Matthew 1:18-25

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Matthew 1:18-25
Matthew does a masterful job of defending Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God. By the time Matthew wrote his account there were many rumors going around about Jesus. One rumor was that He was “born of fornication” (Jn. 8:41). Jewish writings of that time indicate that many believed that Mary had an affair with a Jewish soldier named Panthera and was pregnant by him. Notice how Matthew disproves any such rumor.

We first see that Joseph was ready to divorce Mary secretly. Joseph believed what would seem to be the obvious. He knew he was not the father, therefore the only possibility could be that Mary had been with someone else. But as Joseph contemplates this, an angel appears to him and convinces him that Mary was indeed a virgin. The angel backs up his assertion with scripture (Isa. 7:14). In other words, this was a planned event.

Now notice the response of Joseph. Joseph is so convinced that Mary is a virgin and that the words of the angel are true, that he takes Mary as his wife. No upstanding Jewish man would have taken a woman who had cheated on him during the engagement period.

Further, Joseph respects the fact that she is with child by the Holy Spirit and does not have relations with her until Jesus is born, further proving that he was not the father. Notice also that he only refrained from sexual relations with her until Jesus was born, which implies that he started relations with her after Jesus’ birth. That he did so, proves all the more that he believed Mary to be pure.

Matthew 13:55 goes on to tell us that Mary had four other sons and at least two daughters (”sisters” to Jesus). The Roman Catholic Church teaches that Mary was a virgin all her life. The Bible obviously denies such a doctrine.

Berry Kercheville