Born to Save

One of golf's immortal moments came when a Scottsman demonstrated the new game to President Ulysses Grant. Carefully placing the ball on the tee, he took a mighty swing. The club hit the turf and scattered dirt all over the President's beard and clothing, while the ball placidly waited on the tee. Again the Scotsman swung, and again he missed. Our President waited patiently through six tries and then quietly stated, “There seems to be a fair amount of exercise in the game, but I fail to see the purpose of the ball.”

I sometimes feel that way about Christmas: a fair amount of exercise, but in all the activity, have we lost sight of the purpose?

The Birth of Jesus was an extraordinary event. (18)

From the very beginning of Matthew’s nativity, it’s obvious that there would be nothing ordinary about the birth of Jesus. Why would Matthew begin by saying it happened “this way,” if there wasn’t something remarkable, something extraordinary about the story. Let’s start with Joseph.

Joseph was a righteous man. (19-20a)

This righteous man was engaged to be married to a young woman named Mary.

First-century marriage happened this way:

Part 1: Engagement. Usually arranged by a marriage broker during childhood.

Part 2: Betrothal. Usually a one-year period in which the couple were considered legally married, but did not live together or have sexual relations.

Part 3: Marriage. The Old Testament pictured marriage in three actions: leaving, cleaving, and knowing (becoming one flesh).

Genesis 2:24 CSB

This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.

Joseph was engaged to a young woman named Mary, and he discovered that she was pregnant. That’s extraordinary! Matthew let’s the reader in on an extraordinary mystery in verse 18: she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. But Joseph didn’t know that; not yet. What Joseph discovered seemed scandalous.

That Mary was “discovered … pregnant” (an interesting phrase) was a scandal. The Old Testament described that the penalty for sleeping with a woman betrothed to another was death by stoning for both the man and the woman.

We can only imagine the impact of that discovery in Joseph’s heart; the anguish and betrayal he felt. We can imagine his tossing and turning in bed at night.

But Joseph was a righteous man.

By Matthew’s description of Joseph, we can assume that Joseph was a man devoted to God’s Word, a man who lived according to God’s law, and who was a faithful citizen as one of God’s people. We know that he had kept his life pure, honoring the law of abstainance required of betrothed couples. We can also see from his response to the news of Mary’s pregnancy that Joseph was, indeed, a righteous man. Three observations about Joseph give evidence of his righteous life. Remember, righteousness is the way God’s character and nature are revealed in us.

Observe Joseph’s compassion.

His refusal to charge Mary openly with adultery reveals his compassion for her. He did not want to expose her sin and make her a public spectacle.

Observe Joseph’s mercy and grace.

Though she had disgraced herself by her immoral behavior, as far as Joseph knew by now, he was ready to extend extraordinary grace and mercy. He decided to divorce her secretly. All he needed were two witnesses. He would keep it quiet.

Observe Joseph’s thoughtful wisdom.

He didn’t react to the terrible news; he reflected. “After he considered all these thing” (v. 20) shows Joseph’s thoughtful nature. He entertained in his mind all his options. And I think he also considered all the consequences his decision about Mary would have on her life.

Yes, Joseph was a righteous man: compassionate, merciful and graceful, a wise man who was considerate and thoughtful, desiring to be right with God and to do the right thing for Mary.

Joseph had a dream. (20b-21)

Whenever something extraordinary happened in biblical narratives, or was about to happen, something that was far removed from ordinary human experience, there is usually a revelation from God that informs and sets the heart at ease, and encourages a faithful response. Something extraordinary, indeed, is about to happen in this story. So God, understanding Joseph’s anguish and consternation about Mary, sent his messenger to Joseph in a dream.

Dreams: God’s Way of Breaking Through

Dreams were a favorite way for God to reveal Himself to people and send them a message. Matthew recorded four other dreams besides the one in this passage:

1. The magi were warned in a dream to to go back to Herod (2:12)

2. Joseph was warned in a dream to flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s sword (2:13)

3. An angel instructed Joseph in a dream that it was safe to return to Israel (2:19)

4. Joseph was warned in a another dream to settle in Galilee, because of Herod’s son (2:22)

God is the primary actor in this story.

While we’re here, let’s notice who the main actor is in this story. It’s God; and all of God is active. He is at work in the scene and behind the scenes, accomplishing and fulfilling His purpose.

The Holy Spirit conceived Christ in Mary’s womb; she did nothing. God sent an angel to Joseph, to reveal the mystery of the birth and to instruct him what to do. Everything in the story fulfills God’s prophecies, given hundreds of years prior.

Matthew’s story emphasizes God at work, and His servants compliant and cooperative to His work. This is a story of a supernatural birth. Nothing about Jesus is purely human, though he was born fully a man. His birth was of God, explained by God, and for God’s glory and purpose: the redemption of humankind from sin.

All three persons of the Trinity are brought before our gaze. The doctrine of the Trinity is not something superimposed on Scripture, as Jehovah’s Witnesses maintain; it emerges out of the natural stories in the text itself.

God’s messenger set Joseph at ease with the news of the child’s conception.

