Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G011 The Birth of the Lord Jesus
Matthew 1:18-25; Luke 2:1-7

 

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All New Testament verses quoted in this article are from the English Majority Text Version, and Old Testament verses are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Matthew 1:18-25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being righteous and not wanting to make her a public example, purposed to put her away secretly.

20 But while he was thinking about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take unto you Mary your wife, for that which is begotten in her is of the Holy Spirit.

21 And she shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

22 Now all this came to pass that the thing spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,

23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

24 Then Joseph, having been aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had ordered him and took to him his wife,

25 but did not know her till she brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

Luke 2:1-7

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of all the empire.

2 This census was the first one while Quirinius was governing Syria.

3 And all were traveling to be registered, each to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was pregnant.

6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to bear.

7 And she bore her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

In this lesson, we learn about the birth of the Lord Jesus, as recorded in Matthew 1:18-25 and Luke 2:1-7. The passage in Matthew records the event that took place in Nazareth, while the passage in Luke records the event that took place in Bethlehem.

The birth of the Lord Jesus includes two events: His being born by the God as a human in the Virgin Mary and His being born by Mary as a human into the world. Therefore, in terms of human nature, the Lord Jesus is both the Son of the God and the Son of humanity, through the line of a woman (Genesis 3:15). But in terms of His divine nature, He exists eternally with the God and the Spirit. All three persons of God are united and equal, with equal authority in every aspect.

We need to understand that the Lord Jesus is fully human, for He has a human physical body, born of a human. Within that physical body, He possesses a soul and a spiritual body called the spirit. But that soul and spirit were not inherited from a human father; rather, they are the very person of God the Word, as affirmed in John 1:1, 14. Therefore, the Lord Jesus is also fully God. Yet, throughout the period from His birth as a human until His resurrection from the dead, He did not exercise the divine powers of God. He voluntarily relinquished all divine authority to become fully human.

″Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming to be in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.″ (Philippians 2:6-8)

Every miracle performed by the Lord Jesus, even His resurrection from the dead, was accomplished through holy spirit, also called the divine power of God, poured into His human body by God the Spirit (Matthew 12:28; John 3:34).

The God caused the physical body of the Lord Jesus to be born in the Virgin Mary, so that human body is called the Son of the God. From the moment the Lord Jesus was born until His ascension, He is called the Only Begotten Son of the God, because during that entire time, the God brought forth only Jesus. However, after the Church was established, anyone who believes in the Gospel is born again, meaning they are born of the God (1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18). Therefore, the Lord Jesus becomes ″the firstborn among many brothers″ (Romans 8:29).

It was only after the Word’s human body was born of the Virgin Mary that the God sent Him into the world, through Mary giving birth to Him. This is the meaning of the phrase, ″*God has sent His only begotten Son into the world″:

″By this the love of God is manifested in us, that *God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, in order that we might live through Him.″ (1 John 4:9)

The phrase ″sent into the world″ does not mean giving a command to move from one place to another, such as from heaven to the world. Rather, it means being entrusted with a work to accomplish in this life. The words of the Lord Jesus help us understand it this way:

″Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.″ (John 17:18)

It is clear that the disciples of the Lord were born as human beings in the world before the Lord sent them into the world. The sending of His disciples into the world by the Lord Jesus does not mean that He sent them from somewhere outside the world into the world. Rather, it means that He sent them to carry out the ministry of preaching the Gospel within the world.

Today, every true child of the God is a person born by the God into a new life, which the Bible also calls being ″born from above″ (John 3:3) or being ″reborn″ (Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:3, 23). The Scriptures also emphasize that every child of the God in the Church has been born of the God (1 John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18), becoming siblings with the same Father, with the Lord Jesus as the Firstborn:

″Because whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.″ (Romans 8:29).

Let us guard ourselves and live holy according to the Word of God in order to remain in the position of being sons and daughters of the God. For the Word of God has declared:

2 Corinthians 6:14-18

14 Do not become unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what participation is there for righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion is there for light with darkness?

