My Dear People,

Matthew sets up this scene by linking Jesus’ personal name with his royal title: Jesus Christ. The reference to Christ once again draws attention to Jesus’ identity as the Messiah-king, and it connects this story with the conclusion of the genealogy, which in the previous verse also emphasized that Jesus is the Messiah (1:17).

We learn two important facts about Mary and Joseph that set up the plot for this scene. First, Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Betrothal should not be confused with modern-day engagement. Betrothal, a man and a woman would exchange consent before witnesses, and they would be considered legally married at this point, but they did not yet begin to life together. The wife would remain with her parents for up to one year before the second stage of marriage, known as the “coming together.” This is when the wife would come to live with her husband and the marriage would be consummated. Matthew explicitly tells us that Mary and Joseph are at the first stage of marriage, that is, betrothal, and that Mary conceived before they lived together—in other words, before the second stage of marriage.

Nevertheless, betrothed couples were considered legally married. Therefore, when Mary was found with child through the Holy Spirit, this caused a great dilemma for Joseph. The description of Joseph as a righteous man tells us that he would be very careful to obey the Jewish law. In the Old Testament an adulteress was to be stoned. Deuteronomy 22:13-24 specifically decreed stoning when a betrothed woman committed adultery, or a betrothed woman was found not to be a virgin when the marriage was consummated. In the first century however, when the Jews were under Roman rule, capital punishment was prohibited and divorce with a public trial became standard practice in these situations.

Various views on the nature of Joseph’s quandary have emerged in the Catholic tradition. According to one view, if Joseph found Mary pregnant and knew he was not the father, he might have suspected adultery. If so, he would be expected to bring Mary to public trial and accuse her. However, Joseph was unwilling to expose her to shame, meaning he did not want to publicly display the disgrace of her suspected adultery. Instead, he decided to divorce her quietly. If one did not go through a public trial, a bill of divorce could be drawn up privately and presented before two witnesses. As a righteous man, Joseph seeks divorce, but his righteousness is expressed also in his mercy, since he seeks the divorce not through a public trial but through more private means.

An angel’s address to Joseph as son of David calls attention to Joseph’s own royal heritage and his crucial role of passing on Davidic descent to Jesus. Much is at stake if Joseph leaves Mary and does not accept this child. The angel, therefore, tells him, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife in your home—a reference to the second stage of marriage, which Joseph is about to abandon through his quiet divorce. The angel assures Joseph that Mary’s pregnancy did not come about by another man, but through the Holy Spirit, affirming the child’s divine origins. Furthermore, Joseph has an important role to play for this child: you are to name him. To name a child is to claim the child as one’s own. Thus, Joseph is being instructed to accept this child as his own son. Even though Jesus is not his biological son, as Joseph’s legal son he would have all the hereditary rights of a son, including Joseph’s royal Davidic descent. Therefore, “Joseph son of David,” in this act of naming would make this child a legal heir to David.

Matthew announces that Mary’s conceiving Jesus is the fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah 7:14, and he quotes the Greek text of this passage: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son” (1:23). This prophecy came in a period of crisis for the Davidic Kingdom, as enemy armies threatened to invade Jerusalem and remove King Ahaz. With the dynasty’s survival in question, Isaiah foretold that an heir would be a sign that the kingdom would not end with Ahaz but would continue under God’s protection. Some might have seen in this prophecy a reference to Ahaz’s son, Hezekiah, who carried out a religious reform and delivered Judah from many evils, showing that God was still with the dynasty (Kings 18:1-6). However, Matthew sees a deeper lever of meaning in the child of Isaiah 7:14. Mary is the virgin who conceives and bears the royal son, Jesus. Mathew’s Gospel therefore fittingly reveals Isa. 7:14 as foretelling the virginal conception of the messiah, which is fulfilled in Mary and Jesus.

Merry Christmas to everyone,

Fr. Vincent Clemente