Why Is the Birth of Jesus a Holy Scandal?

Critics will try to shake your faith by suggesting that the virgin birth of Jesus is a fantasy. They’ll tell you that Matthew was a fool who read something into the story that isn’t there. And that this caused him to make up the entire virgin birth story. These critics are fools. Because Matthew’s main point isn’t that Mary was a virgin. It’s that her child is the Son of God.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ happened this way. While his mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband to be, was a righteous man, and because he did not want to disgrace her, he intended to divorce her privately.

When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled: “Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will name him Emmanuel,” which means “God with us.” (Matthew 1:18-23 NET)

The Scandal

I’m convinced that by the time Matthew wrote his gospel, the scandal about the birth of the Rabbi from Nazareth had spread to every village in Israel. The religious leaders had everything to lose. These “Christians” were behind a movement numbering in the hundreds of thousands. And this movement threatened to overturn the power structure of the entire nation.

Crucify Him

The religious leaders’ attempts to silence these Christians had failed more than once before. Their Messiah had been put to death on a Roman cross. That should have been the end of it. It had stopped several such Messianic pretenders before. But three days after that Passover, the body of Jesus went missing. His disciples claimed He had risen from the dead. There were hundreds of witnesses willing to go on record stating they had seen Him alive. No one knew where the body was. So, these religious leaders entered into a lie with the Romans to say that Jesus’ disciples had stolen the body. That lie was well known, but rarely believed. 

Persecution

Next, their ruling council began a very public persecution of these Christians. Public scourgings in the synagogues throughout Israel were commonplace. Some of these Christians refused to recant in the face of capital charges and were executed. This might have been more successful had one of their own, Saul of Tarsus, not lost his mind and become one of Jesus’ followers. 

Expulsion

Recently, the Sanhedrin had heard enough of this heretics. So, it was time to take drastic measures. They banned from the Temple anyone claiming Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. How could these Christians continue to worship the God of Israel, without having access to the altar, the sacrifices and the festivals?

But none of this worked. The more these religious leaders tried to stop the Christians, the more their message spread. So, now it was time to discredit this rabbi, once and for all.

Betrothal

Mary and Joseph weren’t married when Jesus was born. Mary became pregnant while she and Joseph were betrothed. So, if Joseph wasn’t the father, it doesn’t really matter who was. This is a devastating charge on several levels:

• If Jesus isn’t the son of Joseph, is He the rightful heir to the throne of David? His father could be anyone. A man from another tribe. Maybe even a Roman soldier who had his way with Mary. How could Israel follow as a Messiah a man with this uncertain background?
• Could Jesus be trusted if He came from a family with this shameful background? It’s hard for us to fully grasp this idea. Our culture is more understanding of these circumstances. Mistakes happen. It’s not the child’s fault. You can’t hold it against them. But in the First Century Israel, this shame, alone, would disqualify Jesus.

This is why Matthew highlighted the four women we focused on in the previous episode. The lineage of David and Solomon was loaded with women of shame. Prostitutes. Moabites. Adulteresses. So, if David could become King with this in his family line, why couldn’t Jesus be the Messiah?

Yeshua

Again, remember that Matthew is writing this Gospel like a legal argument. He’s deflected the initial blow from his opponent, but now he needs to go on offense. It’s not enough to say that Jesus’ birth to an unmarried maiden shouldn’t disqualify Him from being the Messiah. Matthew needs to offer a counterargument to these charges.  And Matthew’s claim is almost unbelievable: Jesus’ father is God, Himself. Matthew reveals this masterfully – from Joseph’s point of view.

We don’t know how Mary told Joseph she was pregnant. Luke’s Gospel gives her side of the story. But Matthew isn’t concerned with her testimony. All we know is that when Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, he faced a dilemma: he could publicly accuse her, and save his own honor; or he could carry great shame and divorce her privately. After all, Mary must have committed adultery. She and Joseph were betrothed. Other than physically consummating the relationship, they were considered married. All that remained was a one year period of waiting, in order to prove that Mary had not been with another man. But now, she was pregnant. 