15 And what agreement is there for Christ with Belial? Or what part is there for a believer with an infidel?

16 And what union is there for the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God, just as *God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them, and I will be their *God, and they shall be My people.”

17 Therefore “Come out from the midst of them and be separated,” says the Lord. “Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.”

18 “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty.”

Next, let us together examine the meaning of each Scripture verse concerning the birth of the Lord Jesus.

Matthew 1:18-25

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was like this: After His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

19 Then Joseph her husband, being righteous and not wanting to make her a public example, purposed to put her away secretly.

Matthew provides a summary of the birth of the Lord Jesus. The God chose Mary, a young woman from the line of David, to give birth to the human body of the Lord Jesus. In this way, it fulfilled the prophecy concerning the seed of the woman in Genesis 3:15, the promise the God made to Abraham (Genesis 22:18), and the prophecy that a shoot shall come up from the stump of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1, 10). Jesse was the father of King David.

According to a tradition in the Church, Mary was 12 years old and Joseph was 13 years old when they became betrothed. This was the customary age for engagement according to the traditions of some peoples in the Middle East. During the period from betrothal to marriage, the woman remained in her family’s home, while the man worked to build a new home to bring his wife to after the marriage. Therefore, there was no sexual relation between the betrothed couple until the wedding ceremony was completed. The phrase ″came together″ implies sexual relations.

Also, according to tradition, Mary may have given birth to the Lord Jesus when she was around 15 or 16 years old. However, we believe that Mary became pregnant with the Lord Jesus after she had reached 18 years of age. She may have given birth when she was about to turn 19 or had already passed 19. According to custom, both the betrothed man and woman had to be at least 18 years old to marry. We believe that the God did not allow Mary to be considered pregnant before reaching the age of marriage.

Mary’s pregnancy by holy spirit, that is, by the power of God, was known only to her through the announcement of the angel Gabriel. Elizabeth may also have known, through Mary’s account. The discovery of Mary’s pregnancy was likely known both by Mary’s family and by Joseph. Although Joseph and Mary did not live together during the betrothal period, we understand that Joseph often visited Mary.

The Bible does not record the details of how Mary’s pregnancy was discovered. We do not know whether Mary explained her pregnancy to her family; it is possible that she did, but according to the biblical narrative, she did not explain it to Joseph. Perhaps when Joseph saw that Mary was pregnant, he did not question her. He was only disappointed and quietly arranged to divorce her discreetly. The Bible affirms that Joseph was a righteous man. The Greek word translated as ″righteous″ (G1342) in the Scriptures refers to living in obedience to God’s Word, keeping the God’s commandments, and being accepted by the God.

Joseph loved Mary. Perhaps he did not question her about her pregnancy to spare her the shame of answering him. He also did not want her to suffer a bad reputation or even be stoned for alleged unchastity. Yet he could not accept a wife whom he believed had committed adultery. Therefore, the only solution was to divorce her quietly. A quiet divorce meant there was no need to announce or justify it publicly; it was sufficient to write a certificate of divorce and hand it to Mary. Up to that time, according to Jewish law, a husband could divorce his wife for any reason, as long as he gave her a written certificate of divorce. This was an abuse of God’s Word in Deuteronomy 24:1 and also a practice that the Lord condemned in Malachi 2:14-16.

Matthew 1:20

20 But while he was thinking about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take unto you Mary your wife, for that which is begotten in her is of the holy spirit.

From the moment he realized that Mary was pregnant, Joseph was likely very disappointed and distressed. He probably spent days and nights reflecting on his relationship with Mary and contemplating how to resolve the situation. Eventually, when he was weary and fell asleep, an angel appeared to him in a dream, advising him not to fear taking Mary as his wife, because her pregnancy was from the God.

The Bible does not explicitly state this, but we can understand that it was the angel Gabriel who appeared to Joseph in the dream to inform him about Mary’s pregnancy.

This was not the first time God or an angel communicated with humans through a dream, nor was it the only time an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream. After the Lord Jesus was born, the angel gave Joseph guidance at least three more times in dreams concerning events related to Jesus (Matthew 2:13, 19, 22).

