Perhaps what Matthew chapter one is most known for is the account of the birth of Jesus that it contains. Matthew gives us a perspective that is a bit different than that of Luke, and he provides some details that are worth taking a look at, even though we may be very familiar with this Christmas story.

The birth narrative is one of those biblical events that we have become overly familiar with, since we hear it every year around Christmas. As a result, we often gloss over it when we read the Bible, thinking we’ve heard it all. And when we do that, we miss some things that are worth looking at a little more deeply.

In verse 18, Matthew writes, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ…” The word rendered here “birth” is the same in Greek that is translated “genealogy” in verse 1. This is the finishing statement of the genealogy given in the preceding verses, and is the point of the whole chapter. This event is worth taking the time to consider fully and deeply, with reverence and awe. The birth of any child is a wonderful occurrence, but the birth of Jesus is nothing short of a miracle.

Matthew shares the details of the engagement between Mary and Joseph. In Jewish culture, couples were engaged ten to twelve months prior to marriage. So sacred was the engagement that it could only be broken by divorce. Mary and Joseph were engaged, not married. Such a relationship was, from patriarchal times, a formal ceremony (see Genesis 24-25, the servant’s search for Rebekah, Isaac’s wife). It was regarded a binding obligation. Unfaithfulness in engagement was punishable by death (Deuteronomy 22:23-28; Leviticus 20:10).

However, Matthew adds a complicated wrinkle to the narrative. Mary is pregnant, and the two are not yet married. Both Matthew and Luke were careful to mention his miraculous conception (Luke 1:26, 34). This is a critical piece of information, because Christ’s physical nature was “begotten” by the Holy Spirit. Christ is the only example of such a birth in all of history. His birth, like his life and his resurrection, was a miracle. Mary, for the first three months following her visit by the angel to give her this news, was away at Elizabeth’s home (Luke 1:36). It was when she returned to Nazareth that Joseph learned of these circumstances. It must have been devastating to him.