The Righteousness of a Just Man: Matthew 1:18-25
Introduction: A Crisis of Righteousness
We live in an age that has lost its nerve. Our generation has domesticated the Christmas story, turning it into a quaint and sentimental pageant of flannelgraph figures. We see a serene Mary, a stoic Joseph, and a peaceful baby in a sanitized barn, and we miss the raw, scandalous, and world-altering reality of what is happening. This is not a gentle story. This is the story of a cosmic invasion, and it begins with a crisis in the home of a righteous man.
The modern world, and much of the modern church, has replaced the biblical category of righteousness with the flimsy substitute of "being nice." Niceness is about avoiding conflict, smoothing over awkward situations, and ensuring no one's feelings are hurt. Righteousness, in the biblical sense, is about conforming to God's revealed standard, His law. It is about doing what is right, even when it is hard, costly, and deeply inconvenient. Joseph was not a "nice" man in our modern, squishy sense. He was a just man, a righteous man. And because he was a righteous man, he found himself in an impossible situation.
What do you do when your betrothed, a woman you are legally bound to, a woman you have kept yourself for, comes to you pregnant, and you know you are not the father? The law was clear. The options were stark. The penalty, in the extreme, was death. This is not a Hallmark movie dilemma. This is a crisis of law, honor, mercy, and faith. And it is into this crisis that God speaks, not to smooth things over, but to reveal His salvation.
Matthew's account of the nativity is not written to give us warm feelings. It is written to establish the legal and prophetic credentials of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, the King. And it begins by showing us the profound, obedient faith of His earthly father, a man who feared God more than he feared public opinion.
The Text
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. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 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.” 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.” 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.
(Matthew 1:18-25 LSB)
The Scandal and the Spirit (v. 18)
We begin with the raw facts of the situation.
"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 1:18)
First, we must understand what betrothal meant. It was not our modern, casual "engagement," which can be broken with a returned ring and some awkward text messages. A Jewish betrothal was a legally binding covenant, the first stage of marriage. The couple was considered husband and wife in every legal sense, except for the fact that they had not yet consummated the union or begun living together. To break a betrothal required a formal writ of divorce. Therefore, Mary's pregnancy was, on the face of it, an act of adultery, a capital offense under the Mosaic law (Deut. 22:23-24).
This is the scandal. But Matthew does not leave us in suspense. He immediately tells us the divine reality behind the human scandal: "she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit." This is the virgin birth, stated as bald fact. This is not an allegory or a pious legend. It is the hinge of history. The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, who hovered over the waters of creation, now hovers over the womb of a virgin. He is the agent of creation, and He is the agent of this new creation.
The virgin birth is an absolute theological necessity. If Jesus had a human father, He would have inherited Adam's sin nature, just like every other human being. He would have been part of the problem, not the solution. To be the Savior, He had to be one of us, truly human, but He also had to be from outside our fallen system. His humanity comes from Mary; His divine personhood and sinlessness come from His divine Father. To deny the virgin birth is to deny the gospel at its root.
A Just Man's Dilemma (v. 19)
Now Matthew turns to Joseph and his character.
"And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly." (Matthew 1:19)
Notice the two descriptions of Joseph. He was a "righteous man," and he was "not wanting to disgrace her." Our sentimental age would pit these two against each other. We would assume that being "righteous" means being harsh and judgmental, and being "kind" means setting aside the law. But for Joseph, these were not in conflict. His righteousness was the very thing that governed his mercy.
As a righteous man, he could not simply ignore what appeared to be a grievous sin. He could not pretend it didn't happen and proceed with the marriage. That would be to make a mockery of God's law concerning purity. He was bound by the law to separate from her. His first duty was to righteousness. But his righteousness was not that of a Pharisee, who would have relished the opportunity for a public shaming. His righteousness was tempered with genuine mercy. He did not want to "make her a public example." So he resolved on the most compassionate course of action available to him under the law: a quiet divorce, with only two witnesses, sparing her public humiliation and potential execution.
This is a portrait of true masculine piety. It is not a choice between truth and love, but the application of truth in love. Joseph was a man of principle, facing an agonizing decision, and he chose the path that upheld the law while showing the greatest possible mercy. He was a man, a real man, thinking through a terrible problem.
