Introduction: No Birth Like This One
Who among you can tell me the story of how the wealthiest man, Elon Musk, was born? Or what about King Charles III—how was he born? Or the soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo? Now, of course, you could probably look around the internet and find some information. But almost always all you get is the date of birth.
The story of Jesus’s birth is very different. His birth is by far the most detailed and the most widely attested. It continues to be the most studied birth in all of human history. No other man or woman, either ancient or modern, comes anywhere close to the volume of documentation and cultural impact that Jesus’s birth has had. Not to mention that in the traditional Western calendar the years are marked by BC, that is, “before Christ,” or AD—“Anno Domini,” a Latin term meaning “in the year of our Lord,” which refers to the years after the traditional date of Jesus’s birth.
Have you ever asked why his birth is so important that countless people throughout the world celebrate it over 2,000 years later, even those who do not care much about religion? There is something profound about Jesus’s birth that demands our attention.
Matthew tells us that before Mary and Joseph “came together,” while they were betrothed to one another, Mary “was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.”
A Pregnancy That Threatened Everything
Betrothal was an ancient biblical concept where a couple publicly pledged that they would be joined in marriage, and it was in the betrothal that the woman was transferred from the authority of her father to that of another man who would soon become her husband. The closest thing to betrothal that we have in our culture is courtship, but even that is quite different. The betrothal gave the girl time to reach childbearing age before she was to be married or gave the man time to show that he was able to provide for her and his family-to-be. Twelve years of age was generally believed to be a good time for a girl to be married in the time of the New Testament, although it is difficult to know whether this was the ideal or was in fact common practice. In ancient Jewish culture betrothal could happen at a very young age by our standards, sometimes as early as twelve or thirteen. Marriage itself, however, was only completed later.
Joseph’s Righteousness
The covenant of marriage began at betrothal, and therefore a formal process of divorce was required if the man wished to opt out. However, this would have had serious social and economic consequences for both of their families, especially in small towns where everyone knows everybody’s business. Furthermore, if it was suspected that the girl or woman had committed adultery, she would be sent back to her father, would come back under his authority, and would continue to live out her life with the stigma of being an adulteress. So, when Mary becomes pregnant before her marriage with Joseph is consummated, the two of them find themselves in a significant dilemma—not to mention the worst-case scenario, that she could have been given the death sentence by stoning according to Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 12:13–21). And here you begin to see the virtuous nature of Joseph, who was unwilling to bring Mary harm or shame and wished instead to divorce her quietly without any public action that drew attention to her. He was no doubt a righteous man and desired to show compassion even when it appeared that Mary seemed to be an adulteress.
Thankfully, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and reassures him of Mary’s innocence and that she is in fact with a child conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). In biblical times, the ancient Jewish people believed much like many Africans still believe today. They believed that through divine revelation, gods and spirits often appear to people in their dreams, usually to give warning or bad news. We see this often enough in the Old Testament.
Behold!
The Greek reads, ἰδοὺ ἄγγελος κυρίου κατ’ ὄναρ ἐφάνη, “Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.” The word ἰδοὺ, meaning “Behold!” is often used by Matthew to draw the reader’s attention to something new or unusual that is about to be said or is about to unfold. The angel begins by addressing Joseph as the son of David, assuring him that he knows who he is, but also indicating the royal Davidic line from which Jesus Christ would come, even though Joseph has nothing to do with her pregnancy—although she too is in the royal Davidic line. The wonder of it is that the child conceived in Mary’s womb is without the seed of any man, but by the power of the Spirit of God.
Mary would give birth to a son, and she was to call him Jesus (Matthew 1:21), which in Hebrew is Yeshua, or Yehoshua, meaning, “God saves.” It might surprise you that it was quite a common Jewish name from the third century BC through to the second century AD. And of course, we have a Joshua very early in Scripture, a man associated with the great prophet and liberator Moses. This child, Jesus, however, was not named such merely because he was a symbolic hope anticipating the coming of the Messiah. No, he is that hope; he is the long-awaited Messiah, and, as the angel of the Lord says, “he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21; NIV). This answers the question, “What are we saved from?” We are saved from our sins and their consequences. All of us have sinned against God, disregarding the goodness of God and either in some sense creating chaos in our society or participating in it (Romans 1:18–32; 3:9–20, 23). Our sins deserve the full weight of the judgment of God.
Yet, God proves his faithfulness to humanity, despite their rebellion against him, by fulfilling Isaiah 7:14, which says, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (NIV). Matthew cites this verse and then explains what Immanuel means: “God with us.” It is not that God is with us metaphorically or in some abstract sense, but that he very truly dwelt with his people.
And so, God provides salvation from sin through Jesus Christ, healing the broken relationship between humankind and himself. Jesus’s life begins with Immanuel, “God with us,” and his ministry on earth ends with “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20; NIV).
When Joseph Woke Up from the Strange Dream
After the angel stops speaking, Joseph wakes up, he believes, and he immediately obeys. He takes Mary as his wife, and, like Mary, he too becomes God’s faithful servant.
So, why do the gospels give so much attention to the conception of Jesus and his birth? The answer is nothing short of magnificent: because God initiates our redemption by sending his Son into the womb of the Virgin Mary. By doing so, he spares Jesus from the corruption of sin, which will later enable him to save humanity from their sins.
As we all know, sin is the very root of humanity’s problems; it is the cause of so much suffering and evil in our world. Worst of all is the ultimate consequence: separation from God. The solution is that God comes to dwell among us in the person of Jesus Christ. And so, through Jesus’s birth, God draws close to us so that he might save us from sin and its consequences, that we might enjoy eternal life with him.
Your Immanuel Has Come — Will You Receive Him?
This most significant birth in human history offers us an excellent example of obedience in Joseph’s faithfulness. As much as Mary is to be remembered for her role in salvation history, Joseph has a very important role too. He was able to put aside the impulse to protect his honour and instead protect his wife, Mary, from shame and partnered with her in bringing Jesus into this world. Through Joseph’s faithfulness, he was able to know our Lord and Saviour intimately as his earthly father. Yet we too, if we are faithful in believing who Jesus is, can also know him as our Lord, as Immanuel, “God with us,” and as our Redeemer.
AI Disclaimer:
This blog has been edited for grammar, clarity, and readability using AI-assisted tools. The core content, theological insights, and personal reflections remain my original work.