Matthew 1:18-25 - EXEGESIS:
MT. 1 CONTEXT: We usually think of the word "annunciation," in connection with the announcement to Mary that she will bear a child (Luke 1:26-38). However, in Matthew's Gospel, it is Joseph to whom the angel appears. Luke tells us of Mary's obedience (Luke 1:38), but Matthew tells us of Joseph's obedience (v. 24).
Luke features Mary prominently in his account of Jesus' birth (Luke 1-2), but Matthew brings Joseph to the forefront. Joseph is important to Matthew's Gospel, because Jesus becomes part of David's lineage through Joseph (1:1-17). However, Matthew includes five women in his genealogy, so he is not trying to diminish the role of women. The particular women mentioned in the genealogy are interesting:
• Tamar had a sexual relationship with Judah, her father-in-law (Genesis 38).
• Rahab was a harlot (Joshua 2:1). Ruth was a foreigner (Ruth 1:4).
• Ruth was from Moab (Ruth 1:1-4), a nation considered, not only foreign to Israel, but often an enemy, temptress, and corrupter of Israel.
• Bathsheba is identified here only as "the wife of Uriah" (1:6), but David's adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah constitute one of the most sordid chapters in the Bible (2 Samuel 11).
• Finally, there is Mary, a fine, Godly woman. But even Mary had a problem with public reputation because of her pregnancy.
Perhaps Matthew included these women in his genealogy to illustrate God's grace-to give us all hope.
This annunciation has deep Old Testament roots. There an angel announced to Hagar that she would bear a son whose name would be Ishmael (Genesis 16:7-14)-God announced to Abraham that Sarah would bear a son whose name would be Isaac (Genesis 17:15-18:15)-an angel announced to the wife of Manoah (and later to Manoah) that she would bear a son (Judges 13:2-25). Like Joseph of old in Egypt, this Joseph is a righteous man set on doing God's will.
Matthew's purposes in this Gospel lesson are to show that:
• Jesus is of the house and lineage of David through Joseph.
• Joseph, a righteous man (v. 19), is righteous by obeying God's command instead of rigidly observing a law requiring him to divorce Mary-or worse.
MATTHEW 1:18-19. THE BIRTH OF JESUS
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
"Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah was like this" (v. 18a). Matthew began this Gospel by asserting that Jesus is "Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (1:1). Now he reasserts that Jesus is the Messiah. In his description of Jesus' birth, he gives none of the details about the manger or the shepherds that we find in Luke. His account of Jesus' birth focuses primarily on Joseph, through whom Jesus will become a son of David (1:1-16).
"for after his mother, Mary, was engaged to Joseph, before they came together" (v. 18b). Jewish marriage starts with an engagement arranged by parents, often while the boy and girl are still children. Prior to marriage, couples begin a yearlong betrothal similar to marriage except for sexual rights. Betrothal is binding, and can be terminated only by death or divorce. A person whose betrothed dies is considered a widow or widower.
"she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit" (v. 18c). There are numerous stories in Greek and Roman mythology of such conceptions, but "it is most important that we not lapse into paganism by...presenting Jesus as a demigod, half human by virtue of birth from a human mother, half god since begotten by a god (Hare, 11). Christian doctrine affirms Jesus' full humanity and full divinity.
"Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away secretly" (v. 19). Deuteronomy 22:23-24 says: "If there is a young lady who is a virgin pledged to be married to a husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones; the lady, because she didn't cry, being in the city; and the man, because he has humbled his neighbor's wife: so you shall put away the evil from the midst of you."
Deuteronomy 22:25-27 makes an exception for the woman if the act takes place in the countryside where there is nobody to hear her protest, but the man is still to be stoned. Under this law, Mary is subject to death by stoning.
However, by the time of Jesus' birth, the Romans are in charge and will not allow Jews to impose the death penalty (John 18:31). Nevertheless, penalties for illicit pregnancy are serious. The man is expected to divorce the woman. The man would also reclaim the bride price, a substantial sum.
Joseph is described as righteous--he lives by God's law. However, he is not self-righteous, a quality that would cause him to demand harsh justice. He resolves to divorce Mary quietly so that he might not cause her unnecessary pain. In doing so, he models Christ-like compassion in the face of sin. He also demonstrates a Godly balance between the Law of Torah and the Law of Love.