Divine Intervention and Clarification (v. 20-23)
God does not abandon his faithful servants to their own reasoning, however righteous it may be. He intervenes.
"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.'" (Matthew 1:20-21)
The angel's first words are crucial: "Joseph, son of David." This is not just a polite greeting. It is a summons to his covenantal identity. It reminds Joseph of his royal lineage and his place in God's great redemptive plan which would culminate in a Son of David sitting on the throne forever. The angel is telling him that this personal crisis is, in fact, the focal point of all of Israel's history and hope.
The command is to banish fear. "Do not be afraid." Fear of public opinion, fear of scandal, fear of being deceived. Faith must conquer fear. And the basis for this faith is a direct revelation: "the One who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit." God tells Joseph what he could not possibly have known on his own. This is not a human affair; it is a divine work.
Then comes the mission. Joseph is given a job. He is to name the child. By naming the child, he will legally adopt Him as his own, making Jesus a legal "son of David." And the name is not to be chosen from a family list. The name is given from Heaven: "Jesus." This is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua (Yehoshua), which means "Yahweh saves." The name is the mission statement. And the angel leaves no room for ambiguity about what kind of salvation this is: "for He will save His people from their sins." The fundamental problem of mankind is not the Roman occupation, or poverty, or political oppression. The fundamental problem is our sin, our rebellion against a holy God. Jesus is coming to solve that problem.
Matthew, the author, then steps in to connect the dots for us.
"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 1:22-23)
This is not a plan B. This is not a divine improvisation. This was the plan all along, spoken by Isaiah seven centuries earlier. The virgin conception is the sign. The Son is the fulfillment. And He is given another name, a title that describes His very nature: Immanuel. God with us. The infinite, transcendent Creator of the universe is about to wrap Himself in flesh and blood and move into the neighborhood. This is the central miracle of our faith. God did not send a memo or an angel to save us; He came Himself.
The Obedience of Faith (v. 24-25)
The mark of true faith is not a warm feeling, but swift obedience.
"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." (Matthew 1:24-25)
Joseph's response is immediate and exact. There is no record of him arguing, questioning, or asking for a second opinion. He heard the word of the Lord, and he did it. He "did as the angel of the Lord commanded him." This is the essence of biblical faith.
He takes Mary as his wife, publicly claiming her as his own, taking her shame and scandal upon himself. He becomes her protector and provider. This is a profound act of covenantal headship. He then demonstrates remarkable restraint and piety: he "kept her a virgin until she gave birth." He honored the unique holiness of this pregnancy and the sacredness of the child in her womb. He did not let his own rights or desires interfere with the work of God.
And finally, when the time came, he fulfilled his commanded duty. He "called His name Jesus." With that act, the carpenter from Nazareth formally and legally adopted the Son of God into the royal line of David, securing His legal claim to the throne of Israel. Joseph's quiet, unsung obedience was absolutely essential to the outworking of God's plan.
Conclusion: Righteousness that Receives the King
Joseph is one of the great unsung heroes of the faith. He is a model of what a godly man should be. He was righteous, meaning he took God's law seriously. He was merciful, meaning he applied that law with compassion. He was thoughtful, weighing his options carefully. He was humble, willing to receive correction from God. And he was obedient, acting immediately on God's command, regardless of the personal cost or public shame.
This is the kind of righteousness that receives Christ. It is not a self-righteousness that has everything figured out, but a humble righteousness that fears God and is therefore willing to be interrupted by Him. God broke into Joseph's well-ordered life with a scandalous miracle, and Joseph's response was not to protect his reputation, but to obey God.
The same choice confronts us. Christ comes to us, and His claims are often scandalous to the world. His call to discipleship disrupts our plans. His commands challenge our autonomy. His gospel offends our pride. We can respond like a Pharisee, clinging to our own righteousness and reputation, or we can respond like Joseph, with a humble, courageous, and immediate obedience. We can choose to be "nice" and please men, or we can choose to be righteous and please God.
May God give us the grace to be men and women like Joseph, who, when confronted with the living God, banish fear, believe the Word, and do as the Lord has commanded.