18 Now the birth of Jesus [a] Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been [b]betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned [c]to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for[d]the Child who has been [e]conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for [f] He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this [g]took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME [h]IMMANUEL,” which translated means, “GOD WITH US.”
The emphasis in the Gospel according to Matthew is Jesus' fulfillment of the Law of Moses. Earlier in chapter 1, Matthew records a genealogy of Jesus the Messiah. His point was to show his rightful place as the expected Savior, beginning with Abraham who is the father of Israel. He then goes on to show that his birth was from the outworking of the Holy Spirit and the natural birth from Mary who is the mother of the human nature of the Christ. He concludes that in this birth, he fulfilled what what was written about him.
Daily Prayer: Lord Jesus, even now the numbers of believers in you as the Son of Man and the Son of God increases. Now, more than six billion claim you as their Savior, so praise God! Let this Christmas message empower its readers into a stronger faith and a stronger walk as they depend on you for their physical and spiritual life. In your name I pray Amen.
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