Those who do not belong to God can have dreams that come from evil spirits. Such dreams are intended to draw the dreamer deeper into superstition and false practices, for example, dreaming of deceased relatives appearing to give messages or dreaming of deceased relatives demanding worship. The Old Testament also warns God’s people about those who claim to be prophets of the God but have dreams that do not come from Him, because they themselves live in sin (Jeremiah 29:8; Zechariah 10:2).

God’s Word and the Holy Spirit help us discern which dreams come from God and which do not.

Matthew 1:21

21 And she shall bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins.”

The angel continued to explain to Joseph the purpose of Mary’s pregnancy, helping him understand that the child Mary would bear would become the Messiah promised by the God to the people of Israel. The angel also instructed Joseph regarding the naming of the child, which was the same message Gabriel had delivered to Mary (Luke 1:31).

The name ″Jesus″ is capitalized in this verse, in verse 25, and in Luke 1:31 in some Bible translations. This is to emphasize the fact that the child born of the virgin Mary must be named ″Jesus.″ The name ″Jesus″ means: ″The Self-Existing and Eternal One Is the Savior.″ We should remember that the title ″The Self-Existing and Eternal One″ is the proper name of the Triune God. Therefore, the name ″Jesus″ implies that the redemption of humanity from sin is the grace and work of the entire Triune God. The human flesh of ″JESUS″ represents the Triune God, carrying out the work of saving humanity.

Matthew 1:22-23

22 Now all this came to pass that the thing spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,

23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “*God with us.”

Verses 22 and 23 are not the words spoken by the angel but the explanation given by God the Holy Spirit through Matthew.

″All this came to pass″ refers to the complete event of Mary, while still a virgin, conceiving by holy spirit and giving birth to the Lord Jesus.

It is precisely the event of the Virgin Mary giving birth to the Lord Jesus that fulfilled exactly the prophecy of God written over 700 years earlier in Isaiah 7:14.

The Scriptures often contain prophecies with double fulfillment, meaning they are fulfilled both during the time of the Old Testament and also in the time of the New Testament. Isaiah 7:14 is one such case. The Scriptures also frequently use certain events in the Old Testament as a foreshadowing of what will come in the New Testament. For example, Abraham’s willingness to offer his only son Isaac as a burnt offering to the God serves as a foreshadowing of the God sacrificing His Only Son on the cross to redeem humanity. Similarly, the bronze serpent being lifted up on a pole in the wilderness foreshadows the sins of all humanity being borne on the cross, outside the city, through the human body of Christ.

The prophecy of God spoken through the mouth of the Prophet Isaiah, recorded in Isaiah 7:14, encompasses two events: one that would occur during Isaiah’s own time and another that would occur more than 700 years later.

In the time of the Prophet Isaiah, when Ahaz, son of King Jotham and grandson of King Uzziah, reigned over the kingdom of Judah, Rezin, king of Syria, allied with Pekah, king of Israel, to attack Jerusalem. This caused King Ahaz to tremble. The Self-Existing and Eternal One sent the Prophet Isaiah to reassure King Ahaz, instructing him to ask the God for a sign as proof that He would not allow the enemies to capture Jerusalem. But the king did not want to ask, perhaps because he feared obeying the God’s command. He wanted to solve the dilemma by himself.

Therefore, the God spoke to the house of David that He would give them a sign through Isaiah’s prophecy: a virgin would conceive and give birth to a son, and she would name him Immanuel, which means ″the God with us.″ Before this son reached an age of discernment to reject evil and choose only good, the two kings of Syria and Israel would cease to exist (II Kings 15:30; 16:9).

Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled in the time of the Prophet Isaiah when a virgin married and gave birth to a son, whom some biblical commentators believe was Isaiah’s second wife, as mentioned in Isaiah 8:3. The God instructed that the son be named Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz, which means ″swift to the plunder, eager for spoil,″ signifying that the capitals of Syria and Israel would be invaded by the Assyrian army (Isaiah 8:4).

