The Exposition of Matthew (Matthew 1:16-23)
(The Virgin Birth of Christ)
Questions to be answered in this study
- How do we know for sure Jesus was virgin born?
- How did the genealogy change when it came to Joseph?
- Why is it not necessary to understand everything about Jesus to be saved?
- Why are we not to worship Mary, mother of Jesus?
- What does the name Jesus mean?
- How many Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled concerning the birth and death of Jesus?
- We are familiar with the word Parthenon, but what does it mean and who was it connected to and why?
- What does Emmanuel mean?
- Why was Jesus called Emmanuel?
- What does deity mean?
Introduction
Last study we looked ate the genealogy up to Jesus. Today we take up at the birth of Jesus. The text emphasizes that Jesus was virgin born. Anyone who denies the virgin birth of Jesus has no proof but only their own supposition. We who accept the virgin birth of Jesus have the evidence of Scripture, which has never been proven false during the thousands of years of its existence.
Matthew 1:16, “And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” Notice how the genealogy pattern changes here: One head of family begets the other until it comes to Joseph, and then it changes to Joseph being the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Matthew is making sure we know that Jesus is not the seed of Joseph. In the rest of this chapter, Matthew will show us how Jesus is the virgin-born Son of God, the promised Messiah as foretold from Old Testament Scriptures.
The Virgin Birth of Jesus Christ:
Both Mark and Luke, the second and third account of the gospel, uphold the virgin birth. Luke was a doctor and certainly understood obstetrics, the branch of medicine and surgery concerned with childbirth. Yet, he, along with Matthew, upholds the doctrine of the virgin birth of Christ. Many years ago, when I was attending college and a member of Belview Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee, Dr. Adrien Rogers’ daughter was attending Union University at Jackson, Tennessee. She came home one weekend and told her dad that one of her professors was teaching that the virgin birth of Christ was false. Dr. Rogers got together with some other prominent leaders in the Southern Baptist Convention and set in motion a drive to weed out the liberal Professors in Southern Baptist Colleges and seminaries, returning them to conservative institutions. Please don’t misunderstand; each person has a right to believe or not to believe in the virgin birth, but to call themselves a teacher or preacher among those who believe in the inspiration of Scripture is not correct, in my opinion.
I want to clarify that a person doesn’t have to understand or know everything about Jesus to trust in Him for salvation. Jon 3:16 is clear that whosoever believeh in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” Still, once they have trusted in Jesus, it would be a contradiction of what the Bible teaches not to believe in the virgin birth, and to me, evidence they indeed had not had a saving experience at all. Once again, it is a person’s right to believe that Jesus was not virgin born; however, the only Jesus we have a record of is virgin born. Those who think otherwise have established their belief on nothing more than a personal supposition without any evidence whatsoever; whereas, we who are believers have the evidence of Scripture.
Some say the virgin birth is just impossible. When I was growing up, people thought television was impossible. I agreed until I saw one for myself, and then I still thought it might be a hoax. Today a lot of things exist that once were deemed impossible. People are prone to believe what they have read or been taught. I read about a scientist who was an atheist who believed in evolution because he was taught that. When he began to read the Bible, see the truth and was enlightened by the Holy Spirit, he was converted to Christ and denounced his atheism and belief in evolution.
Indeed, the virgin birth was a new thing in the New Testament; no one had ever witnessed it before. Jeremiah spoke of this new thing in Jeremiah 31:22 (KJV), “…For the LORD has created a new thing in the earth – A woman shall encompass a man,” [Go around a man]. God is the author of natural laws, but He also has the power to set them aside to accomplish His purpose. The record we have of Jesus is that He was a virgin-born.
The Divisions of generations:
Matthew 1:17, – 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.” Matthew had to eliminate some names to come out an even 14 in succession three times, from Abraham to Jesus Christ. The question is, why did he do it? There is no positive answer. Perhaps he was adding an emphasis on the accuracy of the genealogy by using the number 14, which is two sevens. Seven is God’s number; it is the number of perfections or accuracy.
The Birth of Jesus:
Matthew 1:18, “Now 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.” So, Matthew says, here is how it happened: Mary was espoused to Joseph, that is, she was engaged to him for marriage. Before they came together or had sex, she was found with child. She was supernaturally impregnated by the Holy Spirit of God, which we read in Jeremiah was new and went around the man to accomplish God’s plan.