The proper relationship of the Godly person to the law is a major theme of this Gospel. Jesus will perform numerous acts of compassion that offend self-appointed keepers of the law:
• He will forgive a paralytic's sins and be accused of blasphemy (9:2-8).
• He will cast out a demon and be accused of healing by the power of demons (9:32-34).
• He will pluck grain on the Sabbath to feed his disciples and be accused of breaking the Sabbath law (12:1-8).
• He will heal a man with a withered hand on the Sabbath, and be accused of breaking the Sabbath law (12:9-14).
• He will break the tradition of the elders and call attention to their failure to keep the Torah (15:1-20).
• He will render to Caesar that which is Caesar's and to God that which is God's (17:24-27).
• He will distinguish between God's intent for permanency in marriage and Moses' allowance for divorce (19:1-12).
• He will say that the greatest commandment is to love God and neighbor (22:34-40).
• He will pronounce blessings and curses on those who help the needy or fail to do so (25:31-46).
• On two occasions (9:13; 12:7), he will quote Hosea 6:6, "For I desire mercy, and not sacrifice."
MATTHEW 1:20-21. AN ANGEL OF THE LORD
20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
"But when he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream" (v. 20a). This is the first of three occasions in which an angel appears to Joseph in a dream. In each instance, the angel calls Joseph to action and Joseph obeys. He has no speaking part--Matthew does not record one word that Joseph says. In this first appearance, the angel commands Joseph to take Mary as his wife. In 2:13, the angel will tell Joseph to take the mother and child to Egypt to escape Herod's wrath. In 2:19, the angel will, at the death of Herod, tell Joseph to return to Israel. In a fourth obedience, after being warned in a dream (no angel this time), Joseph will go to Galilee (2:22).
The angel begins by saying, "Joseph, son of David" (v. 20), alerting us to Joseph's lineage. It is through Joseph that Jesus will be of the house and lineage of David.
"don't be afraid" (v. 20b). The angel will repeat these exact words to the women at the tomb following Jesus' resurrection (28:5). Jesus will use the same words on several occasions (10:31; 14:27; 17:7; 28:10). Joseph is not to be afraid of the angel--or of his neighbors' opinions--or even of the Torah requirement for punishment. He is not to hesitate, but is to wed Mary.
"She shall bring forth a son. You shall call his name Jesus, for it is he who will save his people from their sins" (v. 21a). Mary's role is to bear a son, and Joseph's role is to name him. By naming him, Joseph will make Jesus his son and bring him into the house of David.
The name, Jesus, "is the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehosua, which means 'YHWH is salvation' " (Bergant, 27). It is related to the name Joshua--Moses' successor.
"for it is he who will save his people from their sins" (v. 21b). The first Joshua saved the people from their enemies; the second Joshua (Jesus) will save the people from their sins.
In this Gospel, Jesus makes heavy ethical demands. We must be perfect, even as the Heavenly Father is perfect (5:48). A man who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart (5:28). It is therefore reassuring to see, at the outset, that Jesus has come to save us from our sins.
The people do not expect a messiah who will save them from their sins, but one who will deliver them from their oppressors. Jesus would be far more popular if he would focus on relieving the people of Roman oppression instead of delivering them from their sins. The Romans drain the economy by their taxation, impose indignity after indignity upon the people, and displace God's law with Roman law. Jesus not only fails to address these grievances, but also commends the faith of a centurion (8:5-13) and teaches people to render to Caesar that which is Caesar's (17:24-27). In Luke's Gospel, he will even forgive those responsible for his death (Luke 23:34).
MATTHEW 1:22-23. THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED
22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
"Now all this has happened, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet" (v. 22). The fulfillment of prophecy is important to Matthew. He mentions it eleven times (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:9).
"Behold, the virgin (he parthenos) shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son" (v. 23a). The verse cited is Isaiah 7:14. Isaiah spoke these words to King Ahaz in the eighth century. Jerusalem was under siege, and it appeared that both the city and the nation might be destroyed. Isaiah's prophesied that a boy-child would be born and that, by the time he reached maturity, the threat from the enemy would have passed. We do not know that boy's identity, but the city and nation were both spared.