Maher-Shalal-Hash-Baz is the child’s given name, but Immanuel is his title. Similarly, later, Jesus is the name of Christ, but Immanuel is His title. The title Immanuel, meaning ″the God with us,″ serves to remind God’s people that He will never abandon them. They only need to remain steadfast in faith and sincerely repent when they sin.

Over 700 years later, the prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 was fulfilled in the birth of the Lord Jesus. However, in the case of the Lord Jesus, He was entirely conceived in the womb of a virgin. He was fully born as a human being and therefore had to be nurtured and grow like any person, endure temptation as a human, and personally choose to reject evil and pursue what is good.

Matthew 1:24-25

24 Then Joseph, having been aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had ordered him and took to him his wife,

25 but did not know her till she brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

Perhaps some people wonder how Joseph could so readily believe a dream and accept Mary along with the child in her womb. We need to understand that when a person wholeheartedly reveres the God, like Joseph, they receive wisdom from Him and an inner confirmation in the spirit about what is truly from God. The remaining matter is whether one chooses to believe and act accordingly.

The phrase ″did not know her till she brought forth her firstborn Son″ helps us understand that after Mary gave birth to the Lord Jesus, Joseph and Mary lived a normal marital life. The verb ″know″ (G1097) in this context implies sexual relations. Later, Mary bore sons and daughters for Joseph. They were siblings of the Lord Jesus, sharing the same mother, so the Bible uses the terms ″brothers″ and ″sisters″ (either full siblings or half-siblings through the mother or father) to describe them. We know that Joseph was not the biological father of the Lord Jesus, so these brothers and sisters were born of Mary.

The phrase ″she brought forth her firstborn Son″ also implies that afterward, Mary bore other children. If this were not the case, the Bible would have said ″she had brought forth her only Son.″

Joseph obeyed the angel’s instruction and named Mary’s firstborn child JESUS.

Luke 2:1-2

1 And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census be taken of all the empire.

2 This census was the first one while Quirinius was governing Syria.

″In those days″ refers to the period from the birth of John the Baptist until the imminent birth of the Lord Jesus.

Caesar Augustus was the Roman emperor and issued a census decree three times: in 8 BCE, 2 BCE, and 6 CE. The first census decree was issued in 8 BCE and was carried out until the end of 7 BCE.

In some Bible translations, Quirinius is rendered as the ″governor″ of Syria. However, in the Greek text of the Bible, the term ″ἡγεμονεύω″ (hēgemoneuō – G2230) /hayg-em-on-yoo’-o/ is used as a verbal noun and does not mean ″governor.″ It means exercising authority like a governor, or overseeing financial matters of a province, or commanding a military campaign. In fact, Quirinius had been in command of a military campaign against the Homonadensians in Asia Minor from 12 BCE to 2 BCE. Therefore, Quirinius was also exercising authority in the region of Syria in 7 BCE, the year the Christ was born.

Based on details from the Bible and historical data, we know that the Lord Jesus was born in 7 BCE. It is likely that He was born on the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, which corresponds to October 8, 7 BCE, according to the Julian calendar. Please read the article ″The Birth Date of the Lord Jesus″ [1].

Luke 2:3-5

3 And all were traveling to be registered, each to his own city.

4 Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

5 to be registered with Mary, his betrothed wife, who was pregnant.

″All″ refers to all the people living in the Roman Empire at that time.

″Each to his own city″ means that each person had to return and register in the town of their birth.

Although Joseph and Mary were living in Nazareth, their birthplace was Bethlehem, so they had to go to Bethlehem to register according to the census decree. According to Caesar Augustus, this census recorded a total population of 4,233,000 people throughout the Roman Empire [2], [3].

According to the Bible, there are two places referred to as the City of David:

• The civil City of David is Bethlehem, the hometown of David and of the Lord Jesus, located about 10 km south of Jerusalem (Luke 2:4, 11).
• The military City of David is the fortress protecting Jerusalem, located about 2 km from Jerusalem (1 Chronicles 11:5; 1 Kings 8:1).

In illustrations and films depicting the birth of the Lord Jesus, we often see Mary riding a donkey on the journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. But in reality, Mary probably rode in a cart pulled by oxen or a donkey. Because her pregnancy was near full term, she could not ride a donkey all day long.

