Mateus 1

Mateus 1

Hughes says "The Spirit genesis-ed Jesus!," adding that "It is not “the genesis,” of course, in the sense of the birth of God’s preexistent Son, but rather “the genesis” of the Spirit’s work to take the preexistent Son and form his inward parts—to knit him together in his mother’s womb, to make him “fearfully and wonderfully” human (cf. Psalm 139:13, 14)." The Nicene Creed describes the birth or "genesis" of Jesus: "We believe in one God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. “And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, Very God of Very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father by whom all things were made; who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary, and was made man, and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate. He suffered and was buried, and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father. And he shall come again with glory to judge both the quick and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end. “And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets. And we believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. And we look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen." Now the birth of Jesus Christ (see Iesous Christos) was as follows - NLT = "This is how Jesus the Messiah was born."' "Birth is from the same Greek root as “genealogy” in verse 1, indicating that Matthew is here giving a parallel account of Jesus’ ancestry—this time from His Father’s side." (MacArthur) Birth (1078)(genesis from gennao = to give birth to, beget) . BDAG - lit. of ancestry as point of origin but also of one’s coming into being at a specific moment. In James 1:23+ it means natural and describes one's face literally reading "the face (prosopon) he was born with." It is his natural face, i.e. the way he has turned out to be, the way he really looks. It means life, human experience in Jas 3:6 was used in the Orphic mysteries with the meaning. ‘wheel of human origin’. In James 3:6 it seems to have lost its original meaning and to signify course of life, whole of life. In Mt 1:1 genesis means an account of someone’s life or their life history, the source, origin so that biblos geneseos tinos = a book of one's lineage, i.e. in which his ancestry or his progeny are enumerated. Genesis - birth(2), genealogy(1), life(1), natural(1). Matt. 1:1; Matt. 1:18; Lk. 1:14 - "many will rejoice at his (John the Baptist's) birth."; Jas. 1:23; Jas. 3:6 Genesis in Septuagint (Lxx) - Ge 2:4 = "the account of..."; Gen. 5:1 = "book of generations"; Gen. 6:9 = "generations of Noah"; Gen. 10:1; Gen. 10:32; Gen. 11:10; Gen. 11:27; Gen. 25:12; Gen. 25:19; Gen. 31:13; Gen. 32:9; Gen. 36:1; Gen. 36:9; Gen. 37:2; Gen. 40:20; Exod. 6:24; Exod. 6:25; Exod. 28:10; Num. 1:18; Num. 3:1; Ruth 2:11; Ruth 4:18; 1 Chr. 1:29; 1 Chr. 4:2; 1 Chr. 4:21; 1 Chr. 4:38; 1 Chr. 5:7; 1 Chr. 7:2; 1 Chr. 7:4; 1 Chr. 7:9; 1 Chr. 8:28; 1 Chr. 9:9; 1 Chr. 9:34; 1 Chr. 26:31; Eccl. 7:1; Ezek. 4:14; Ezek. 16:3; Ezek. 16:4; Dan. 2:43; Hos. 2:3; TECHNICAL NOTE - The Greek Textus Receptus has gennesis (1083) for birth (in KJV of Mt 1:18, Lk 1:14), whereas the modern manuscripts (Nestle/Aland) have genesis (1078) which most authorities accept as the authentic reading. When His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph - The first stage of marriage in Jewish culture, usually lasting for a year before the wedding night, more legal than an engagement Mary's character is well summed up in Lk 1:38+ when she said “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her." Mary’s humility, reverence and love for her Lord are verbalized in her famous Magnificat, in Luke 1:46–55+ beginning with these words “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior.… For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name” (Lk 1:47, 49)." We know very little about Joseph, except that his father's name was Jacob (Mt 1:16), he was likely a carpenter by trade (Mt 13:55) and he was a righteous man (Mt 1:19). Betrothed (3423)(mnesteuo from mnaomai = to remember) to be engaged was "to be remembered." In the active voice means to woo and win for marriage, to ask in marriage, to pledge to marry. Mnesteuo is used only in the passive voice in the NT and means to be promised in marriage, to be betrothed, to become engaged. Mnesteuo is used in the NT only in Mt 1:18 (betrothed), Lk 1:27 and Lk 2:5. As used in by the NT writers mnesteuo described a legally binding arrangement, unlike the sense of of engagement as used today. Zodhiates has an informative discussion of mnesteuo - It is related to the verb used for “remember” because it was a ceremony which was to be remembered when a person was espoused