Sermon Tone Analysis

The birth of Jesus Christ (1:18–20)

From the genealogy’s preparatory details, Matthew passes to a narrative of the event itself.

Immediately he makes clear that this is a supernatural, virginal conception (the birth itself was normal).

Mary was, indeed, — ".... engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant from the Holy Spirit.”

There is no possibility in the biblical record that Joseph was the father of Christ in the physical sense.

It is only after Joseph has discovered the fact of Mary’s pregnancy that he is informed by an angel that what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

— So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly.

But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

Engagement (or Betrothal) was a much more serious matter than a modern engagement is, so Joseph is described as considering divorce.

Joseph can be described as ‘a righteous man’, as well as being shown to be compassionate in not wanting ‘to expose her to public disgrace’.

In fact, the Old Testament itself makes this clear, as the Lord speaks of divorcing Israel because of her sin, thus silently endorsing the commuting of the death penalty for adultery to divorce (; ).

Thus Joseph can be described as ‘a righteous man’, as well as being shown to be compassionate in not wanting ‘to expose her to public disgrace’.

The assurance by ‘an angel of the Lord’ that Mary’s pregnancy was ‘from the Holy Spirit’ gives Joseph the necessary confidence to proceed with the marriage, although verse 25 tells us that there was no sexual intercourse until after the birth of our Lord.

He also tells him the name by which the baby is to be known.

The assurance by ‘an angel of the Lord’ that Mary’s pregnancy was ‘from the Holy Spirit’ gives Joseph the necessary confidence to proceed with the marriage,

although verse 25 tells us that there was nothing sexual until after the birth of our Lord.

He also tells him the name by which the baby is to be known.

Jesus (1:21)

— She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

Jesus is the Greek form of Joshua, which means ‘Jehovah [or, better, Yahweh] saves’ or ‘is salvation’.

The reason for this is also given: ‘because he will save his people from their sins’.

This probably refers back to : ‘He himself [the LORD] will redeem Israel from all their sins.’

It seems likely, therefore, that the name ‘Jesus’ is intended to show that

Jesus is Himself Yahweh who saves,

not just the one through whom Yahweh saves.

With this name the angel makes clear that the primary purpose of Christ’s coming is to bring salvation.

His kingdom is one of redemption, salvation from sin, NOT

some kind of nationalistic deliverance from Rome, or

a moralistic crusade against evil.

Doubtless this will have an effect on the ‘sinful structures’ with which so many are obsessed in these days,

but it is with sin—

its guilt,

power and

corruption

in the individual—that he is primarily concerned,

corruption in the individual—that he is primarily concerned,

not with revolution or social liberation.

The deliverance of creation as a whole must, in the main, await his glorious return.

And this work He will perform.

The words do not suggest an attempt,

dependent on the willingness of man,

a mere making possible

so that man can do the rest himself.

God’s purpose in His coming is actual salvation.

Jesus Himself made this clear: — For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me.

This is the will of him who sent me: that I should lose none of those he has given me but should raise them up on the last day.

This reference to ‘all that he has given me’ links with the next element of the meaning of Christ’s name.

He has been given a ‘people’, a known and specific people for whose salvation he has come.

Just what Joseph understood by this we cannot know, but the rest of Matthew shows that this people is both narrower and wider than national Israel.

It refers first to the believing remnant of the Jews,

but includes also those Gentiles who have been chosen by God and who will in due course believe.

The apostle Paul is told about these people in the words of the Lord at Corinth:

— The Lord said to Paul in a night vision, “Don’t be afraid, but keep on speaking and don’t be silent.

For I am with you, and no one will lay a hand on you to hurt you, because I have many people in this city.”

As in , the people are known in advance, before they actually come to believe.

Messiah’s people are God’s elect, chosen before the foundation of the world, given to the Son to redeem and in time called by God’s grace to repent and believe.

This truth is expressed in various ways in the New Testament.

As well as the idea of Christ saving His people, those given to Him by the Father,

we have the Good Shepherd laying down His life for his sheep (, ) and

the great Bridegroom loving the church and giving himself up for her ().

It is thus apparent that he will save his people by dying for them, but for Matthew’s readers this will only become clear later on.

Immanuel (1:22–25)

— Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him.

He married her but did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son.

And he named him Jesus.

Here the stress is on the fact that this fulfils the prophecy in .

The biblical doctrine of the inspiration of the Scriptures is seen in the finely-balanced statement ‘what the Lord had said through the prophet’ (1:22).

This reference poses some difficulties, but a brief consideration of them should show why the quotation is given and what spiritual profit is intended.

The wording of the quotation raises the issue of whether ‘virgin’ or ‘young woman’ (1:23) is the correct translation.

There is no doubt about the Greek word; it is ‘virgin’.

The meaning of the Hebrew word is more debatable; it is often argued that it means only ‘a young woman’.

Evangelical scholars stoutly defend the traditional rendering of ‘virgin’.

The argument is not simply one of linguistics; there is also the issue of belief in the supernatural.

Linked with this is the question of whether Isaiah’s words were a directly Messianic prophecy or not.

Some argue for a double fulfilment, i.e. first in an ordinary child born to a young woman, possibly still a virgin at the time of the prophecy, as a sign to King Ahaz, and then later in the birth of Christ of a virgin.

This comes up against the double difficulty that the initial event was hardly surprising enough to constitute a sign and, on the other hand, that the second fulfilment necessitates a change in the meaning of the word.

In Isaiah the sign prophecy occurs in a lengthy section which culminates in the description of the Messiah’s birth in chapter 9:6.

There he is called ‘Mighty God’.

Jesus is God with us.

This reference to Ahaz helps with the last problem: does ‘Immanuel’ refer to Jesus himself as ‘God with us’, or merely to God being with us through Jesus?

It also gives a clue to the spiritual point that is being made.

In recent years it has become generally accepted that in New Testament quotations from the Old Testament the whole context, not just the quoted words, must be taken into account.

In Isaiah the sign prophecy occurs in a lengthy section which culminates in the description of the Messiah’s birth in chapter 9:6.

There he is called ‘Mighty God’.

Jesus is God with us.

In addition, just as the sign condemned Ahaz for refusing to trust God when he was confronted by great enemies, so its fulfilment now comes as an encouragement to God’s people that the Christ has come to defend them against their enemies; they should trust him whatever their need.

In addition, just as the sign condemned Ahaz for refusing to trust God when he was confronted by great enemies, so its fulfilment now comes as an encouragement to God’s people that the Christ has come to defend them against their enemies; they should trust him whatever their need.

Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, states the same thing in his prophecy:

— Blessed is the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and provided redemption for His people.

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, just as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets in ancient times; salvation from our enemies and from the hand of those who hate us.

Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel,

because he has come and has redeemed his people.

He has raised up a horn of salvation for us

in the house of his servant David

(as he said through his holy prophets of long ago)

salvation from our enemies

and from the hand of all who hate us

().

Taken together with verse 21, this prophecy defines our enemies in terms of sin.

God will deliver His people from spiritual enemies of every kind.