Matthew 1:16, 18-21, 24a
Chapter 1
16
Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and from her came Jesus, who is called the Christ—the Messiah.
18
Birth of Jesus
This is how Jesus Christ was born: Mary, his mother, had been given to Joseph in marriage, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. [Commentary: Matthew 1:18-25]
19
Joseph, her husband, since he was a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly.
20
While he was pondering this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.
21
She has conceived by the Holy Spirit, and now she will have a son. You shall call him ‘Jesus,’ for he will save his people from their sins.”
24
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord told him to do and took his wife to live with him.
Commentaries
The Family Background of Jesus.
Genealogy helps us understand our origins and roots. For the Jews, it was very important to keep the memory of their ancestors alive. In this way, the birth of Jesus is connected to the history of a people, Israel, a history full of promises and hopes, but also of fragility and sin. In short, it is a small story that represents and on which the entire history of humanity will depend.
This is how Matthew sees it when he begins his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, skillfully building the line of generations until reaching its peak: a specific man, “Jesus, called the Messiah” (16). In him, the history of God’s promises and humanity, represented by David and Abraham, come together.
Birth of Jesus.
The chain of generations finally ends with the last link—not just another one, but a unique, definitive, and extraordinary one: a person born of a “virgin.” Matthew draws on the promise and prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, interpreted within the context already established by Jewish tradition. He follows this tradition and affirms it in this account, which he presents clearly: Mary’s motherhood is caused by the Holy Spirit, not Joseph. This is what the text states (1:20-23), and it remains central to the Church’s faith.