or committed to another for marriage (Sept.: Dt. 22:23, 25, 27, 28). The betrothal ceremony perpetuated in a conventional fashion the recollection of the time when a woman was purchased from her family (Dt. 20:7). When a woman was designated (Ex. 21:8, 9) by the head of her family as the future wife of another man, the prospective bridegroom paid a certain sum of money (or service as in the case of Jacob). A contract, which was inviolable, was then entered into (Ge 34:12; Ex 22:17). Until the time of the actual marriage, the bride–to–be remained in her own family. It was not permissible to betroth her to any other man except by action amounting to divorce, and any violation of the rights established by the betrothal was as serious as if the two persons had been ceremonially married (Dt. 22:23, 24). In the OT, it is impossible to say with precision just how soon the wedding followed betrothal. In later times, in the case of a virgin, it was after the lapse of a year, and at least thirty days in the case of a widow. So, too, it is impossible to describe with any great precision the betrothal ceremony, but it certainly included the payment of a particular sum (1 Sa 18:25) and the making of a betrothal contract (Ezek 16:8) by the prospective bridegroom. The money payment belonged originally to the family of the woman, but gradually came to belong in part or wholly to the woman herself. The first advances might come from the family of either party. There is no clear evidence that the young woman had any right of appeal as to her family’s choice. The bridegroom himself did not conduct the negotiations, but the matter was in the hands of a third party such as his parents or some trusted servant or friend. After the exile, the custom of the earlier period seems to have continued, although with certain modifications. The payment to the bride’s father on the part of the prospective groom had been increasingly regarded as the property, at least in part, of the bride. Such a payment during this period was often supplemented by a dowry in the true sense. No consent of the girl was demanded, nor do we know of the recognition of any legal age of consent, unless, as in somewhat later times, it was not expected that boys would marry before the age of eighteen or girls before twelve. In Talmudic times, there was a distinct tendency to combine the betrothal with the wedding. Today the Jews seem to combine the two ceremonies. Probably the ceremony of betrothal in NT times involved the following acts: First, a contract drawn up by the parents or by the friend of the bridegroom. (Play Matchmaker, Matchmaker from Fiddler on the Roof) Second, the meeting of the two families concerned, with other witnesses, at which time the groom gave the bride jewelry (Gen. 24:53) and declared his intention to observe the terms of the contract already arranged. Third, the payment of the mōhar (4119 - Ed Note: Gesenius Definition מֹהַר m. a price paid for a wife to her parents, Ge 34:12; Ex 22:16; 1 Sa 18:25. Different from this is the use of the Arab. مَهْرُ i.e. a spousal gift promised to the future wife, and the Latin dos, i.e. the gift given by the parents to their daughter who is about to be married.) by the prospective bridegroom. This occurred during a ceremony at which a priest may have been present. The status of the man and woman was now, as in Hebrew times, practically the same as that of married persons, although it was generally customary for the wedding ceremony proper to be celebrated at a later date. As in the older times, separation of betrothed persons demanded a divorce, and there seems to have been no taboo in their living together as man and wife previous to the wedding ceremony. The children of such a union would be regarded as legitimate. Insofar as the virgin Mary and Joseph are concerned, the use of the verb mnēsteúomai, to betroth (Mt. 1:18; Lk 1:27; 2:5), indicates a betrothal ceremony. There is no mention, however, of a subsequent wedding ceremony. It was during this period of betrothal that the angel appeared to Mary (Mt. 1:18). It is clearly stated, however, that the angel appeared to announce to Mary her conception by the Holy Spirit before she had sexual relations with Joseph. The same angel also appeared to Joseph to tell him of the supernatural conception of his betrothed, Mary (Mt. 1:24; see Lk 1:26ff.). (Zodhiates' Word Study Dictionary of the NT - This resource is highly recommended and in my opinion is superior to BDAG because it is much more readable) Ron Mattoon - Mary was not only a virgin, she was betrothed to Joseph. By Jewish custom, a betrothal signified more than an engagement in the modern sense. If it was dissolved before the marriage ceremony, it