Matthew 1:18
Before they came together
Mary is engaged to Joseph. Before they live together she is found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.
Easy to miss
Matthew tells the reader where the child is from at once. Joseph does not know yet.
In one minute: If you only read this much
What happens
Mary is found to be with child before she and Joseph live together. Joseph, a just man, plans to divorce her quietly. An angel tells him in a dream to take Mary as his wife and name the child Jesus. He wakes and obeys.
Why this Sunday
Zechariah, Mary and now Joseph: each hears from God in turn. This is the last announcement before Christmas.
Take with you
Joseph was right by the rules and still willing to be told something new. Being good and being teachable belong together.
Readings for the Annunciation to St. Joseph: Seven passages across four services
ഈ ഞായറാഴ്ചയുടെ വായനകൾ
Evening prayer സന്ധ്യാപ്രാർത്ഥന1 readings
- GospelസുവിശേഷംJohn 6:30–46യോഹന്നാൻ 6:30–46
I am the bread of life; no one can come to me unless the Father draws them.
Morning prayer പ്രഭാതപ്രാർത്ഥന1 readings
- GospelസുവിശേഷംJohn 6:30–46യോഹന്നാൻ 6:30–46
I am the bread of life; no one can come to me unless the Father draws them.
Before Qurbana കുർബാനയ്ക്കു മുമ്പ്2 readings
- Old TestamentപഴയനിയമംGenesis 13:1–11ഉല്പത്തി 13:1–11
Abram lets Lot choose the land first, so there will be no quarrel.
- Old TestamentപഴയനിയമംIsaiah 1:2–9യെശയ്യാവ് 1:2–9
The ox knows its owner, but my people do not understand.
Holy Qurbana വിശുദ്ധ കുർബാന3 readings
- General Epistleപൊതുലേഖനം1 Peter 2:11–171 പത്രൊസ് 2:11–17
Live honourably among outsiders; honour everyone, fear God.
- Pauline Epistleപൗലോസിന്റെ ലേഖനംGalatians 1:11–24ഗലാത്യർ 1:11–24
Paul says the Gospel came to him by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
- Gospel of the dayസുവിശേഷംMatthew 1:18–25മത്തായി 1:18–25
An angel tells Joseph in a dream to take Mary as his wife and name the child Jesus. This is the Gospel of the day.
Open in five scenes
The thread through all seven
Abram lets Lot choose first rather than quarrel, and Isaiah grieves over a people who do not understand. Paul tells how God revealed his Son to him, and Peter urges believers to live honourably. Joseph listens and acts.
Source
References follow the official lectionary of the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church. Your parish may read them in a different order.
Matthew 1:18–25 explained: Matthew 1:18–25 in five scenes
Pick a scene to see what happens in it and what is easy to miss.
Before they came togetherMatthew 1:18A just man’s planMatthew 1:19Do not be afraidMatthew 1:20–21God with usMatthew 1:22–23Joseph wakes and obeysMatthew 1:24–25
Matthew 1:19
A just man’s plan
Joseph is a righteous man and does not want to shame her in public. He decides to end the engagement quietly.
Easy to miss
The law allowed a public case. Joseph chooses mercy before he knows the truth.
Matthew 1:20–21
Do not be afraid
An angel appears to him in a dream: Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She will bear a son, and you will name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Easy to miss
By naming the child, Joseph adopts him into the house of David. That is how Jesus becomes David’s heir.
Matthew 1:22–23
God with us
Matthew says this fulfils Isaiah: a virgin will conceive and bear a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means God with us.
Easy to miss
Matthew’s Gospel ends with the same promise: “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).
Matthew 1:24–25
Joseph wakes and obeys
Joseph wakes, does as the angel commanded and takes Mary as his wife. When the son is born, he names him Jesus.
Easy to miss
Joseph never speaks a single recorded word in the Gospels. Everything we know about him is what he did.
The verse to keep
“അവൾ ഒരു മകനെ പ്രസവിക്കും; അവൻ തന്റെ ജനത്തെ അവരുടെ പാപങ്ങളിൽ നിന്നു രക്ഷിപ്പാനിരിക്കകൊണ്ടു നീ അവന്നു യേശു എന്നു പേർ ഇടേണം എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു.”“She shall give birth to a son. You shall name him Jesus, for it is he who shall save his people from their sins.”
Who is in the story, and what their names mean
Three phrases worth knowing
- Immanuel
- Hebrew for “God with us”, from Isaiah 7:14.
- Righteous man
- Someone who keeps God’s law faithfully. Joseph shows that keeping the law and showing mercy go together.
- Son of David
- The angel greets Joseph by his royal ancestry. Through Joseph’s adoption, Jesus belongs to David’s line.
Reflection: The quiet obedience of Joseph
യോസേഫിന്റെ നിശ്ശബ്ദമായ അനുസരണം
Joseph had a plan, and it was a good one. He would not shame Mary. He would end things quietly and let her go. Nobody could have blamed him. Matthew calls him righteous, and the plan shows it.
Then God spoke, and Joseph changed his mind. He gave up the reasonable plan for one that would cost him his reputation and his peace. He took Mary home, named a child who was not his by blood, and later took the family to Egypt and back, each time because God told him to.
Most of us like our plans, especially when they are fair and sensible. Joseph shows that a good plan can still be the wrong one. He did not argue or ask for proof. He woke up and did what he was told. In a home, that kind of quiet obedience often holds more together than anything anyone says.