The Secret Codes in Matthew: Examining Israel’s Messiah, Part 2, by Kevin M. Williams
By the third epoch, the account given here in Matthew, the Messiah was born. In this epoch, two thousand years correlating to the 5th and 6th days of the week, all mankind began looking forward to the 7th day of rest, the Sabbatical millennium, when the Messiah will reign and restore peace to the nations.4
Whether you are a “Sabbath-keeper” or not, and whether you are aware of it or not—if your faith rests in Jesus, then you are indeed among the multitudes looking forward to the 7th day Sabbath.
With “ . . . the birth of Jesus Christ” (Matt. 1:18), the season of preparation began. We eagerly anticipate the Messiah’s return, when He will inaugurate this 4th epoch and proclaim the Messianic Kingdom.
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“Miriam had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18).
Here we find that Miriam was betrothed to Joseph, but that she mysteriously (albeit miraculously) became pregnant. Yet verse 19 states that Joseph was her “husband.”
In our modern, western society, this seems irreconcilable. Were they engaged or were they married?
The answer is “Yes.”
In Israeli society, according to the laws and customs of Torah, a betrothed woman is as good as married. In other words, the betrothal is a legally binding covenant that sets the bride-to-be apart from all others.
In fact, one of the words for betrothed is kiddushin—separated. This young woman was now “off limits” to any other potential courtiers, and reserved only and solely for her bridegroom.
In a remarkable parallel, this contract was officially sealed with a cup of wine. The hopeful groom proposed to his potential bride with a covenant, called a ketubah. In the ketubah were all the promises to care for, love, and provide for his intended. If the young woman agreed to the stipulations of the ketubah, she drank from a cup of wine. From that moment on, she was kiddush—separate (but most frequently translated in the Scripture as “holy”.)
How like our own Bridegroom? When we first drank from the cup of communion, we affirmed His covenant promises to us, and we sealed our contract as His Bride. The betrothal was official and we were made kiddush—holy, separated from the world and reserved solely for our Bridegroom until the wedding day.
According to the custom of the day, once the ketubah had been confirmed by the bride and groom, a marriage would take place in approximately one year. The bridegroom went away to build a bridal chamber, a house in which the married couple would dwell. His parting words after the sharing of the cup were, “I go and prepare a place for you.”
Sound familiar? Our Bridegroom, Jesus, mirrored these words to us in the gospel of John.
“I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also” (John 14:2-3)
So, there is no discrepancy between being betrothed and being married in Israel at that time. Rather, through the instructions of God’s Torah, and through this picture, we find a remarkable parallel to our own relationship with our anticipated Bridegroom!
Verse 19 reads, “[Joseph] being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.”
Category: Biblical Studies, Pneuma Review, Summer 2001
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