Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Matthew begins and ends with scenes of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. In chapters 1-2, the Mary and Joseph are his parents; in chapter 27, there’s Joseph of Arimathea and Mary has doubled into Mary Magdalene and the “other Mary.”
The first story is a story of life, the second a story of death. The first tells about the miracle of the virgin conception, while the second tells of a burial. The first focuses on the child in the womb, the second on the crucified man in the tomb.
Overriding the contrasts, though, is a basic similarity: The first scene is about the coming of the Son of God, the second about His coming again from the tomb; the first presents Him as the firstborn of Mary and Joseph, the second as the firstborn of the death; the first is Jesus’ birth story, the second a story of His rebirth, and the rebirth of creation.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
In Medias Res
Your weekly digest for all things Theopolis.