The first chapter of the gospel according to Matthew shares some details about the birth of Jesus Christ. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was engaged to Joseph. Before they consummated the marriage, she discovered that she was expecting a baby – not from an earthly father, but of the Holy Spirit. Obviously, Joseph was in shock. He was thinking of letting Mary go but without exposing her in public. During this period, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream,
saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:20-21). This unique event in history was a fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy, which is found in Isaiah 7:14, Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall
call his name Immanuel. The meaning of Immanuel is, God with us. Joseph was assured by God that Mary was faithful. The marriage was not consummated till she gave birth to Jesus. The public assumed that Jesus was the Son of Joseph, though in reality He didn’t have an earthly father.
The people were looking forward to the coming of a saviour. Another name of the saviour was the Messiah. They expected the Messiah to be the king who would deliver them from all their enemies, and his reign would bring prosperity to all the people. They didn’t understand that they needed to be saved from their sins first. The people rejected the Lord Jesus Christ and handed Him over to the Roman authorities and He was crucified. All this was planned by God to provide salvation to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).