Joseph’s remarkable Response:
Matthew 1:19, “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.” According to the Mosaic Law, a woman caught in adultery was to be stoned to death. At first, Joseph, no doubt, thought that Mary had been unfaithful to him. But he loved her and did not choose to make her a public example; instead, he protected her because he loved her and wanted to do nothing that would harm her. Indeed, he was a remarkable man. Because of this, God chooses him to be the husband of Mary, the same as He chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. We, as those outside the Catholic Church, are to respect both Joseph and Mary. But of course, they were people, much the same as us and are not to be worshiped or placed on the same plane as Jesus.
The re-enforcement of the Angel of God:
Matthew 1:20, “But 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.” Even though Joseph was a remarkable man, he needed the angel to assure him that Mary was with child because of a supernatural act of God and was not unfaithful. This assured Joseph that it was God’s will that he takes Mary as his wife.
His Name is Jesus:
Matthew 1:21, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.”God chose the only name that genuinely identified who Jesus was; Jesus means savior. He shall save God’s people, those who believe, from their sins.
Prophecy Fulfilled:
Matthew 1:22, “Now 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.” Matthew was attempting to prove to Israel that the birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy, even though they would ultimately reject Him as their Messiah and have continued to do so until this very day. There is no excuse for it because over 300 Old Testament prophecies have been fulfilled concerning the birth and death of Jesus, many of which were fulfilled by the enemies of God. Matthew used more of the Old Testament prophecy’s than the other three gospels put together.
From the Prophecy of Isaiah 7:14-23:
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.”Isaiah 7:14 (KJV), “Therefore the LORD himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” In 1952, the Revised Standard Version (RSV) wrongly translated this verse: “Therefore the LORD himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a young woman shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
The Hebrew word for virgin used in the KJV is “almah” which was always used to describe a virgin. Isaiah 7:14 was given as a sign. Let’s see this verse in context: God sent Isaiah to King Ahaz, a wicked king, to assure him that the Syrians, who were threatening Jerusalem, would not be successful, and he gave Ahaz this sign to prove to him that his Prophecy was from God. Isaiah 7:10-12 (KJV), “Moreover the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, 11Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; ask it either in the depth, or in the height above. 12But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. ”Isaiah must have said, well you are going to get one whether you want one or not, so Isaiah said, Isaiah 7:14 (KJV), “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
Suppose he used a young woman, as did the RVS translation, “a young woman shall conceive.” What kind of sign would that have been? Thousands of young women conceive every day but only once did a virgin conceive. Of course, we can use the term young woman and mean a virgin, but a young woman can also not be a virgin. The Septuagint bears it out that “almah” means virgin. During the intertestamental period, 70 scholars in Alexander Egypt took on translating the Hebrew Bible into Greek; this included six from each of the 12 tribes. When they came to Isaiah 7:14, they translated virgin into the Greek word “Parthenos,” meaning virgin, of which there is no doubt. The word derives from the virgin goddess Athena whose temple was called the Parthenon because Parthenos means virgin.
Jesus Called Emanuel:
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.” Christ is His title. His name was Jesus. He was called teacher, lord, and master, but in our mind, He is Emmanuel because we recognize He is God with us. Anyone who denies the deity of Jesus ignores what the Bible says: “God with us.” This is one of the beautiful truths of the Bible. Emanuel means God with us. Jesus had to be virgin-born before he could be God with us. If he were of the seed of Joseph, he would have been a man like any other man and certainly not God. It was God who came down from heaven to earth to be the savior. A mere man cannot be a savior, and only God can fulfill that enormous task through death on the cross to pay man’s penalty for sin. His name is Jesus, which means savior, but we cannot call Him Jesus unless He is Emanuel, God with us.
The question is, can you be saved without believing Jesus was virgin born? You can be saved without knowing much about Jesus as long as you believe the gospel, the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and are willing to place your faith in Him for the forgiveness of your sins. However, after you are saved, you cannot deny the virgin birth of Christ or otherwise; he is not your Emmanuel, not God with you. Only God could die a redemptive death on the cross for us.