"The virgin" is the correct translation of he parthenos rather than "a virgin"--the original has the definite article--suggesting that God has a particular virgin in mind. Isaiah referred to a young woman (almah)--although the the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Old Testament, uses parthenos, which means virgin, in Isaiah 7:14.
Matthew's ho parthenos clearly means virgin. Neither Mark nor John addresses the issue of the virgin birth, nor do the epistles. However, both Matthew and Luke makes it clear that the child is from the Holy Spirit and that Joseph is not the father (Matthew 1:18, 21; Luke 1:35)--and that Mary is a virgin (Matthew 1:23, 25; Luke 1:34).
"Mary had to be a virgin, because Jesus is the Son of God. There is no way to prove Mary's virginity other than to observe that without Mary's virginity the story cannot be told. Mary's virginity is simply required by the way the story runs. The one to whom she gave birth is none other than Emmanuel, 'God with us,' and such a one can have no other father than the Father who is the first person of the Trinity" (Hauerwas, 36).
"They shall call his name Immanuel" (v. 23b). In the Gospel of Luke, the angel tells Mary to name the baby Jesus (Luke 1:31), but this angel does not tell Joseph to name the baby Emmanuel. Instead the angel says that "they" will name him Emmanuel--"they" presumably being the people whom the baby will save from their sins (v. 21). In Hebrew, El is a short form of Elohim, a name for God. Immanu-El means "God with us," a meaning which Matthew spells out for non-Hebrew readers. Emmanuel is not a second name by which friends and neighbors will know Jesus. Jesus is his name, and Emmanuel describes his role. Matthew thus begins his Gospel with the promise that Jesus is God-with-us, and will end the Gospel with the promise that Jesus will be with us "always, to the end of the age" (28:20).
MATTHEW 1:24-25. JOSEPH DID AS THE ANGEL COMMANDED
24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
"Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took his wife to himself" (v. 24). As noted above, an angel appears to Joseph three times and, on each occasion, Joseph obeys the angel without question or pause.
"and didn't know her sexually until she had brought forth her firstborn son" (v. 25). The angel did not require this discipline of Joseph, but he assumes it voluntarily. His abstinence (and Matthew's mention of it) rules out any doubt that Joseph could have fathered Mary's child.
Today, Christians are divided with regard to Mary's virginity--the issue being Mary's perpetual virginity. Did Mary and Joseph consummate their marriage after Jesus' birth? The phrase, "until she had borne a son" suggests that they did. Bruner says that, while major Protestant church fathers, including Luther and Wesley, believed in Mary's perpetual virginity, "the burden of proof rests on those who would contest the simple meaning of the word until" (Bruner, 37).
Rather than trying to elucidate the pros and cons of this question, I will ask you to look to your denominational doctrine for guidance. The greater issue is not perpetual virginity but Christian charity--can we love Christian brothers and sisters with whom we disagree on an issue of this sort?
Numbers 21:4-9 COMMENTARY:
CONTEXT: This incident takes place near the end of Moses' life and the conclusion of Israel's wandering in the wilderness. Yahweh will soon command Moses to commission Joshua as his successor (27:12-23; see also Deuteronomy 31:1-8). The Israelites will soon conquer the Transjordan (32:1-41) and delineate the boundaries in the Promised Land (34:1-15). However, neither the death of Moses (Deuteronomy 34) nor the crossing into the Promised Land (Joshua 3) are narrated in this book. The Israelites are near the Promised Land, approaching it from the south. Edom has denied Israel the right of passage (20:14-21). The Israelites came to Mount Hor where Aaron died (20:22-29)-Aaron was Moses' brother and Israel's first high priest. The king of Ar'ad, a Canaanite who lived in the Negeb (southern portion of the Promised Land) fought against Israel, but Israel prevailed (21:1-3).
NUMBERS 21:4-5. THEY SET OUT TO GO AROUND THE LAND OF EDOM
4 Then they set out from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient because of the journey. 5 The people spoke against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this miserable food."
"They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom" (v. 4a). We don't know the precise location of Mount Hor. Because of the context, we believe that it was located near Edom, a land that occupied the Rift Valley from the south end of the Dead Sea to the north end of the Gulf of Aqaba. The Israelites would have considered Aqaba to be an arm of the Red Sea. Josephus located Mount Hor near Petra, about 50 miles (80 km) south of the Dead Sea.
