Matthew 1:18 Commentary and Bible Study

Scripture now tells us how it was the birth of Jesus Christ was not like any other birth, but was unique because of the uniqueness of his person having two distinct natures. No other human being has come into the world as he did, and his conception was entirely supernatural. Luke gives more details and Matthew simply states the fact in summary after it was accomplished: ‘His mother Mary … was found with child of the Holy Ghost.’ He who came into the world as Mary’s first child was, as the prophet Micah tells us, the one ‘whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.’ This is the last portion of Micah 5:2 which follows the words that Matthew quotes in chapter 2. His goings forth have been from everlasting because the one who was born into our world had no beginning, but has been understanding, acting, choosing, from everlasting. There never was when he was not. He is the eternal Son of God, equal with the Father and the Spirit, and is ‘the image of the invisible God’ (Colossians 1:15), in whom ‘dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily’ (Colossians 2:9). But although he was truly God, he was also truly man, and therefore took human nature from a human mother. She too, as many believe the genealogy of Luke tells us, was a descendant of David. Luke’s careful wording alerts us to the fact that Joseph was not the father of Jesus, even though many supposed him to be (Luke 3:23). Jesus Christ was truly God and he was truly man. Neither of these natures was changed by the other, nor were the attributes of either nature merged or mixed with the other, but both were entire, distinct, perfect, and they were present in one person. The human nature of Christ was not turned into a super-human form, and his divine nature was not in any way diminished, so as to lose any of the divine attributes. He emptied himself, or as the KJV renders it, ‘he was made of no reputation’, in the sense that his glory was hidden from the eyes of those who lacked faith (Philippians 2:7), but it is impossible that in becoming man he should cease to be God or become less God than he was before the incarnation. According to the terms of the covenant of grace he submitted himself to the Father, and obeyed the Father’s will for his life perfectly, and it was the Father’s will that he should appear on earth as a man. But though he was made in the likeness of sinful flesh – subject to weakness, sickness, and pain – he was always without sin.Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Son of man, was born to Mary, a lowly virgin, and came into the world as a helpless infant, needing the care and nurture of a loving mother. But before he was born, at the time when she had already been espoused, betrothed, to Joseph, and before they came together in marriage union, Mary was found to be pregnant. In the normal course of events this could only mean one thing, and Joseph, though he was certainly deeply troubled and shocked, drew the only possible conclusion: that she had been unfaithful to him. Mary had to bear the pain of being suspected of this evil, for she herself could never have convinced Joseph otherwise, and to attempt to do so would have made her appear a liar as well. She had to resign the matter into the hands of God, and trust him to deal with the problem, and in the meantime bear the pain of being suspected by Joseph whom she knew to be an upright man.