Smoodock's Blog

In the first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel narrative, we discovered that Joseph, Mary’s espoused husband, received a message from the Lord in a dream. Joseph planned to privately put Mary away (Matthew 1:19), after discovering she was pregnant, when she returned from her visit to Elizabeth in the hill country, a period of about three months (cp. Luke 1:39, 56), or between Hanukkah and Purim. However, Joseph dreamed of an angel who counseled him not to put Mary away, because her pregnancy was the work of the Spirit of God (Matthew 1:20-21). Joseph believed the angel and obeyed the message, he received from God and married Mary, but he didn’t go in unto her, until after Jesus’ birth (Matthew 1:24-25).

Matthew’s Gospel is arranged according to five themes, bookended with an introduction and a conclusion. His Gospel is about Jesus fulfilling the history of Israel, from Abraham through Judah and David, and through the exile via Jeconiah. However, Jeconiah was made a eunuch in Babylon, and could no longer sire children. He adopted Salathiel and Zorobabel (cp. Luke 3:27) in what seems to have been a levirate marriage with the line of David through Nathan (cp. Luke 3:31), not Solomon (Matthew 1:6), which is the royal line. Thus, Joseph was the legal heir to the throne, had David’s throne existed in the first century AD. Since Heli had sired only daughters, another levirate marriage was arranged with his eldest daughter, Mary, and thereby raise up a son for Heli’s line. Ordinarily, Joseph’s firstborn son would also be his heir as well, vis-à-vis heir to the throne of David.[1]

Joseph had three more dreams: Matthew 2:13, 19 and 22.[2] It may be so that Joseph had settled in Bethlehem instead of Nazareth (cp. Luke 2:4), where Mary’s pregnancy was probably held in suspicion by many who knew her, including the Jewish authorities there. Nevertheless, whether or not this is so, about two years later Herod would have sought to slay Jesus, just prior to his own death. However, Joseph dreamed of the angel once again, and was told to flee to Egypt, where Jesus would be safe. He obeyed and took his family to Egypt until Herod’s death, and in so doing it was fulfilled that Jesus would parallel Israel being led out of Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15), vis-à-vis Israel’s Exile ends first with Moses and then with Jesus coming out of Egypt.

After Herod died, the angel came to Joseph once again in a dream, telling him to return to Israel, which he did, taking Mary and Jesus with him (Matthew 2:19-21). However, during the beginning of the reign of Archelaus, Herod’s son, there were many troublesome political events. Archelaus had put down several uprisings just after his father’s death. Therefore, the angel appeared to Joseph a fourth time, telling him to return to Nazareth, which would place him out of Archelaus’ realm and into Herod Antipas’ territory, where the political climate was less volatile (Matthew 2:22-23).

Interestingly, Joseph’s father’s name was Jacob (Matthew 1:16). Centuries earlier, another Jacob begat another Joseph (Genesis 30:22-24). This Joseph also dreamed and interpreted dreams (Genesis 37:5-11; cp. Genesis 40:8-22 and 41:14-36). This type of fulfillment of Israel’s history is very subtle, and would escape the notice of most gentile believers who study the Bible. Nevertheless, a religious Jew would pick up on the parallel right away: Jacob and Jacob and Joseph and Joseph who were dreamers of dreams. This kind of subtle parallel seems to point to a very early writing of Matthew’s Gospel, because why would Matthew place these subtleties in his Gospel without any explanation, unless he knew his readers would understand without his having to give it special consideration through some clarifying remarks? Yet, a late date for Matthew’s Gospel wastes such subtle parallels on gentile readers, who were beginning to outnumber the Jewish believers near the turn of the first century AD. Matthew’s subtlety can be appreciated only if it was written early, when it was important to reach Jews and prove to them that Jesus was the Messiah.

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[1] When a levirate marriage was arranged between Ruth and Boaz in order to raise up a son for Elimelech, whose sons died without begetting an heir (Ruth 4:3-6). Boaz sired Obed through Ruth (Ruth 4:17) through whom came David the king. So, Obed inherited all that was Elimelech’s and also all that was Boaz’, which resulted in the throne of David.

[2] A fifth dream is recorded in Matthew 2:12, but it was dreamed by the Magi, who were warned by an angel to secretly leave Judea without telling Herod that they had found Jesus.