Commentary - Matthew 1:18-25

Bird's-eye view

In this passage, we come to the hinge of all human history. After tracing the legal lineage of Jesus through Joseph back to Abraham and David, Matthew now shows us how God broke into that history in a way that was entirely unprecedented. This is not simply a sentimental story for Christmas cards. This is the account of a divine invasion. The eternal Son of God is inserted into the stream of human affairs through the womb of a virgin. We see here the collision of a terrible human dilemma with a glorious divine solution. Joseph, a righteous man, is confronted with an apparent scandal, and in his faithful desire to do the right thing, God meets him and reveals the glorious truth of what He is doing. This passage establishes the identity of Jesus as both Savior and God with us, and it sets the stage for the entire gospel by demonstrating that salvation is a work of God from beginning to end.

We also see in Joseph a sterling example of godly manhood. His righteousness is not brittle or harsh; it is tempered with mercy. And when God speaks, his righteousness manifests itself in immediate, unquestioning obedience. He protects his wife, he adopts her Son, and he does all of it in the face of what would have been immense social disgrace. This is what faith looks like when it is backed into a corner.

Outline

Context In Matthew

Having just established Jesus' legal right to the throne of David through the genealogy of Joseph in verses 1-17, Matthew now pivots to show that Jesus' origin is not ultimately from David, but from God Himself. This section is crucial for Matthew's argument. He is presenting Jesus to a predominantly Jewish audience as the long-awaited Messiah, the King of the Jews. But he must show that this King is more than just another son of David. He is the Son of God. The virgin conception is therefore not a peripheral detail; it is the theological cornerstone of Christ's unique identity. It explains how He can be fully human, born of a woman, and yet fully divine, conceived by the Holy Spirit, free from the inherited sin of Adam.

Key Issues

The Scandal and the Miracle (v. 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.

Matthew begins with the straightforward language of a historian. The word for birth here is genesis, the same word that begins the book of Genesis and Matthew's own genealogy. A new creation is beginning. Mary was "betrothed" to Joseph, which in Jewish culture was a binding legal contract, as serious as marriage itself. Unfaithfulness during betrothal was considered adultery and could carry the death penalty. The clause "before they came together" is crucial; Matthew is emphatic that Joseph was not the father. From a human point of view, Mary's pregnancy was a catastrophe, a source of deep shame. But Matthew immediately gives us the divine perspective: she was "with child by the Holy Spirit." The greatest miracle in history looked, from the outside, like the most sordid of sins. This is often how God works. His glory is veiled in humility and what the world considers foolishness.

Righteousness and Mercy (v. 19)

And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.

Here we see the character of the man God chose to be the earthly father of His Son. Joseph is called a "righteous man." What does this mean? It means he took the law of God seriously. The law had provisions for what to do in a case of apparent adultery. A self-righteous man would have made a public spectacle, eager to vindicate his own honor. But Joseph's righteousness was not the brittle, vindictive righteousness of the Pharisees. It was a righteousness saturated with mercy. He did not want to "disgrace her," which could have meant public trial and even death. So he resolved on the most compassionate course available to him under the law: a quiet divorce. He was trying to be faithful to God's law without being cruel to Mary. This is the heart of true righteousness, where truth and mercy meet.

The Divine Intervention (v. 20-21)

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 One who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Just as Joseph was wrestling with his merciful plan, God intervened. God does not abandon His faithful servants in their impossible situations. The angel addresses him as "son of David," immediately elevating this family crisis to its true redemptive-historical significance. This isn't just about Joseph's marriage; it's about David's throne. The first command is "do not be afraid." Faith must conquer fear, fear of shame, fear of man, fear of breaking with tradition. The angel then reveals the truth: this child is "of the Holy Spirit." The scandal is actually a miracle. Then comes the second command: "you shall call His name Jesus." In that culture, naming a child was an act of claiming paternity. Joseph is being commanded to adopt God's Son as his own, thereby giving him legal standing as a son of David. The reason for the name is the gospel in a nutshell: "for He will save His people from their sins." The name Jesus (Yeshua) means "Yahweh saves." This is His primary mission. He is not coming first as a political king or a moral teacher, but as a Savior from sin.

God With Us (v. 22-23)

Now all this took place in order that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying, “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.”

Matthew the evangelist steps in to provide the theological commentary. None of this is accidental. History is the outworking of God's predetermined plan, spoken centuries before through Isaiah (Isa. 7:14). The sign once offered to a faithless king, Ahaz, now finds its ultimate fulfillment. A virgin conceiving was the sign then, and it is the reality now. While the child's given name is Jesus, His character and identity are Immanuel. This is the staggering truth of the incarnation. In this baby, born in scandal and obscurity, God Himself has come to dwell among His people. The transcendent Creator has become immanent, taking on flesh. Jesus is His name; Immanuel is what He is. He is God with us.

Faith in Action (v. 24-25)

And Joseph got up from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.

Here we see the fruit of true faith. Joseph's righteousness is not a matter of internal deliberation only; it results in immediate and precise obedience. He woke up and did exactly what the angel commanded. He didn't second-guess. He didn't take a poll of the neighbors. He heard the word of the Lord, and he acted. He took Mary as his wife, meaning he publicly claimed her and the child, taking all the inevitable shame and suspicion upon himself. This is true headship: a man laying down his reputation to protect his wife and obey his God. Matthew adds the detail that he "kept her a virgin until she gave birth," underlining the truth of the miracle for any who might doubt. The use of "until" strongly implies that they had a normal marital relationship after Jesus was born, which is why we as Protestants do not hold to the later tradition of Mary's perpetual virginity. His final act of obedience was naming the boy Jesus, formally and legally adopting Him into his family and the royal line of David. Joseph's faith was a working faith, an obedient faith, from first to last.

Application

The story of Joseph and Mary is far more than a historical account. It is a lesson in the nature of true righteousness. Like Joseph, we are called to a righteousness that is faithful to God's Word but is never unkind, never harsh, never self-serving. It is a righteousness that seeks to protect the weak, not expose them. When we are faced with confusing circumstances that seem to pit our duties against one another, we should, like Joseph, prayerfully consider the most merciful path, trusting that God will guide us.

Furthermore, Joseph's example of immediate obedience is a sharp rebuke to our modern tendency to dither, to rationalize, and to delay. When God's will is made clear, the righteous response is to get up and do it, regardless of the social cost. Faith that does not lead to action is no faith at all. Joseph was willing to risk everything, his reputation, his standing in the community, to obey God. We must ask ourselves if we are willing to do the same.

Finally, the central comfort of this passage is the central comfort of the entire Christian faith: Immanuel, God with us. The Son of God entered our messy, broken world. He entered into a situation fraught with scandal and misunderstanding. He is not a distant God who is disgusted by our troubles. He is a God who draws near. Whatever dilemma or impossible situation you face, the central promise of Christmas is that God is with you in it. He is with you to save you from your sins, and He is with you to guide you in the path of righteousness.