1:18
Continuing his interest in Jesus’ ancestry, Matthew now gives us the birth narrative. Matthew and Luke’s accounts are complementary, focusing on different aspects. In the genealogy Matthew has given Jesus’ human ancestry, but Jesus is the Son of God, He is God incarnate. So Matthew stresses now the supernatural aspects of His birth. Why is the human ancestry there? For if Jesus is the Son of God, if He is God, then one might argue that the human ancestry is utterly irrelevant. The genealogy was not there just for benefit of the Jews, for it all fits in with God’s plan. It includes key figures like Abraham and David, it points to the global reach of the gospel.
“Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph”. This betrothal was a far more serious matter than our engagement. In fact, a betrothal could only be ended by formal divorce. A couple were betrothed for a year before the marriage. Matthew emphasises that they had no sexual relations before the birth of Jesus. Jesus was conceived through the Holy Spirit. Luke gives more detail on the angelic visitation, Matthew is more concerned to stress how all this affected Joseph.
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