20260113 [새벽묵상] 죄에서 구원하시는 하나님의 의 | The Righteousness of God Who Saves from Sin (마/Mt 1:18~25)

1:18 예수 그리스도의 나심은 이러하니라 그의 어머니 마리아가 요셉과 약혼하고 동거하기 전에 성령으로 잉태된 것이 나타났더니

1:19 그의 남편 요셉은 의로운 사람이라 그를 드러내지 아니하고 가만히 끊고자 하여

Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son

18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

1:20 이 일을 생각할 때에 주의 사자가 현몽하여 이르되 다윗의 자손 요셉아 네 아내 마리아 데려오기를 무서워하지 말라 그에게 잉태된 자는 성령으로 된 것이라

1:21 아들을 낳으리니 이름을 예수라 하라 이는 그가 자기 백성을 그들의 죄에서 구원할 자이심이라 하니라

20 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. 21 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.”

1:22 이 모든 일이 된 것은 주께서 선지자로 하신 말씀을 이루려 하심이니 이르시되

1:23 보라 처녀가 잉태하여 아들을 낳을 것이요 그의 이름은 임마누엘이라 하리라 하셨으니 이를 번역한즉 하나님이 우리와 함께 계시다 함이라

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

1:24 요셉이 잠에서 깨어 일어나 주의 사자의 분부대로 행하여 그 아내를 데려왔으나

1:25 아들을 낳기까지 동침하지 아니하더니 낳으매 이름을 예수라 하니라

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

                   오늘 본문은 예수님께서 어떻게 이 땅에 오셨는지를 말씀해주고 계십니다. 이 이야기를 통해서 우리가 볼 수 있는 것은 바로 하나님의 의 입니다. 그 의란 어떤 의인가? 바로 자기 백성을 그들의 죄에서 구원하시는 의 입니다. 그래서 오늘은 “죄에서 구원하시는 하나님의 의” 라는 제목으로 말씀을 전하기 원합니다.

Today’s passage tells us the story of how Jesus came to this earth. Through this narrative, we can witness the Righteousness of God. But what kind of righteousness is it? It is a righteousness that saves His people from their sins.

Today, I want to share a message titled: "The Righteousness of God Who Saves from Sin."

                  먼저, 예수님의 육신의 아버지인 요셉의 모습을 통해 의란 무엇인가 함께 보기 원합니다. 18절을 보면 “마리아가 요셉과 약혼하고 동거하기 전에 성령으로 잉태된 것이 나타났더니” 라고 전하고 있습니다. 잉태된 것이 나타났다니 이 무슨 말인가요? 임신을 해서 배가 부른 것이 티가 나기 시작했다는 말이지요. 누가복음 1장을 보면 마리아가 수태 예언을 듣고 그 자리에서 일어나 엘리사벳의 집으로 향하지요. 그리고는 1:56을 보면 “마리아가 석 달쯤 함께 있다가 집으로 돌아가니라”라고 하는 말씀이 나옵니다. 돌아왔을 때가 이미 임신 넉달째. 요셉의 입장에서는 갑자기 자기 약혼녀가 사라지더니 석 달만에 돌아왔는데 배가 불러있습니다. 자 19절 말씀 함께 읽어보겠습니다. “그의 남편 요셉은 의로운 사람이라 그를 드러내지 아니하고 가만히 끊고자 하여” 요셉은 어떤 사람이라고요? 의로운 사람이라고 합니다. 자 그렇다면 의로운 사람이라면 자신의 약혼녀가 자신이 아닌 다른 사람의 아이를 가졌을 때에 어떻게 해야할까요? 성경적인 의인이라면 율법을 지켜야 할 것입니다. 신명기 22:23-24을 보면 약혼한 여인이 다른 남자와 간음할 경우에 그 둘을 모두 돌로 쳐죽이라고 율법은 분명하게 말하고 있습니다. 그렇다면 요셉이 의로운 사람이라면 마리아와 마리아를 간음한 남성을 찾아 그 두 사람이 율법의 심판을 받도록 하는 것이 마땅할 것입니다. 그런데 요셉은 그렇게 하지 않지요. 그렇다면 우리는 과연 요셉을 의롭다 할 수 있습니까? 그런데 우리가 아니라 성경이 그를 의로운 사람이라고 말하고 있습니다. “요셉은 의로운 사람이라 그를 드러내지 아니하고 가만히 끊고자 하여.” 자 요셉이 마리아와의 혼약 관계를 가만히 끊었다면 어떤 일이 일어났을까요? 요셉이 나쁜 놈이 되지요. 혼인을 빙자하여 처녀를 임신시켜놓고는 책임을 회피하다니 있을 수 조차 없는 일입니다. 신명기에서도 처녀와 동침만 해도 처녀의 아버지에게 은 오십 세겔을 주고 아내로 삼아 평생에 버리지 못한다고 말씀하고 계십니다. 즉 요셉이 조용히 마리아와의 약혼을 끊는 것은 마리아의 죄를 덮어주는 것 뿐만이 아니라 그 죄를 자신이 뒤집어 쓰는 것을 말하는 것입니다. 그런데 성경은 이를 의롭다고 말하고 있습니다.

