Swindoll's Living Insights Commentary Matthew 1a - Flipbook - Page 34
Announcement and Arrival of the King (Matthew 1:1–4:25)
betrothal between Joseph and Mary, “she was found to be with child”
(1:18). Matthew clarifies for the reader that this unexpected pregnancy
was “by the Holy Spirit,” but the account makes it clear that Joseph
didn’t know this.
At this p
oint—that is, after the initial betrothal a
rrangement—the
events recorded in Luke 1:26‑56 had already occurred. The angel Gabriel
had announced to Mary, “You will conceive in your womb and bear a
son, and you shall name Him Jesus. . . . The Holy Spirit will come upon
you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that
reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:31, 35).
After this, Mary traveled from Nazareth to visit her relative E
lizabeth—
the mother of John the Baptizer—in Judea, and stayed with her for three
months, until around the time that Elizabeth gave birth to John. It was
probably during this absence that Joseph wrestled with how to handle
the potentially scandalous situation of his pregnant fiancée.
I have a feeling Mary had told Joseph about her visitation by the
angel Gabriel, as recorded in Luke. That would explain why Matthew’s
Gospel mentions that “she was found to be with child by the Holy
Spirit” (Matt. 1:18). But, of course, such an explanation for her pregnancy would have seemed to Joseph far-fetched to say the least!
The alternatives, though heartbreaking and humiliating, would
have clearly been more reasonable. Mary had either been unfaithful
or had been violated. If the latter, why wouldn’t she just tell Joseph
the truth, name her assailant, and appeal to Deuteronomy 22:25‑27?
The Law provided legal protection to women who had been taken advantage of in circumstances where no one could step in. However, if
she had willingly engaged in sexual immorality, what kind of woman
would add to the sin of adultery the blasphemous claim that her child
of fornication was actually the Son of God?
None of this seemed to add up. Joseph had likely known Mary and
her family for years, and he would have known that neither immorality
nor deception was part of her character. Perhaps she had gone mad!
You can imagine the agony Joseph was going through.
From Joseph’s perspective, he had three options in dealing with this
dilemma. First, he could accept her as a scandalous liar and marry her
anyway. But to do so would be to overlook offenses that God condemns.
Second, Joseph could publicly condemn Mary as an adulteress, and
she would be stoned to death under the Law (see Deut. 22:23‑24). Or
third, Joseph could divorce Mary privately and quietly, finding a way
to deflect attention from the embarrassing situation. Perhaps Joseph
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