MATTHEW 1:18-25
Matthew 1:18-25 |
18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was in this manner. For when his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19. And Joseph her husband, as he was a just man, and was unwilling to injure her reputation, intended to send her away secretly. 20. And while he was considering these things, lo, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21. And she shall bear a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS. For he shall save his people from their sins. 22. Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23. Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel: which, if one interprets it, means, God is with us. 24. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him, and took unto him his wife: 25. And knew her not, till she brought forth her first-born son: and called his name JESUS. |
18.
"the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city;
and the man, because he hath humbled his neighbor's wife,"
(Deuteronomy 22:23, 24.)
The phrase employed by the Evangelist,
19.
Joseph, therefore, moved by an ardent love
The same remark is applicable to Mary's silence. Granting that modest reserve prevented her from venturing to tell her husband, that
Yet it is proper for us to know, that this was done more on our account than for his personal advantage: for every necessary method was adopted by God, to prevent unfavorable suspicion from falling on the heavenly message. When the angel approaches Joseph, who is still unacquainted with the whole matter, wicked men have no reason to charge him with being influenced by prejudice to listen to the voice of God. He was not overcome by the insinuating address of his wife. His previously formed opinion was not shaken by entreaties. He was not induced by human arguments to take the opposite side. But, while the groundless accusation of his wife was still rankling in his mind, God interposed between them, that we might regard Joseph as a more competent witness, and possessing greater authority, as a messenger sent to us from heaven. We see how God chose to employ an angel in informing his servant Joseph, that to others he might be a heavenly herald, and that the intelligence which he conveyed might not be borrowed from his wife, or from any mortal.
The reason why this mystery was not immediately made known to a greater number of persons appears to be this. It was proper that this inestimable treasure should remain concealed, and that the knowledge of it should be imparted to none but the children of God. Nor is it absurd to say, that the Lord intended, as he frequently does, to put the faith and obedience of his own people to the trial. Most certainly, if any man shall maliciously refuse to believe and obey God in this matter, he will have abundant reason to be satisfied with the proofs by which this article of our faith is supported. For the same reason, the Lord permitted Mary to enter into the married state, that under the veil of marriage, till the full time for revealing it, the heavenly conception of the virgin might be concealed. Meanwhile, the knowledge of it was withheld from unbelievers, as their ingratitude and malice deserved.
20.
"If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and will speak unto him in a dream. My servant Moses is not so. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speechess,"
(Numbers 12:6-8.)
But we must understand that dreams of this sort differ widely from natural dreams; for they have a character of certainty engraven on them, and are impressed with a divine seal, so that there is not the slightest doubt of their truth. The dreams which men commonly have, arise either from the thoughts of the
21.
When the Son of God came to us clothed in flesh, he received from the Father a name which plainly told for what purpose he came, what was his power, and what we had a right to expect from him. for the name
Hence, too, we learn in what way or manner Christ saves; he delivers us from sins. This deliverance consists of two parts. Having made a complete atonement, he brings us a free pardon, which delivers us from condemnation to death, and reconciles us to God. Again, by the sanctifying influences of his Spirit, he frees us from the tyranny of Satan, that we may live "unto righteousness," (1 Peter 2:24.) Christ is not truly acknowledged as a Savior, till, on the one hand, we learn to receive a free pardon of our sins, and know that we are accounted righteous before God, because we are free from guilt; and till, on the other hand, we ask from him the Spirit of righteousness and holiness, having no confidence whatever in our own works or power. By Christ's
22.
"pour out upon them a spirit of deep sleep and close their eyes,"
(Isaiah 29:10.)
Others apply it to a creature of their own fancy, some unknown son of Ahaz, whose birth Isaiah predicted. But with what propriety was he called
Let us now, therefore, investigate the true meaning of this passage. The city of Jerusalem is besieged. Ahaz trembles, and is almost dead with terror. The prophet is sent to assure him that God will protect the city. But a simple promise is not sufficient to compose his agitated mind. The prophet is sent to him, saying,
"Ask thee a sign of the Lord thy God;
ask it either in the depth, or in the height above,"
(Isaiah 7:11.)
That wicked hypocrite, concealing his unbelief, disdains to ask a sign. The prophet rebukes him sharply, and at length adds,
"The Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel,"
(Isaiah 7:14.)