could be dissolved only by divorce.A Hebrew marriage involved two stages, the kiddushin (betrothal) and the huppah (marriage ceremony). The marriage was almost always arranged by the families of the bride and groom, often without consulting them. A contract was made and was sealed by payment of the mohar, the dowry or bride price, which was paid by the groom or his family to the father of the bride. The mohar served to compensate the father for wedding expenses, the loss of a worker in the home, and to provide a type of insurance for the bride in the event the groom became dissatisfied and divorced her before the marriage ceremony. This marriage contract was considered binding as soon as it was made, and the man and woman were considered legally married, even though the marriage ceremony (huppah) and sexual intimacy often did not occur until as much as a year later. Should the man die to whom a woman was betrothed, in the eyes of the law she was considered as a widow. The betrothal period served as a time of probation and testing of fidelity. During that period the bride and groom usually had little, if any, social contact with each other. It was during this period of betrothal between Mary and Joseph, that Gabriel delivered the message of the future birth of Jesus. (Luke Commentary) Related Resources: American Church Dictionary Betrothal Holman Bible Dictionary Betrothal Hastings' Dictionary of the NT Betrothal Before they came together - This phrase is a euphemistic way of saying Joseph and Mary did not have sexual relations prior to her conception by the Holy Spirit. Came together (4905)(sunerchomai from sun = with, together + erchomai = to come) means to get together for a specific purpose and here is used euphemistically referring to sexual intercourse. This verb is used in 32 times in the NT and one passage is especially interesting as it is used in the context of another "conception" (so to speak) by the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost at the birth of the Church, the Bride of Christ, Luke recording "And when this sound occurred (Acts 2:1-4+), the crowd came together (sunerchomai), and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language." (Acts 2:6+). EUREKA! The verb was found is heurisko which gives us our English "Eureka" which was used to express triumph upon finding or discovering something. Another dictionary says "Eureka" is cry of joy or satisfaction when one finds or discovers something. Beloved, was this not the cry of our hearts the day the Spirit birthed us into the Kingdom of God and we met our King, Jesus Christ, for the first time! Here is a note on the etymology of eureka - "Early 17th century from Greek heurēka ‘I have found it’ (from heuriskein ‘find’), said to have been uttered by Archimedes when he hit upon a method of determining the purity of gold." Interesting! She was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit - Read this by omitting the phrase by the Holy Spirit and then put yourself in Joseph's position! This is about as plain and profound a statement that has ever been recorded in the history of the world. Mary is with child! This is absolutely holy ground and we simply cannot grasp how this miracle took place, but praise God the Creator that it did take place! As Zodhiates said "When God speaks, things happen (Ge 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26; Jon. 2:10). He is not limited by or dependent on the processes of nature, which He established." Galatians 4:4+ states "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law," and makes no mention of a father. The fullness of the times had arrived as God the Father sends His Son to redeem mankind from the sin of Adam and eternal death. We praise Thee our gracious and merciful God! See commentary on Gabriel's announcement to the virgin Mary in Luke 1:26-38 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin (parthenos) engaged (mnesteuo) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David (NOTE: Greek word order here favors connecting Davidic descent to Joseph, not Mary); and the virgin’s name was Mary. 28 And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 31 “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. 32 “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; 33 and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end (NOTE: fulfilling the "Davidic Covenant" = 2 Sa 7:16 “Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.").” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel answered and said to her, “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 (NOTE: Gabriel's prophetic promise from God is viewed as fulfilled here in Matthew 1:18 = was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit). 