[Point 1: The Righteousness of Joseph—Covering the Sin]

First, I want to explore the meaning of righteousness through Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. Verse 18 tells us: "Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit." What does it mean that she was "found to be pregnant"? It means her pregnancy was starting to show. In Luke chapter 1, we see that after the annunciation, Mary immediately went to Elizabeth’s house and stayed for about three months. By the time she returned home, she would have been about four months pregnant.

From Joseph’s perspective, his fiancée suddenly disappeared for three months and returned with a visible baby bump. Imagine his shock. Now, let’s read verse 19:

"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."

The Bible calls Joseph a "righteous man." Under the Law, what should a righteous man do if his fiancée is pregnant by another man? According to Deuteronomy 22:23-24, the Law is clear: both the woman and the man involved in adultery should be stoned to death. If Joseph were strictly "righteous" by the legal standards of the time, he should have brought Mary before the authorities to face judgment.

But Joseph did not do that. Can we still call him righteous? The Bible insists that he was.

If Joseph had divorced her quietly without exposing the reason, what would have happened? Joseph would have become the "villain." People would have assumed he was the one who got her pregnant and then refused to take responsibility. Under the Law, if a man lies with a virgin, he must pay the father and marry her for life. By choosing to end the betrothal quietly, Joseph wasn't just covering Mary's shame—he was choosing to take that shame and guilt upon himself.

The Bible calls this "righteousness."

왜 마태는 이 의로운 요셉의 이야기를 예수님의 탄생 이야기에 넣었을까요? 그것은 바로 예수님께서 당신의 백성을 그들의 죄에서 구원하시는 것이 이와 같은 모습이기 때문입니다. 21절의 “예수” 라는 이름은 히브리어 “여호수아”, 즉 “여호와께서 구원이시다” 라는 뜻입니다. “그가 자기 백성을 그들의 죄에서 구원할 자이심이라”라고 말씀하고 계시지 않습니까? 자신의 백성을 죄에서 구원하시기 위해 그 죄악들을 자신이 뒤집어 쓰시는 이 놀라운 은혜가 바로 하나님의 의입니다. 그 의를 이루시기 위해 저 높은 하늘 보좌에서 이 낮고 낮은 땅으로 찾아오신 것이 바로 임마누엘의 하나님, 우리와 함께 계시는 하나님이신 것입니다.

[Point 2: The Righteousness of Jesus—The Salvation of God]

Why did Matthew include this story of Joseph’s righteousness in the account of Jesus’ birth? It is because this is exactly how Jesus saves His people from their sins.

In verse 21, we are told: "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." The name "Jesus" is the Greek form of the Hebrew "Joshua," which means "Yahweh is Salvation."

To save His people from their sins, God did the unthinkable: He took all our iniquities and placed them upon Himself. This incredible grace—the act of taking the sinner's place—is the true Righteousness of God. To fulfill this righteousness, the God of Immanuel ("God with us") descended from His high heavenly throne to this low and humble earth.

                  말씀을 맺습니다. 하나님은 의로운 분이십니다. 하나님께서는 당신이 의로운 분이시기에 우리 또한 의로워야한다고 말씀하십니다. 그리고 그 의로움을 이루신 것이 바로 우리에게 오신 예수님이십니다. 우리의 모든 죄악을 대신 지심으로 우리를 죄에서 구원하셨습니다. 그렇다면 우리는 어떻게 해야 할까요?

[Conclusion]

God is righteous. Because He is righteous, He desires for us to be righteous as well. And Jesus is the one who achieved that righteousness for us. By bearing all our sins, He saved us from death.

If that is the case, what should be our response? How shall we live in light of this righteousness that covers and redeems?

I pray that as you meditate on the love of Christ, who took your shame upon Himself, you would live as a people who reflect His righteousness and grace to the world. Amen.