The Conception of Jesus

Meditation June 29, 2020

Matthew 1

18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. 19Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. 20But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. 21And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. 22Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, 23Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. 24Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: 25And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.

Matthew now gives a straight forward account of the virgin birth of Jesus. He is so matter of fact in recording this event one might suppose it was a common occurrence. I suppose for one who spent three years with Jesus seeing on an almost daily basis marvelous acts of God the idea of a virgin birth was of small note.

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ”, which includes His conception, “was on this wise”; i.e., it took place in this way. “Mary was espoused to Joseph….” Jewish espousals or engagements, were as binding as marriage and subject to the same conditions as a marriage for the breaking of the espousal contract; it required a divorce. Moreover, it was common that during the espousal period the bride and groom to be had no direct contact with one another. And as premarital sex was not commonly approved among Jews, Matthew had only to say “before they came together”. Whether he meant prior to marriage or prior to having sex is moot. The one said the same as the other regarding the conception of Jesus. Thus, before Mary and Joseph came together, “Mary was found to be with child of the Holy Ghost.” In short, God created a child in her womb. For some this is just too fantastic for some to accept as if somehow this is beyond the power of God who started with nothing and created all things. Admittedly there is to be some awe and wonder in this. Virgins are rarely pregnant. It is scientifically inexplicable. However, it is, it seems to me, far less a wonderment, as my Grandmother would call it, than the very scientific notion that somehow in eons of time energy was floating about dispersed here and there in space until for unknown reasons or, as the nature of the case would be, for no reason at all, it collapsed on itself with a really big bang and by sheer force of chance, that is by equal reason as its collapse, it brought forth a man child. It would be difficult to give a better example of what is meant by being given over to a reprobate mind. (Ro. 1) But I am chasing rabbits. Back to the text.

Mary apparently told Joseph of her pregnancy. Apparently also he did not accept the explanation for he determined to put her away, i.e. divorce her, privately. Being found with child during her espousal but not with the child of her espoused would have been considered adultery. For that Mary could have been stoned to death. Or Joseph could have divorced her in a public divorce intended to shame her for unfaithfulness. Now, as we have suggested above, creating a child in the womb is a small and not very notable thing for God who created the world from nothing and Adam from dust; however, realizing this to be an unusual event among men, and an event not likely to be believed, God sent an angel to tell Joseph not to be concerned the child was the work of God.

“Joseph, thou son of David….” It is important to note the angel’s address to Joseph as ‘son of David’. Few Jewish men descended from David, I suppose to this very day, failed to understand themselves as to possible progenitor of the Messiah. Prior to the promise to David that the Messiah would be his descendant, there seems to have been the hope of the Messiah with every male child that was born. Such seems to be implied in Eve’s remark regarding Seth, “I have gotten a man from God” or more literally perhaps, “I have gotten a God-man.”. Again, at the birth of Noah we see a similar hope when Lamech said of Noah’s birth “May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.” Thus, in several instances in the OT we see these hints of messianic hope among the Jewish people. Alas, when Messiah appeared, they missed him and to the present set and empty chair for his when they celebrate Passover. It is a sad thing. I remember an evangelist to the Jews breaking down weeping as he explained the empty chair at the Jewish Seders. “He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.”  (John 1:11) Back to the story.

When the angel addressed Joseph as ‘son of David’ he was conveying to Joseph not only that his taking Mary to be his wife would not be at odds with his being an heir of the hope of the Messiah, but that it would, in fact, be the means by which he would become the father of the Messiah; i.e. the one “thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” With this plain announcement, we could wonder how it was possible that Mary and Joseph were so many years coming to an understanding that this child to whom Mary gave birth was the Messiah. The answer lies in the fact that the Messiah God provided and the Messiah the Jews sought were so radically different that Jesus was unrecognizable as that Messiah. That much or the story remains to this day. The Messiah sought by the world and the Messiah provided by God, Jesus the Christ, are diametrically contrary; thus, he is yet rejected. But to Joseph, it was promised, you may take Mary as your wife, she has not been unfaithful, on the contrary, she has been faithful to the will of God and the child she will bear you will name Jesus.

(T)his was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. (Isa. 7:24) Thus did Messiah come to His own when Jesus “who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man….” (Phillipians 2:6ff) “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believes in Him might be saved. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. (John 3:16-18)