Joseph was a man of mercy. He took Mary’s shame upon himself. He decided not to accuse her. The world could speculate if the child was his or not. He wouldn’t have her stoned for adultery. But then, Joseph had a dream. The Angel of YHWH came to him and confirmed Mary’s story. She had been faithful to him! She was virtuous. And the child in her womb was more than just a baby. He was the Son of God. He would be named, “Yeshua.” This is more than the Hebrew name for Jesus. It is a prophetic statement. It means, “YHWH Saves.” 

The Virgin Shall Conceive

Try to put yourself in the jury box for a moment. The prosecutor has made a damning charge: Jesus of Nazareth’s birth was illegitimate. His lineage is questionable, at best. But Matthew has begun to chip away at this accusation. Even if it were true, it wouldn’t disqualify Him. David and Solomon had many skeletons in their genealogical closet, and they were the greatest kings in Israel’s history.

But Matthew’s latest argument may be too much. Is he really claiming that Jesus of Nazareth is the literal Son of God? You’d be scratching your head along with the rest of the courtroom. But this is the moment when Matthew is going to prove his legal genius, once again.

“She will give birth to a son and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” This all happened so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet would be fulfilled:  “Look! The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son..” (Matthew 1:21-23 NET)

As a juror, you notice something is off here. But, you can’t quite put your finger on it. The angel told Joseph to name the child “Yeshua” – YHWH Saves – because he will save His people from their sins. It’s just sitting there at the front of your mind. Who is going to save Israel from their sins? Yeshua? Or YHWH?

A Side Note…

As a side note, it’s important to understand what it means when the angel says that Yeshua will save His people from their sins. 2,000 years after these words were spoken, we think they mean individual salvation. They don’t. Israel is still in exile. Hundreds of thousands of them are scattered throughout the Earth. Even those who have returned to the Promised Land are living under horrific oppression by the Roman Empire. And the reason for all of this, is the national sin of Israel. As a nation, they rebelled against YHWH and turned to idolatry. YHWH is judging them for this. When the Angel declares that Yeshua will save His people from their sins, they all know that this means an end to the exile and the restoration of Israel. The Messiah is here. 

Almah or Betulah?

I imagine a crooked grin on Matthew’s face. He knows this is what we’re thinking. And then, it hits us. He’s quoting from the prophecy of Isaiah. “A virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son…” This is what Isaiah told King Ahaz in response to his arrogance in the face of YHWH. A young maiden will give birth to a son. Before that son knows the difference between right and wrong, a time of great judgment will come over Israel. The Assyrians will attack and utterly defeat the nation, scattering the people among the nations. 

I mentioned it earlier: critics will try to tell you that the word here doesn’t mean “virgin,” but instead means “young maiden.” They’re both right, and wrong. The technical Hebrew word for “virgin”is “betulah.” The word here is “almah,” which means “young maiden.” But throughout the Hebrew Scriptures, these words are interchangeable. This criticism doesn’t have much weight. 

Also, Matthew is writing in Greek, and quoting the LLX. Those translators used the same Greek word as Matthew: “parthenos.” This IS the technical Greek word for “virgin.” Matthew has legal precedent on his side. 

But even more than all of that, there is no need for Matthew to have forced a “virgin” interpretation onto the story. Isaiah 7:14 doesn’t require it. Isaiah’s prophecy isn’t a promise for the Messiah to be born of a virgin. It’s the promise that YHWH will be with His people in the midst of their judgment. 

Emmanuel

If you’re listening to Bible Nerds Daily, you’ve heard of the Hebrew tool for interpreting Scripture called, “remez.” It was used by the sages to point their readers to sections of the Bible. When Matthew quotes Isaiah 7:14, he’s brilliantly employing this method.

The name “Emmanuel” is used by Isaiah three times in the same story. (Isaiah 7:14; 8:8; 8:10). The story is of the destruction of Israel. YHWH is going to judge them. It is going to be horrific. Israel’s rebellion has been complete, and their judgment will be as well. It will feel like YHWH has abandoned them. They will spend centuries in exile. There will be no hope. But in the midst of this judgment, Isaiah inserts the name, “Emmanuel” – God is with us.

Make no mistake. Matthew believed that Jesus was born of a virgin. Jesus is the physical Son of God. But when Matthew hints to Isaiah 7 & 8, he’s saying something much more important. The Emmanuel of the prophets is coming. Jesus – Yeshua – has come. God is with us. And YHWH Saves.