Matt. 1:18-25 The Birth of Jesus CLICK ON TITLE FOR AUDIO

From this study of the birth of Jesus, we see that he is:

The Holy Ghost’s Son

This was not a divine conception, in the sense that the Holy Ghost conceived seed in Mary by natural means.  Mary was a virgin until the birth of Jesus Christ.  The conception was, therefore, supernatural.

• Matt 1:18 says that “she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
• Matt 1:20 says, “… for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”

Son of man – son of an unwed Jewish mother

Joseph and Mary were “betrothed,” (Deut 20:7, 22:23) as husband and wife but Mary was still a virgin.  The betrothal was therefore like an engagement (Lk 1:27).  After she found out that she was going to have a son by the Holy Ghost, Mary went and stayed with her cousin Elisabeth for about three months (Lk 1:36, 56).

When she returned, she was “showing” and Joseph decided to put her away.  According to the law, he could have had her stoned (Deut 22:23-24).  A woman who didn’t keep her virginity until the day of her wedding was considered a whore and could be stoned if her husband found out that she wasn’t a virgin after marrying her (Deut 22:20-21).

But rather than make her a public example, Joseph decided to put Mary away, as a man would do in Deut 24:1-2.  However, before he could, the angel of the Lord convinced him otherwise and so Joseph “took unto him his wife,” (v. 24).  When Jesus was born to Mary, he was “made of the seed of David according to the flesh,” (Rom 1:3).  Thus, he was the Son of man (Matt8:20).

Son of God – JESUS means “Jehovah saves” and Emmanuel means “God with us”

Lk. 1:35 says, “And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.”

So, Jesus had two natures:

• The nature of a man which he received from Mary, and
• The nature of God which he received from his Father.

He was named JESUS according to the instructions given by the angel of the Lord to Joseph and by Gabriel to Mary (Lk 1:31).  His name signified that “he shall save his people from their sins.”  His people were the Jews (Lk 1:77, Acts 3:25-26, Matt 15:24).  The gospel didn’t open to the Gentiles until Acts 10:34-48, although it was prophesied that the Gentiles would eventually hear the gospel (Lk2:30-32).

A Virgin’s Son

Mary had to be a virgin according to the prophecy given to Ahaz in Is 7:14, “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  So, in Lk 1:34, when Mary asked the angel, “How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” she professed her virginity.  Matthew testifies to her virginity, as well, by adding that Joseph “knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son,” (v. 25).

The Firstborn Son

The word “firstborn” is removed in some of the modern Bibles like the NASV and the NIV.  That removal conforms to the Roman Catholic teaching that Mary was a perpetual virgin.  But the Bible shows that Mary actually had more children following the birth of Jesus and therefore did not remain a virgin.  According to Mk 6:3, she had four boys and at least two girls.  The
boys’ names are given:

• James
• Joses
• Juda
• Simon

Likewise, cross-referencing Jn 2:17 with Ps 69:8-9, we find a prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus Christ that refers to his “mother’s children.”  So, these boys named in Mark are not brethren in the sense of kinsman, and they are not cousins.  They are the children of his mother!

Paul even refers to one of the brothers by name in his epistle to the Galatians.  He says in Gal 1:19, “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.”  So, Jesus was the “firstborn” of at least seven children to Mary.