We expound this as relating to Christ in the following manner: "You, the whole posterity of David, as far as lies in your power, endeavor to nullify the grace which is promised to you;" (for the prophet expressly calls them, by way of disgrace, the house of David, Isaiah 7:13;) "but your base infidelity will never prevent the truth of God from proving to be victorious. God promises that the city will be preserved safe and unhurt from its enemies. If his word is not enough, he is ready to give you the confirmation of such a sign as you may demand. You reject both favors, and spurn them from you; but God will remain steady to his engagement. For the promised Redeemer will come, in whom God will show himself to be fully present to his people."
The Jews reply, that Isaiah would have been at variance with everything like reason or probability, if he had given to the men of that age a sign, which was not to be exhibited till after the lapse of nearly eight hundred years. And then they assume the airs of haughty triumph,7 as if this objection of the Christians had originated in ignorance or thoughtlessness, and were now forgotten and buried. But the solution, I think, is easy; provided we keep in view that a covenant of adoption was given to the Jews, on which the other acts of the divine kindness depended. There was then a general promise, by which God adopted the children of Abraham as a nation, and on which were founded all the special promises. Again, the foundation of this covenant was the Messiah. Now we hold, that the reason for delivering the city was, that it was the sanctuary of God, and out of it the Redeemer would come. But for this, Jerusalem would a hundred times have perished.
Let pious readers now consider, when the royal family had openly rejected the sign which God had offered to them, if it was not suitable that the prophet should pass all at once to the Messiah, and address them in this manner: "Though this age is unworthy of the deliverance of which God has given me a promise, yet God is mindful of his covenant, and will rescue this city from its enemies. While he grants no particular sign to testify his grace, this one sign ought to be deemed more than sufficient to meet your wishes. from the stock of David the Messiah will arise." Yet it must be observed that, when the prophet reminds unbelievers of the general covenant, it is a sort of reproof, because they did not accept of a particular sign. I have now, I think, proved that, when the door was shut against every kind of miracle, the prophet made an appropriate transition to Christ, for the purpose of leading unbelievers to reflect, that the only cause of the deliverance was the covenant that had been made with their fathers. And by this remarkable example has God been pleased to testify to all ages, that he followed with uninterrupted kindness the children of Abraham, only because in Christ, and not through their own merits, he had made with them a gracious covenant.
There is another piece of sophistry by which the Jews endeavor to parry our argument. Immediately after the words in question, the prophet adds:
"Before the child shall know to refuse the evil and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings,"
(Isaiah 7:16.)
Hence they infer, that the promised birth of the child would be delayed for a very short time; otherwise, it would not agree with the rapidly approaching change of the kingdoms, which, the prophet announeed, would take place before that child should have passed half the period of infancy. I reply, when Isaiah has given a sign of the future Savior, and declared that a child will be born, who is the true Immanuel, or--to use Paul's language--God manifest in the flesh, (1 Timothy 3:16,) he proceeds to speak, in general terms, of all the children of his own time. A strong proof of this readily presents itself; for, after having spoken of the general promise of God, he returns to the special promise, which he had been commissioned to declare. The former passage, which relates to a final and complete redemption, describes one particular child, to whom alone belongs the name of God; while the latter passage, which relates to a special benefit then close at hand, determines the time by the childhood of those who were recently born, or would be born shortly afterwards.
Hitherto, if I mistake not, I have refuted, by strong and conclusive arguments, the calumnies of the Jews, by which they endeavor to prevent the glory of Christ from appearing, with resplendent luster, in this prediction. It now remains for us to refute their sophistical reasoning about the Hebrew word
But granting all that they ask as to the meaning of the word, the subject demonstrates, and compels the acknowledgment, that the prophet is speaking of a miraculous and extraordinary birth. He exclaims that he is bringing a sign from the Lord, and not an ordinary sign, but one superior to every other.
The Lord himself shall give you a sign.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, (Isaiah 7:14.)
If he were only to say, that a woman would bear a child, how ridiculous would that magnificent preface have been? Thus we see, that the insolence of the Jews exposes not only themselves, but the sacred mysteries of God, to scorn.
Besides, a powerful argument may be drawn from the whole strain of the passage.
23.