As noted above, Edom had refused Israel the right of passage and had backed that up with a heavily armed force (20:14-21). Israel had to decide whether to fight or to bypass Edom. They chose the latter, going south to pass around Edom's southern border near the Gulf of Aqaba.
"and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way" (v. 4b). The Israelites were never a particularly patient people, and this latest setback (having to go south to bypass Edom when they wanted to go north into the Promised Land) did not set well with them.
"The people spoke against God, and against Moses, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loathes this light (qeloqel-worthless, unappetizing) bread'" (v. 5). The author notes that, while their complaint is seemingly against Moses, it is first and foremost against Yahweh. This isn't the first complaint of this nature that the Israelites have made:
• Shortly after Israel departed Egypt during the Exodus, they found themselves pursued by the Egyptian army and blocked by the Red Sea. They said to Moses, "Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you treated us this way, to bring us out of Egypt? Isn't this the word that we spoke to you in Egypt, saying, 'Leave us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians?' For it were better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness" (Exodus 14:11-12). On that occasion, Yahweh divided the Red Sea to allow Israel to escape. That also became the means by which Yahweh destroyed the Egyptian army.
• Then, in the very next chapter, the people complained about the bitterness of the water at Marah, saying "What shall we drink?" (Exodus 15:24). Yahweh showed Moses a stick of wood and told him to throw it into the water. When Moses did so, the water became sweet.
• And in the next chapter, "The whole congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness; and the children of Israel said to them, 'We wish that we had died by the hand of Yahweh in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots, when we ate our fill of bread, for you have brought us out into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger'" (Exodus 16:2-3). Yahweh responded by giving them quail and manna to satisfy their hunger (Exodus 16:13-15).
• Then, at Rephidim, "The people quarreled with Moses, and said, 'Give us water to drink.' Moses said to them, 'Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you test Yahweh?' The people were thirsty for water there; and the people murmured against Moses, and said, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?'" (Exodus 17:2-3). So Yahweh ordered Moses to strike the rock at Horeb with "the rod in your hand with which you struck the Nile" (Exodus 17:5) When Moses did so, the people received water. Moses "called the name of the place Massah, and Meribah, because the children of
Israel quarreled, and because they tested Yahweh, saying, 'Is Yahweh among us, or not?'" (Exodus 17:7).
• At Taberah, the Israelites, tired of eating manna, cried, "Who will give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we ate in Egypt for nothing; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic; but now we have lost our appetite. There is nothing at all except this manna to look at" (Numbers 11:4b-6). Yahweh, whose patience had already grown thin (Numbers 11:1-3), sent vast numbers of quail for them to eat (Numbers 11:31). However, when they ate the quail, "the anger of Yahweh was kindled against the people, and Yahweh struck the people with a very great plague" (Numbers 11:33).
• When Moses sent twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan, Caleb and Joshua brought a favorable report (Numbers 13:30; 14:6-9), but the rest of the spies warned that the inhabitants of the land were too powerful to conquer, saying, "we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight" (Numbers 13:33). The Israelites believed the ten unfaithful spies, and complained, "Why does Yahweh bring us to this land, to fall by the sword? Our wives and our little ones will be a prey: wouldn't it be better for us to return into Egypt?" (Numbers 14:2-3). As punishment for their lack of faith, Yahweh decreed that all of the Israelites who complained, age twenty and upward, would die in the wilderness.
• Then Dathan and Abiram complained to Moses, "Is it a small thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us in the wilderness, but you must also make yourself a prince over us? Moreover you haven't brought us into a land flowing with milk and honey, nor given us inheritance of fields and vineyards" (Numbers 16:13-14).
• At Meribah, lacking water, "The people strove with Moses, and spoke, saying, "We wish that we had died when our brothers died before Yahweh! Why have you brought the assembly of Yahweh into this wilderness, that we should die there, we and our animals? Why have you made us to come up out of Egypt, to bring us in to this evil place? It is no place of seed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates; neither is there any water to drink" (Numbers 20:3-5). Yahweh ordered Moses to command the rock to yield its water, but Moses instead struck the rock with his staff. Water flowed from the rock, but Yahweh punished Moses for his disobedience by saying, "Because you didn't believe in me, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them" (Numbers 20:12).
• Now the people have spoken against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, and there is no water; and our soul loathes this light bread." That has begun to sound familiar, hasn't it!
