The New International Version says “pledged to be married”. But, unlike our modern engagements, this is a formal agreement. It can only be dissolved by divorce.
Although the commitment was formal, it did not come with the privileges of marriage. The couple were not supposed to have sex until they were actually married. Sex outside of marriage was still considered a sin. The marriage did not occur until the groom and his attendants came to the bride’s house and escorted her to the groom’s house. There is a glimpse of that in the parable of the 10 virgins in Matthew 25.
They did not have weddings like we do today. And, no, it was not like the wedding in the movie Fiddler On The Roof.
So, Joseph had not had sex with Mary at this time. It was before “they came together”. (18) That phrase literally refers to Mary moving into Joseph’s house. But, that would be when they would first come together sexually.
Yet, Mary became pregnant. She was “found to be with child”. Her pregnancy had become noticeable.
Since she had not been with Joseph, she would have been guilty of adultery, a violation of the seventh commandment. (Exodus 20:14) The punishment for that is death in the Old Covenant. “If a man commits adultery with the wife of his neighbor, both the adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death”. (Leviticus 20:10; Deuteronomy 22:23)
This was a difficult situation. Israel prized its virgins and punished fornicators. Mary would be shamed and, possibly, punished. Joseph would be embarrassed and unable to marry Mary without being ostracized from the community. Since Joseph was a just, or righteous man, he could not do that. (19)
Joseph could have demanded that Mary be punished under the law. However, he had resolved to divorce her quietly. This means he would give her a certificate of divorce privately, with only the two required witnesses, but not publicize it otherwise.
Before Joseph could act on this, however, an angel appeared to him in a dream. The angel said Joseph did not need to get a divorce, for Mary had not committed adultery. He could take her to his home. Yes, she was pregnant, but the child conceived in her was not from a man, but from the Holy Spirit. (20)
The angel addressed Joseph not only by his name, Joseph, but as son of David. This is to alert him of the significant role he plays in these events. He is a son of David working according to God’s will to bring the Greater Son of David into the world.
The angel further instructed Joseph that Mary would have a son and he was to call his name Jesus, for he would save his people from their sins. (21) Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua. It means Yahweh saves or Yahweh is salvation. The name signifies that Mary’s son brings God’s promised salvation.
That salvation is not from the Roman Empire, however. It is salvation from the sins of his people. (21) This is a reference to Psalm 130:8, which says “He (Yahweh) will redeem Israel from all his iniquities”.
Joseph would have interpreted “his people” as being the ethnic Jewish people. We know, and Matthew will later show, that it refers to Jesus’ people, the Messiah’s people, who are all who believe in him.
Matthew (or the angel) tells us that the birth of Jesus, all that has occurred, fulfilled what God said through the prophet. He quoted Isaiah 7:14:
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Mary is the virgin and Jesus is the son.
All of this has occurred according to God’s will and to fulfill what God said through the prophet Isaiah.
Matthew then interpreted the Hebrew name “Immanuel” for us: it means God with us. (23)
Remember: Matthew is writing in Greek. So, here he assumes at least some of his readers do not know the Hebrew language, so it is necessary to interpret the name because the name has theological importance. It signals that this child will be God and will come and dwell among men and women.
Despite the possibly grave circumstances, Joseph was obedient. He did not divorce Mary; he took her as his wife (married her). (24) This connects with the language of verse 20. The NIV connects well with the process of marriage at that time, saying he “took Mary home as his wife” (though the word “home” is not in the Greek text.
Joseph did not have sex with Mary until after Jesus was born. And he named the child Jesus, as the angel had commanded. (24-25)
Why is the virgin birth necessary?
(1) The Bible clearly asserts it.
(2) It fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah.
(3) It makes true the statement that Jesus was fully God and fully man. He received his physical body from Mary as her biological child. His eternal, divine nature was His from all eternity past. Jesus had no sin nature inherited from Adam. He had a human nature, but not a sin nature.
(Unless otherwise noted, quotes from the Bible are from the ESV@ Bible, The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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