Luke 2:6-7

6 So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to bear.

7 And she bore her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

″While they were there″ refers to the time when Joseph and Mary had arrived in Bethlehem. We can understand that Joseph and Mary likely arranged to return to Bethlehem to register for the census before the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, which corresponds to the 15th day of the 7th month in the Biblical calendar, so that when the feast began, they could go from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to attend. According to the Old Testament law, every year all the males of Israel were required to appear in Jerusalem to present themselves before God during the three annual feasts: Passover, Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles.

It is very likely that Joseph and Mary completed the census registration in Bethlehem, and on the 14th day of the 7th month, they were on their way back from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to attend the Feast of Tabernacles. However, before leaving the vicinity of Bethlehem, Mary went into labor, and they had to stop and find temporary lodging at an inn along the way.

The phrase ″the days were completed for her to bear″ implies that Jesus had been in His mother’s womb for a full 40 weeks.

Once again, the Bible uses the expression ″she bore her firstborn Son″ to emphasize a truth: after giving birth to Jesus, Mary went on to have other children. Jesus was Mary’s ″firstborn,″ not her ″only″ child.

The term ″inn″ (G2646) in this context likely refers to a public temporary lodging area, provided free of charge for travelers. It was a place with a raised earthen floor, enclosed walls, and divided into empty compartments where travelers could stay. Outside, there were troughs for feeding and watering animals. While sleeping space was free, travelers had to pay for food and drink for both themselves and their animals. There was no innkeeper, but there were vendors selling food and water. Such an inn in Bethlehem could have used natural caves to house animals. Therefore, the tradition that Mary gave birth to Jesus in a cave may correspond to historical reality.

Because it was the time when many people had to return to their hometowns to register for the census, there was no room left in the inn for Joseph and Mary. They likely had to stay temporarily in a nearby cave, used as a shelter for animals. Probably after sunset on the 14th day of the 7th month, as the date turned to the 15th, the first day of the Feast of Tabernacles, Mary gave birth to Jesus. She wrapped Him in cloths and laid Him in a manger, a trough used to feed animals.

Many of us may be familiar with the image of Joseph leading a donkey with Mary riding on it, going from inn to inn in Bethlehem, only to be turned away because there was no room. In reality, according to the Biblical usage of the term, the ″inn″ where Joseph and Mary stopped was simply a public roadside lodging area for travelers, without an innkeeper.

An inn with an innkeeper and guest rooms refers to a type of inn located within a city, as mentioned in Luke 10:34, and is called by a different term in Greek: “πανδοχεῖον” (G3829).

Through the story of the birth of Jesus, we see that the God had predetermined every detail so that everything occurred according to His holy will and fulfilled the prophecies given hundreds to thousands of years earlier.

• The Lord Jesus had to belong to the lineage of the woman (Genesis 3:15).
• The Lord Jesus had to belong to the lineage of Abraham and the line of King David (Genesis 22:18; Isaiah 11:1, 10).
• The Lord Jesus had to be conceived by the God in the womb of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14).
• The Lord Jesus had to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2-3).
• The Lord Jesus had to be born in 7 BCE so that when He began His ministry in the year 25, He would be 30 years old, and when He was crucified on the Passover of the year 27 [4], it would precisely fulfill the 69 weeks of years prophesied in Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27) [5].

We thank the God for giving us His Living Word, the Bible, so that we can understand His plans and purposes for humanity and for each one of us individually.

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
11/05/2022

Notes:

[1] https://preachingfromthebible.net/the-birth-date-of-the-lord-jesus/

[2] Please read item number 8, which records the event of Caesar Augustus issuing a decree for a census in 8 BCE: http://classics.mit.edu/Augustus/deeds.html#71

[3] https://defendinginerrancy.com/bible-solutions/Luke_2.2.php

[4] https://preachingfromthebible.net/the-day-of-the-lords-death-and-the-day-of-the-lords-resurrection/

[5] https://preachingfromthebible.net/006-the-seventy-weeks-of-years-of-daniel/

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.