I must confess that I sympathize with the Israelites. While Yahweh has provided for them time after time in ways that should have cemented their faith, frequent shortages of water in the desert would be unnerving-and eating manna morning noon, and night, would get monotonous. Manna tasted like "wafers with honey" (Exodus 16:31). I have, on occasion, eaten too many sweets. When that happens, I start wanting something not sweet-and wanting it desperately. At that point, nothing gets my attention like the smell of cooking onions or roasting meat. Pie and cake hold absolutely no interest for me then, but the thought of pot roast with potatoes and carrots becomes compelling.
NUMBERS 21:6-7. THEN THE LORD SENT POISONOUS SERPENTS
6 The LORD sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.
7 So the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned, because we have spoken against the LORD and you; intercede with the LORD, that He may remove the serpents from us." And Moses interceded for the people.
"Yahweh sent fiery serpents (nahas) among the people, and they bit the people; and many people of Israel died" (v. 6). See the comments in verse 8 regarding the two Hebrew words for serpent.
There is no shortage of serpents in this desert land. They include horned vipers, puff-adders, cobras, and an especially lethal serpent known as the carpet viper (Cole, 347).
This is the second time when Yahweh has inflicted physical punishment on the Israelites for their complaining. The first time was the sickness and death brought about by eating the quail in Numbers 11.
"The people came to Moses, and said, 'We have sinned, because we have spoken against Yahweh, and against you. Pray to Yahweh, that he take away the serpents from us" (v. 7a). The Israelites, stunned by the presence of these deadly serpents, recognize what is happening as punishment for their complaints, so they quickly repent and ask Moses to intercede with Yahweh to save them.
"Moses prayed for the people" (v. 7b). This is not the first time that Moses has interceded with Yahweh in behalf of the Israelites. When Aaron made the golden calf for them to worship, Yahweh told Moses, "I have seen these people, and behold, they are a stiff-necked people. Now therefore leave me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them, and that I may consume them; and I will make of you a great nation" (Exodus 32:9-10).
But Moses responded by praying, "Yahweh, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, that you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians speak, saying, 'He brought them forth for evil, to kill them in the mountains, and to consume them from the surface of the earth?' Turn from your fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against your people.
Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, 'I will multiply your seed as the stars of the sky, and all this land that I have spoken of I will give to your seed, and they shall inherit it forever'" (Exodus 32:11-13). What an eloquent (and supremely unselfish) argument!
So Yahweh changed his mind and did not bring destroy his people (Exodus 32:14). However, he did send a plague on them because of the golden calf (Exodus 32:35).
NUMBERS 21:8-9. MAKE A POISONOUS SERPENT AND PUT IT ON A POLE
8 Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a standard; and it shall come about, that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, he will live." 9 And Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on the standard; and it came about, that if a serpent bit any man, when he looked to the bronze serpent, he lived.
"Yahweh said to Moses, 'Make a fiery serpent, (sarap) and set it on a standard: and it shall happen, that everyone who is bitten, when he sees (ra'a) it, shall live'" (v. 8).
In verse 6, the word was nahas, which is a general word for serpent. However, here it is sarap, which "generally refers to a poisonous snake, deriving its origin from the burning sensation of the serpent's bite" (Baker & Carpenter, 1201). For this reason, some translations translate both nahas (v. 6) and sarap (v. 8) as "fiery serpents."
Given Yahweh's prohibition of graven images (Exodus 20:4), the remedy that Yahweh prescribes seems peculiar. Moses is to fashion a serpent and set it on a pole. Anyone who has been bitten by one of the serpents is to look (ra'a) at the serpent on the pole, and they will be spared.
The word ra'a means "see," but can carry the connotation of gazing intently - or seeing and believing. The Israelites had to do something more than glancing in the direction of the serpent on a pole to experience its miraculous properties.
"Moses made a serpent of brass (nehoset), and set it on the standard: and it happened, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of brass, he lived" (v. 9). The word nehoset can mean bronze (an alloy of copper and tin), brass (an alloy of copper and zinc) or copper (a metal in its own right). Archeological studies in this region have found evidence of copper refining, which has led scholars to believe that this serpent was copper rather than bronze.
The serpent that Moses fashioned proved efficacious when the people did as Yahweh had commanded. The people were allowed to live.
