Matthew 1:18-19 18Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened like this. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found having in the womb by the Holy Spirit. 19And Joseph her fiancé, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to release her secretly.
These verses introduce the background of the birth of Jesus. An important element of a good narrative is tension or conflict in the plot line. Verse 18 gives the challenge in the birth of Jesus. Mary and Joseph had been betrothed, or engaged in modern terms. A betrothal in that culture and time was a serious commitment to marry. The couple only needed to consummate and officially bond the relationship. We do not know how the betrothal was arranged, although movies glamorize with great imagination what the situation may have been like. Matthew gives very few details, just enough for the reader to know that this was not an easy situation. The emphasis is more God’s gracious plan and Joseph’s response to this plan.
God waited for Mary to be pregnant until she was betrothed to Joseph. After that point, the Holy Spirit enabled her to become pregnant in her womb as a pure virgin. The Greek text is rather vague with the phrase having in the womb, which may be idiomatic for “become pregnant” or “be with child.” The mystery of the incarnation is how Mary became pregnant. Rather than speculate on exactly how this happened scientifically, we should simply recognize it as a miracle. Jesus was fully human through Mary but also divine through the Holy Spirit. Matthew’s simple description fits perfectly with the theological claims of the doctrine of incarnation: God took on human form.
The story takes a turn when Joseph finds out about this. He is faced with a dilemma. He has made a commitment to marry this woman, but now she is pregnant and it is beginning to show. How could this have happened? The translation fiancé (anēr) fits better with the situation than “husband,” although betrothal was just about to that stage of commitment. It is likely in a small village like Nazareth, that people were watching and wondering, possibly questioning his integrity and if he cheated with an early consumption. He knew he had not, and so he may have had severe doubts about Mary and was thinking that she had cheated on him. He must have had many mixed emotions at this time.
Mathew points out that Joseph was righteous (dikaios), which is an important character quality for God’s people. He wanted to resolve the situation in a quiet way for Mary’s benefit. Disgrace (deigmatisai) happens when a person is shamed publicly, resulting in ostracization or even some form of punishment. Joseph showed his righteousness by wanting to send Marry away. The challenge with verse 19 is how to interpret the word release. Release (apolysai) means to send away or let go. When used for marriage, it can mean divorce as in Matthew 5:32. Did Joseph want to end the betrothal or send Mary away some place during her pregnancy? The traditional interpretation has been to assume the first option, although the second option of sending Mary away cannot be ruled out.
These verses present the test of Joseph’s character. He knew he had not done anything wrong. What he thought of Mary is unclear. Something needs to happen quickly, and so God sends an angel in verse 20 to resolve the dilemma. Although this situation was unique in all of history, we all will face times when our integrity will be tested. We can learn from Joseph that we can respond in kindness when someone or some situation threatens our character and we know we have not done anything wrong.
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