36 “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived (sullambano) a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. 37 “For nothing will be impossible with God.” (LITERALLY - "No spoken Word of God is void of power!") 38 And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” (NOTE: Contrast Mary's reaction to that of Zacharias when Gabriel gave him a "birth announcement!" Lk 1:18-20+) And the angel departed from her. (Luke 1:26-38+) Related Resources on the Holy Spirit: 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 Commentary 1 John 4:4 Commentary A Spirit Filled Church Acts 1:8 Commentary Ephesians 5:18 Commentary Expulsive Power of a New Affection Galatians 5:16 Commentary Illumination of the Bible Loving Obedience-Obedient Love Our Anointing - The Holy Spirit Praying in the Spirit Spirit-Filled Believers Are Like Artesian Wells Spiritual Paradox in the Christian Life The Holy Spirit-2 Walk Like Jesus Walked Spurgeon on believer's "betrothal" to Christ - “And I will betroth thee unto me forever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in loving kindness, and in mercies. I will even betroth thee unto me in faithfulness; and thou shalt know the Lord.”—Hosea 2:19-20 BETROTHMENT unto the Lord! What an honor and joy! My soul, is Jesus indeed thine by His own condescending betrothal? Then, mark, it is forever. He will never break His engagement, much less sue out a divorce against a soul joined to Himself in marriage bonds. Three times the Lord says, “I will betroth thee.” What words He heaps together to set forth the betrothal! Righteousness comes in to make the covenant legal; none can forbid these lawful banns. Judgment sanctions the alliance with its decree: none can see folly or error in the match. Lovingkindness warrants that this is a love union, for without love betrothal is bondage, and not blessedness. Meanwhile, mercy smiles, and even sings; yea, she multiplies herself into “mercies,” because of the abounding grace of this holy union. Faithfulness is the registrar and records the marriage, and the Holy Spirit says “Amen” to it, as He promises to teach the betrothal heart all the sacred knowledge needful for its high destiny. What a promise! (Faith's Checkbook) “The Birth of Jesus Christ” By: Charles Webb Matthew 1:18–25 INTRODUCTION: The birth of Christ is a critical issue. To give in at this point is to give in on every other issue. The Holy Spirit is very careful to clearly state the way Jesus came into this world. I. THE HOW OF CHRIST’S BIRTH, Matt. 1:18 “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise” 1. Mary was espoused or engaged to Joseph. 2. They had not yet begun living together. 3. Mary became with child before marriage. “She was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” II. THE HUSBAND OF MARY, Matt. 1:19 1. He was a just man. 2. He did not desire to publicly defame Mary. 3. He decided to put her away secretly. “Was minded to put her away privily” III. THE HEAVENLY INSTRUCTIONS, Matt. 1:20–21 1. An angel appears in a dream, v. 20a. “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream.” 2. The angel tells him the source of her pregnancy, v. 20b. “Saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.” 3. The angel instructs Joseph in naming the child, v. 21. “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.” IV. THE HISTORICAL PROPHESY, Matt. 1:22–23 1. All things were done to fulfill scripture, v. 22. “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying… ” 2. Isaiah prophesied of His virgin birth, v. 23a. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son… ” 3. Isaiah called him “God with us,” v. 23b. “And they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” DEVOTIONAL on Matthew 1:18 - CHRIST’S VIRGIN BIRTH - The virgin birth is an underlying assumption in everything the Bible says about Jesus. To throw out the virgin birth is to reject Christ’s deity, the accuracy and authority of Scripture, and a host of other related doctrines that are the heart of the Christian faith. No issue is more important than the virgin birth to our understanding of who Jesus is. If we deny that Jesus is God, we have denied the very essence of Christianity. Everything else the Bible teaches about Christ hinges on the truth we celebrate at Christmas—that Jesus is God in human flesh. If the story of His birth is merely a fabricated or trumped–up legend, then so is the rest of what Scripture tells us about Him. The virgin birth is as crucial as the resurrection in substantiating His deity. It is not an optional truth. Anyone who rejects Christ’s deity rejects Christ absolutely—even if he pretends otherwise (see 1 John 4:1–3). (John