◄ What Does Matthew 1:18 Mean? ►

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 1:18(NASB)

Verse of the Day

Christ's kingly lineage was traced back from Joseph the husband of Mary, through David's kingly line, to Israel's celebrated forefather, Abraham, through whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed. They were to be blessed by Christ, the only begotten Son of the Father Who was full of grace and truth.

It was our Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnate Word of God, Who was to be born of Mary the betrothed wife of Joseph the carpenter, through whom this heavenly blessing was to be accomplished.

Jesus was not begotten of Joseph, although he became His legal, earthly father. Jesus was the only begotten Son of His Father in heaven. He had come to seek and to save that which was lost and to give His life as a ransom for many.

Like all young Jewish couples, the betrothal of Mary and Joseph was as binding as the final marriage contact, and during those early days of their engagement, like all young people, they were to remain chaste and pure as they waited for the day when they would be fully and finally united as husband and wife, and their marriage union would be consummated.

Imagine Joseph's bitter anguish of heart when, following an extended visit to her cousin, his beautiful bride returned home and was discovered to be pregnant. The child that she was carrying was certainly not his own, biological son, for we read: "They had not yet come together." They had not yet consummated their union in the marriage bed.

It was by the power of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the eternal Godhead, through Whom this mysterious conception was to be accomplished, for the Holy Ghost was to come upon her and the power of the Most High was to overshadow her so that the baby that was to be born to Mary would be holy: "And they would call Him Immanuel, which means 'God with us."

The Lord Jesus was conceived not of flesh, nor of the will of man, nor from the physical seed of Joseph, the husband of Mary. He was the only begotten Son of the Father: "And He was to be called the Son of God."

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You that You loved us so much, that You sent Your only begotten Son to be born of a virgin, to become our Saviour by means of His vicarious death and Resurrection. He died for me and rose again so that I could have His resurrected life in me. What a Saviour! Thank You for the Bible and for the truth that it contains. May I draw closer to You, day by day, and grow in grace and in a knowledge of my Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, in Whose name I pray, AMEN.