The Miraculous Advent of the Christ
Matthew 1:17-25
17So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. 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.
See 1 Chronicles 3, Matthew 1 and Luke 3. (Mary’s lineage)
Fourteen generations in Matthew 1:17 (from Abraham to David): Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, Perez, Hezron, Ram, Admin, Amminadab, Nahshon, Salmon, Boaz, Obed and Jesse.
See Luke 3. (Joseph’s lineage)
Fourteen generations in Matthew 1:17 (from David until the carrying away into Babylon): Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, Jehoshaphat, Joram (Jehoram), Ahaziah, Joash, Amaziah, Uzziah (Azariah), Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Manasseh, Amon.
See Luke 3. (continuing Joseph’s lineage)
Fourteen generations in Matthew 1:17 (from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ): Josiah, Jehoiakim, Jeconiah (Jehoiachin), Shealtiel.
See Matthew 1. (continuing Joseph’s lineage)
Zerubbabel, Abihud, Eliakim, Azor, Zadok, Achim, Eliud, Eleazar, Matthan, Jacob. (Matthew 1:16, And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.)
The three Books containing the genealogy of Jesus Christ establish the Kingship of Jesus.
The birth of Jesus Christ took place under mysterious circumstances and necessitated the angelic appearance to ensure Mary and Joseph of the Holy Spirit’s part in the conception and birth of Jesus Christ, the King and Savior.
Matthew, in our lesson text, records the appearance of the angel to assure Joseph that Mary’s pregnancy was the work of the Holy Spirit and that he could take care of his wife without embarrassment or shame. He was instructed concerning the Virgin Born son, “Jesus,” regarding His saving ministry.
This miraculous advent of the Christ was also to be a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Let’s begin at
Matthew 1:17
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.
The genealogy of Jesus Christ as recorded by Matthew is the legal and real line of descent down to Joseph, whereas the one recorded by Luke in Chapter 3 is the real descent down to Mary.
Luke 3:23-38
23And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli, 24Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph, 25Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge, 26Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda, 27Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri, 28Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er, 29Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, 30Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim, 31Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David, 32Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson, 33Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda, 34Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor, 35Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala, 36Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech, 37Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan, 38Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.
Matthew’s concern is to convince his Jewish readers of the crown rights of Jesus as the Promised Messiah and hence traces the child’s ancestry to Abraham through King David.
God created everything in Heaven and on earth. Man was created to enjoy God’s creations, to have communion with God and to glorify Him. Everything God made was good. We can depend on Him to make something good of us if we yield to Him, our lives, as clay in the hands of the potter.
God loves the world and still wants to remold man in His image. His creative powers are seen in His ability to take a single life that is spiritually dead and breathe spiritual life into it.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
The birth of Jesus Christ, tracing His ancestry by David to Abraham is in accord with Matthew’s purpose to establish the kingdom of Jesus for the benefit of the Jewish readers.
This marvelous advent of Christ was also a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy and therefore in accord with God’s redemption plans in His mission to redeem the world. Notice in Verse 16, it does not say that Joseph begat Jesus, but he who was the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
Matthew 1:16
And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
The birth of Jesus took place in this way, before there was any physical relationship with Joseph, the man to which she was betrothed: The Spirit of The Lord overshadowed her.
Luke 1:26-38
26And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, 27To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: 33And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.36And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. 37For with God nothing shall be impossible. 38And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Joseph was a just man. Two courses were open to him. He could summon her before the magistrate to be condemned and punished or he could put her away quietly in the presence of two or three witnesses. A man of Joseph’s character would naturally choose the latter, for he could not bear to expose his beloved to public shame.
Matthew 1:20-25
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.
Knowing Mary’s good character while he brooded over the matter alone, in the quietness of the night, God intervened with a supernatural dream. Dreams were recognized then, as channels of divine revelation.
In Luke 1 the Bible tells us that it was Gabriel. The angel also announced the future vocation of Jesus. He had a purpose for leaving the portals of glory: to become poor that we might become rich. His mission was to save His people from their sins. That is, Jesus came to deliver from guilt, penalty and the power of sin.
His people are those that believe Him. This is as true today as when first announced by the angel.
1 Timothy 1:15
This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
The angelic announcement to Joseph guards the reality of the virgin birth. He spoke with divine foreknowledge. Then Joseph believed The Lord’s explanation and direction and he planned to complete his marriage to Mary. Knowing God’s will in the matter, his responsibility was to obey. This he did.
Prompt obedience on the part of God’s servants is evidence of reality of faith in God’s Word. This expression “know her not” safeguards the reality of the virgin birth. This is obvious that Mary was still a virgin at the time of Jesus’ birth.
Mary and Joseph didn’t become the kind of persons they were overnight. It was because they were trusting, yielding believers in God that God could use them as He did. The angel told Joseph what to name the baby, always important and often a puzzling factor when a child is born. Joseph was to bear the responsibility for caring for Jesus as a father, even though the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. He was granted the unusual privilege of an earthly father, in that day, of naming the baby.
Perhaps Joseph was acquainted with the prophecy of Isaiah, which had stated simply that a virgin should conceive.
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Now Joseph knew the name of that virgin, the dearly beloved Mary to whom he was betrothed. Joseph did not hesitate, but did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him. I’m sure there has seldom been a command of The Lord carried out with more trusting willingness. Imagine, then, his joy: his faith in her was completely justified. It was with the deepest happiness that he married her and gladly undertook the burden of sharing the misunderstanding and awesome responsibility and rearing the Son of God. God’s plans are perfect. He often uses man to carry out His will, to obey His Word.
Whoever before had the awesome duty of teaching Deity? The very least that we can learn from the lowly is that humble position of obscurity cannot be used as evidence that one is not in the will of God. Joseph reminds us that there must be very many who are called to work behind the scenes. It takes only the passing of time and the unfolding of God’s plan to reveal the true importance of our place.
Matthew 1:23
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.
Sometime after the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem some wise men from the East came. The purpose of their coming was to pay homage to a new born King and they asked where was the new born King.
Matthew 2:1,2
1Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, 2Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.
King Herod was troubled and he called the wise men and inquired of them diligently what time the star appeared.
Matthew 2:7-8
7Then Herod when he had privily called the wise men, enquired of them diligently what time the star appeared. 8Go and search diligently for the young child: and when ye have found him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship him also.
So they departed and the star led them to where He was. They presented unto him gold, frankincense and myrrh.
Matthew 2:11
And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.
These precious gifts they brought because they were symbolical of the life and suffering and status of Jesus. These things are valuable. We can see God’s guidance in their bringing gold, for this gift provided the necessary money for the flight into Egypt. They were led of God even in their choices of gifts. The wise men seem to be responsive to The Lord in every area of their lives.
Matthew 2:12
And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way.
Matthew 2:16
Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently enquired of the wise men.
Matthew 2:21-23 (Action taken by Joseph when Herod was dead)
21And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee: 23And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.