First of all, the messenger encouraged Joseph: “Do not be afraid.” That message was given not only to set Joseph at ease, but also to prepare him for a difficult decision. The phrase could easily be translated, “Do not shrink back from doing what is right.”

With Joseph's heart calmed, God’s messenger informed Joseph that the child was not conceived in a sinful and lustful act of adultery. Mary was not an adulteress. Believe it or not, the child was conceived in Mary’s womb by the Holy Spirit. Mary was a passive participant in the conception. The child was conceived out the passion of God, not the lust of a man and woman.

But let’s make sure we understand that the Spirit’s conception of this child was not like the stories in Greek mythology, popular in that day. It was thought that a god could come down to earth and have sexual relations with a mortal woman; and she would give birth to a demi-god. This is not what happened. There was no sexual relationship between the Holy Spirit and Mary. The conception was miraculous, supernatural, far removed from the natural and biological way of conceiving a child. The conception was completely and totally an act of the Holy Spirit.

God’s messenger informed Joseph about the child’s birth.

There was a gender reveal.

Cenuries before sonograms, the angel informed Joseph of the child’s gender. “She will give birth to a son.”

There was a name given.

“You are to name him Jesus.” There are two items of significance in that information. Father’s named sons. By Joseph naming the child, he was accepting the son as his legal child. But the most significant thing is the name itself: Jesus.

The name Jesus is rooted in the Hebrew name, Yeshua or Joshua. The name means “the Lord saves.”

There was a mission assigned.

The angel needed to clarify the meaning of Jesus’ name because the verb save was often used for physical deliverance from enemies, diseases, oppression, etc. Though it was also used to refer to salvation from sin, human nature is most often concerned with what is urgent: the physical. Even in Jesus’ day, people were looking for a Messiah who would save them from their Roman oppressors. The angelic message made it very clear that the salvation Jesus brings is much deeper than any physical deliverance.

Notice that Jesus’ primary mission was not to save people from physical ailments and political oppression, but to “save his people from their sins.” The word he in that phrase is emphatic, meaning that Jesus, and only Jesus, is capable of saving people from sin.

This news is rooted in Psalm 130:8

Psalm 130:8 (CSB)

And he will redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

Despite the Jews returning from Babylon, thus ending the historical period of exile, their spiritual exile still remained, for they were still under God’s wrath, waiting for him to fulfil his promises of forgiveness, restoration and renewal.

This all fulfilled the prophecy of the most profound mystery and extraordinary event of all time. (22-23)

“Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord.” Matthew, like Luke in his nativity, quoted Isaiah 7:14

Isaiah 7:14 CSB

Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign: See, the virgin will conceive, have a son, and name him Immanuel.

Once more, we see God at work. Originally, the sign was given to King Ahaz, when Israel was under attack and in a desperate situation. The sign was meant to inform the king that God would defeat the enemy. But God’s Word extends beyond its original reading. Looking back at Isaiah’s prophecy to Ahaz, we can see how the words foretold the birth of Jesus.

His name is also Immanuel. And Matthew tranlated the meaning of that name to us: “God is with us.” Let that sink in for a moment. God. with. Us. What does that mean, really?

The Hebrews had such an exalted concept of God that they did not make an image of him—something which so amazed their Roman conquerors that they called them ‘atheists’, people without gods. Against this background Matthew claims, not that God has only given us a representation or image of himself, but that he has come in person to share our situation. So here, at the announcement of Jesus’ birth, we are brought face to face with the central theme of the Gospel: God, who has been at work on his people since the times of Abraham, has come among them in person. And he has come for the specific purpose of rescuing them from the mess they have got themselves into. Jesus, God in the flesh and living among us, was born to save.

Here’s what the Incarnation of Christ means:

Jesus is fully human and possesses the full range of human characteristics: physically, mentally, and emotionally.

Jesus is able to identify with us, the human dilemma and our struggles.

Yet, Jesus is fully God and possesses the full range of divine characteristics: power over diseases, command over nature, and most importantly, authority over sin.

So, Jesus is able to save us from our sin.

This is all very important because Jesus was born into a sinful world in need of salvation, which is why it is important to remember that Jesus is God’s Son, not Joseph’s. The problem of sin needed a divine solution. No human solution can resolve man’s sin problem.

Part of the purpose of the virgin birth of Jesus is to show us that salvation does not come from man, but from God. Salvation is wholly the work of a supernatural God, not the work of natural man. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves from our sins, which is evident even in the way in which Jesus entered the world. This baby, born in Bethlehem, was and is the center of all history. (David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew, ed. Daniel L. Akin, David Platt, and Tony Merida, Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2013), Mt 1:18–25.)

Jesus was born to save us from sin.

We must admit that we are sinners.

We must believe that Jesus is God and is the only one who can save us.

We must trust that Jesus’ death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead are enough to accomplish the salvation we need.

We must repent of our sin and surrender our lives to Jesus.

Salvation is the point of Christmas.

God was not interested in providing a holiday for us to celebrate with rich food, bright lights, and giving gifts.

God’s passion — the passion that conceived the Messiah in Mary’s womb and the passion that compelled him to die on the cross — was to provide salvation so that we can live eternally in a relationship with him.

Have you received His gift of salvation?