Read: Matthew 1.18-25
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT: Matthew reveals the nature of Jesus' birth in this passage. Jesus was conceived "from the Holy Spirit" rather than from a human father, thus making Him in the truest sense "the only Son of God." Since Mary was discovered to be pregnant with Jesus during her engagement to Joseph, Joseph was able under the Jewish law to divorce Mary (engagements were legally binding even before the actual marriage ceremony). Joseph was obviously a compassionate man who cared deeply for Mary, since he didn't want to "expose her to public disgrace." But, while planning a quiet divorce, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and told him to proceed with the marriage, explaining to him that the Lord was at work in it all. Joseph was also told to give the baby the name Jesus, and this is important for two reasons: 1) By naming the child, Joseph was claiming the child and giving the child his lineage and legacy, thus granting Jesus the royal bloodline of King David that ran through Joseph's family; and 2) the name Jesus comes from the Hebrew (Jewish) name Yeshua, which means "God will save." The very naming of Jesus conveys the nature of His Kingship: "He will save his people from their sins" (verse 21).
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