But in Christ the actual presence of God with his people, and not, as before, his shadowy presence, has been exhibited.15 This is the reason, why Paul says, that "in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily," (Colossians 2:9.) And certainly he would not be a properly qualified Mediator, if he did not unite both natures in his person, and thus bring men into an alliance with God. Nor is there any force in the objection, about which the Jews make a good deal of noise, that the name of God is frequently applied to those memorials, by which he testified that he was present with believers.
For it cannot be denied, that this name,
Hence arises another proof, that Christ is God manifested in the flesh, (1 Timothy 3:16.) He discharged, indeed, the office of Mediator from the beginning of the world; but as this depended wholly on the latest revelation, he is justly called Immanuel at that time, when clothed, as it were, with a new character, he appears in public as a Priest, to atone for the sins of men by the sacrifice of his body, to reconcile them to the Father by the price of his blood, and, in a word, to fulfill every part of the salvation of men.16 The first thing which we ought to consider in this name is the divine majesty of Christ, so as to yield to him the reverence which is due to the only and eternal God. But we must not, at the same time, forget the fruit which God intended that we should collect and receive from this name. For whenever we contemplate the one person of Christ as God-man, we ought to hold it for certain that, if we are united to Christ by faith, we possess God.
In the words,
24.
25.
1 ("Qui voyoyent bien par signes externes que Marie estoit enceinte.") --("Who saw well by outward marks that Mary was pregnant.")
2 "Que Joseph a voulu pardonner a sa femme, et couvrir la faute, d'autant qu'il estoit juste."--"That Joseph intended to forgive his wife, and conceal her offense, because he was just."
3 "Il ne vouloit point nourrir le mal en dissimulant et faisant semblant de n'y voir rien."--"He did not wish to encourage wickedness, by dissembling and pretending that he did not see it."
4 "Leno;"--"macquereau."
5 "Le moyen le plus doux et le moins scandaleux estoit, que secretement il departist du lieu, et la laissast sans faire aueun bruit."--"The mildest and least scandalous method was, that he should depart secretly from the place, and leave her without making any noise."
6 "Quia esset ex ea familia, et quidem superstes cum paucis;"-- "d'autant qu'il estoit de cette famille, et mesmes que d'icelle il estoit quasi seul vivant, avec quelques autres en bien petit nombre;"--"because he was of that family, and even of that he was almost sole survivor, with some others in very small number."
7 "Faisant grand cas de leur argument;"--"setting great store by their argument."
8 "Le mot Hebrieu Alma, pour lequel l'Evangeliste a use du mot de Vierge;"--"the Hebrew word Alma, for which the Evangelist has used the word Virgin."
9 "Le blamant de ce qu'il pretend prouver Jesus Christ estre nay d'une Vierge;"--"blaming him for offering to prove Jesus Christ to be born of a Virgin."
10 "Abusez par un mot mal tourne;"--"deceived by a word ill translated."
11 "Urgent;"--"ils veulent a toute force;"--"they attempt with their whole strength."
12
13 "Car il emporte Retraitte ou Cachette, qui est pour denoter ceste honte honeste qui doit estre es vierges;"--"for it signifies Retreat or Concealment, which serves to denote that becoming shame which ought to be in virgins."
14 "C'est bien autrement: car il y a plus d'apparence au contraire;"-- "it is quite otherwise: for there is more probability on the opposite side.
15 "Mais quand Christ est apparu en sa personne, le peuple a eu une presence de Dieu veritable, et non pas ombratile comme paravant."-- "But when Christ appeared in his person, the people had a real presence of God, and not shadowy, as before."
16 "Somme, pour faire et accomplir toutes choses requises au salut du genre humain;"--"in a word, to do and accomplish all things requisite for the salvation of the human race."
17 "Il appartient a tous fideles d'advouer et confesser que Dieu s'est communique et baille a nous en Christ;"--"it belongs to all believers to own and confess that God has communicated and made over himself to us in Christ."
18 "Laquelle un peu auparavant il ne vouloit recevoir, et lui sembloit qu'il se fust pollue en conversant avec elle;"--"whom a little before he refused to receive, and seemed to him that he would be polluted by conversing with her."
19 "Il est nomme Premier nay, mais non pour autre raison, sinon afin que nous sachions qu'il est nay d'une mere vierge, et qui jamais n'avoit eu enfant;"--"he is called First-born, but for no other reason than that we may know that he was born of a pure virgin, and who never had had a child."
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