December 22, 2024
“Are We There Yet? Adventures in Advent”
“Week 4: Love – When Heaven Moved In”
Matthew 1:18-25
Service Overview: God’s love came near when Jesus was born. In Joseph’s obedience and Mary’s faith, we see the extraordinary love of Emmanuel—God with us—moving into our lives forever.
Memory Verse for the Week:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NIV)
Background & Technical Insights:
- 1:18. Betrothal (erusin) then was more binding than most engagements are in the Western world today. If Joseph followed earlier tradition, he would pay a bride price, at least part of it offered during the betrothal. Betrothal, which commonly lasted a year, meant that bride and groom were officially pledged to each other but had not yet consummated the marriage; advances toward anyone else were thus regarded as adulterous (Deut 22:23-27). (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 52)
- “Christ” is not Jesus’ last name; rather, it means “the Messiah,” the Anointed One. The word “engaged” in verse 18, which the ESV translates as “betrothed,” is also important to consider, since an engagement was much more binding in the first century than it is in the twenty-first century. Once you were engaged, you were legally bound, so to call off an engagement would be equivalent to divorce. (David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew, 20)
- Because he was a righteous man, Joseph therefore could not in conscience marry Mary who was now thought to be unfaithful. And because such a marriage would have been a tacit admission of his own guilt, and also because he was unwilling to expose her to the disgrace of public divorce, Joseph therefore chose a quieter way, permitted by the law itself. The full rigor of the law might have led to Mary’s stoning, though that was rarely carried out in the first century. Still, a public divorce was possible, though Joseph was apparently unwilling to expose Mary to such shame. (D. A. Carson, The Expositor’s Bible commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, 75)
- Joseph’s decision is directed by God, through an angelic revelation in a dream. Specific emphasis is placed both in the angel’s message and in the subsequent narrative on Joseph’s role in naming Jesus, which was the responsibility of the legal father and which ensured the official status of the son and heir (cf. Isa 43:1: “I have called you by name; you are mine”). So not only is the name “Jesus” in itself theologically significant, but also the fact that it is given to him under divine direction, and by whom it is given. It is through this act of Joseph that Jesus also becomes “son of David.” (R. T. France, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew, 112)
What does the birth narrative of Jesus have to teach us about love?
- How genuine love draws near.
(Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:23; 9:36; John 1:14; Phil. 2:6-7; Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 4:9)
It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. (J. I. Packer, For Your Sakes He Became Poor, 69)
The story of Christmas celebrates the fulfillment of God’s promises and the incarnation of God in human flesh. That meaning is memorably captured by John 3:16. God loves, and God gives in order to save… It meant giving rather than getting, and Christ gave until He was empty; but His obedience led to an empty tomb and ultimate vindication that will culminate when throngs in heaven and on earth and under the earth, not just a host of angels, will bow down and sing glory in the highest to the One whose name is above every name. (David Garland, Luke – Exegetical Commentary, 129-130)
- How courageous love takes action.
(Matthew 1:24-25; Mark 10:45; John 15:13; Romans 5:6; Galatians 5:6; Philippians 2:3-4; James 2:17; 1 John 3:16-18; 4:9-10)
1:24-25. Joseph acts like Old Testament men and women of God who obeyed God’s call even when it went against all human common sense. (Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 54)
Love is giving – giving of oneself to another. It is not getting, as the world says today. It is not feeling and desire; it is not something over which one has no control. It is something that we do for another. No one loves in the abstract. Love is an attitude that issues forth in something that actually, tangibly happens. (Jay Adams, Christian Living in the Home, 99)
- How redemptive love adopts.
(Matthew 1:25, John 1:12; Romans 8:14-17; Galatians 3:26; 4:4-5; Ephesians 1:5; 2:19; Hebrews 2:11; 1 John 3:1)
The previous section showed Joseph to be the descendant of David; but Jesus was not Joseph’s son, as this section makes even more explicit. Only if Joseph formally ‘adopted’ him could he too be ‘son of David’ (20). It took a divine revelation to persuade Joseph to do so, by accepting the pregnant Mary as his wife and then giving the child a name. (D. A. Carson, New Bible Commentary, 908)
The angel’s address to Joseph as “son of David” reminds us what is at stake in the decision Joseph has just reached: the loss of Jesus’ royal pedigree if he is not officially recognized as Joseph’s son. So, despite his previous decision, he is called to take two decisive actions, first to accept Mary as his wife rather than repudiating her and secondly to give her son a name, which will confirm his legal recognition of Jesus as his own son and hence as also a “son of David.” (R. T. France, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew, 115)
Conclusion… How does the love of God inspire us in loving others?
- By loving with our own presence.
