Introduction. This lectionary reading, drawn from the first chapter of Matthew, describes the origins of Jesus. The first portion of the chapter presents a genealogy of Joseph. The second portion, which comprises the lectio, presents the divine origins of Jesus.

Lectio. This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered 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 home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"--which means, "God with us." When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matt. 1:18-25)

Meditatio. The only complexity of language of this passage has to do with Mary's virginity. The Greek here is parthenos, meaning "chaste". The Hebrew in the passage quoted from Isaiah, "The virgin will be with child" is almah, meaning "young woman" or "newlywed". Some analysts have made a great deal out of the shift in meaning between the Hebrew and Greek, but the greater shift is between the frame of reference in Isaiah and that of Matthew. The prophecy in Isaiah appears to be a specific prediction, one that had been fulfilled long before the gospel of Matthew was written. By using the Isaiah passage to predict the Messiah, Matthew shows that prophecies are timeless, that biblical time is eternal and unchanging. Like a kaleidoscope, the pieces of scripture fall together into a form that can be interpreted. The actual shapes of the pieces and their compositions are irrelevant; what matters is the image they create.

Matthew's genealogy (in the lines leading into the lectionary passage) emphasizes Joseph's line of descent from Abraham through David and kingly descendants such as Solomon, Asa, Jehosophat and Hezekiah. It contrasts with Luke's genealogy (Luke 3), which traces Joseph's line of descent through commoners. Millenia of wrangling have not reconciled the two genealogies [1]. Ironically, neither genealogy deals with Jesus' physical progenitor, which we are told is the Holy Spirit.

The genealogy is one of those puzzles that we hope to see resolved at the end of time. One can hypothesize that perhaps the genealogies serve as a simple door. Those who force the genealogies to match one another lock themselves out of the gospels, while those who accept that there are things for which we must admit ignorance are free to enter [2]. Just as prophecies resemble the elements of a kaleidoscope, whose individual shapes are less important than their configuration, even conflicting genealogies can help one see a crucial lesson of scripture.

As noted by commentator Matthew Arnold, the women mentioned in Matthew's genealogy are all notable for being outsiders (Rahab and Ruth) or sexually impure (Rahab, Tamar and Bathsheba). Ruth, in particular, is singled out in the Old Testament, as an example of why the Jews should not discriminate against outsiders based on race or ethnicity. Were it not for heathen Ruth, David would not have been born. And, indeed, in the genealogical line, many of the men were not admirable; in 2 Kings, the irreligiosity of Ahaz, Manasseh and Amon is noted.

Joseph, however, is called "a just man", for which the Greek is dikaios, meaning both innocent and observant of divine laws. Dikaios is precisely the "justification" that Paul later tells us comes from faith in Christ. Joseph was unwilling to shame or harm Mary for having gotten herself pregnant and it was this kind innocence that justified him. Matthew is telling us, indirectly, that "believing in Christ" is more than believing in the person of Christ. It is believing in God by doing things that express a faith that God is kind and forgiving.

The story told in the lectionary material is shocking. As with much of the gospel material, it has to do with a breaking down and recasting of Mosaic Law. The marriage contract had been finalized, such that Joseph would have been forced to divorce Mary. Under the terms of the Law of Moses, the Holy Spirit committed adultery. And so Joseph had to do much more than accept from his dream the idea that Mary's child is from God. He had to believe by faith that the Law of Moses does not stand above the Holy Spirit, that the Commandment does not command that which is of God. This is a difficult and dangerous teaching, one whose misunderstanding has ensnared many Christians over many generations. God often upends our understanding. So, how do we know what is from God and what is merely our imagination, our desire, our will? How do we know the difference between having faith and lying to ourselves?

Contemplatio. Adoration. You alone know truth from falsity, Lord. You know which messages come from Your angels and which from temptation. Confession. We often confuse our own desires with Yours, Lord, and are easily misled. If our bride-to-be was pregnant by another, could we have accepted her and the child as a gift from God? Not likely. Thanksgiving. You granted us the counsel of Your Spirit of Truth to help us differentiate truth from falsity, without whose aid we would be truly blind. Supplication. We are prevented from hearing the counsel of the Spirit of Truth only through our own willfulness. Help us to set aside our will and know Yours. Help us to hear Your angels.