(Matthew 25:35-36; Romans 12:15; 2 Corinthians 7:6; Galatians 6:2; Hebrews 10:24-25)
The first service that one owes to others in the fellowship consists in listening to them. Just as love to God begins with listening to His Word, so the beginning of love for the brethren is learning to listen to them.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together, 97)
The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing, and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares. (Henri Nouwen, Out of Solitude, 38)
In every encounter we either give life or drain it; there is no neutral exchange. (Brennan Manning, Abba’s Child, 169)
- By loving with action.
(Mat. 5:16; Luke 10:33-34; John 13:14-15; Rom. 12:13; Gal. 5:6; James 2:17; 1 John 3:18)
Christmas is based on an exchange of gifts, the gift of God to man – His unspeakable gift of His Son, and the gift of man to God – when we present our bodies a living sacrifice. (Vance Havner, The Vance Havner Quote Book, 39)
Love is an act of the will accompanied by emotion that leads to action on behalf of its object. (Voddie Baucham, Family Driven Faith, 57)
People who truly love God will willingly serve Him, excitedly tell others about Him, and long to worship Him (John 14:15). (Richard Blackaby, Corporate Hindrances to Revival, Revival Commentary, v. 2, n. 2)
Gospel Connection…
Through Jesus’ birth, God made a way for us to be adopted into His family. His love draws us near, takes action for our good, and welcomes us home as His beloved children.
(John 1:12-13; Rom. 8:15-17; Gal. 4:4-5; Eph. 1:4-5; Col. 1:13-14; Heb. 2:11; 1 John 3:1)
We must always remember that union with Christ is possible because of the Son’s descent to earth, not because of our ascent into heaven. The basis of our union with Christ is Christ’s union with us in the incarnation. He became one with us so that we might become one with Him. (Kevin DeYoung, The Hole in Our Holiness, 98)
The truth is, even if Christ were born in Bethlehem a thousand times but not within you, you would be eternally lost. The Christ who was born into the world must be born in your heart. Religious sentiment, even at Christmastime, without the living Christ is a yellow brick road to darkness. (R. Kent Hughes, Luke, 95)
Spiritual Challenge Questions…
Reflect on these questions in your time with the Lord this week, or discuss with a Christian family member or Life Group.
- What does the incarnation of Jesus teach us about God’s love for humanity?
- How does God’s love, as seen in Jesus’ birth, challenge our understanding of what it means to love others?
- In what ways can we be more present with others, as God was present with us through Jesus?
- How does the idea of adoption in the Gospel change the way we view our relationship with God?
- What are some practical ways we can show love through action, just as Joseph did in the birth narrative?
- How does the concept of adoption through Christ affect how we view others who may not feel accepted or loved?
- In light of God’s love for us, how can we challenge ourselves to love those who are difficult to love?
Quotes to note…
while these verses do not use the title “Son of God,” Matthew could hardly have recorded both the supernatural conception of Jesus and the scriptural title “God with us” without reflecting on the fact that the Messiah is much more than only a “son of David,” as will later be made explicit in 22:41-45. (R. T. France, The New International Commentary on the New Testament: Matthew, 113)
The Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child. The more you think about it, the more staggering it gets. Nothing in fiction is so fantastic as this truth of the Incarnation. (J.I. Packer, Christian Reader, v. 33, n. 6)
Men are not saved by their ideas of God, but by God’s actions for them. (William E. McCumber, Beacon Bible Expositions, Volume 1: Matthew, 19)
Part of the purpose of the virgin birth of Jesus is to show us that salvation does not come from man, but from God. Salvation is wholly the work of a supernatural God, not the work of natural man. There is nothing we can do to save ourselves from our sins, which is evident even in the way in which Jesus entered the world. This baby born in Bethlehem was and is the center of all history. (David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew, 22)
The fundamental response to God’s radical love for us is for us to radically love Him. (Mark Dever, Discipling, 15)
The chosen vessel for Jesus’ coming to the world was a humble, faithful Jewish maiden. God uses the humblest of persons in service to the highest of purposes. (William E. McCumber, Beacon Bible Expositions, Volume 1: Matthew, 18)
The fact that Matthew never explicitly refers to Joseph as Jesus’ father reminds us that Jesus was born to an adoptive father. After being named and taken into the family by Joseph, legally, Jesus is Joseph’s son. And being Joseph’s son means that this adoption ties Jesus to the line of David as a royal son. (David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew, 22)
The story of Christmas celebrates the fulfillment of God’s promises and the incarnation of God in human flesh. That meaning is memorably captured by John 3:16. God loves, and God gives in order to save… It meant giving rather than getting, and Christ gave until He was empty; but His obedience led to an empty tomb and ultimate vindication that will culminate when throngs in heaven and on earth and under the earth, not just a host of angels, will bow down and sing glory in the highest to the One whose name is above every name. (David Garland, Luke, 129)
Matthew tells us that all of these things happened amidst a fallen world. Jesus came to a world of sin in need of salvation, which is why it is crucial to see that ultimately, Jesus is God’s Son. The problem of sin needed a divine solution. (David Platt, Exalting Jesus in Matthew, 22)