![[Graphic of the angel appears to Joseph]](https://www.deankwilson.com/Blog_images/angel_appears_to_Joseph.jpg)
| 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. 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.” When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. |
| —Matthew 1:20-21 |
Joseph must have considered himself to be one of the most fortunate men on the earth. He had worked hard all his life. He had labored intensely to learn the trade of a carpenter. He had honed his trade until he had become recognized as a skilled craftsman and one upon whom the community could depend.
Joseph had faithfully worshipped in the tradition his ancestors had followed for countless generations. In fact, he was descended from the family line of the great King David. Even though he was a humble man, Joseph had within himself the integrity of the generations of those who had gone before him.
Now he was going to become a married man. And, he was fortunate, very fortunate, to have won the hand of one of the most beautiful young women in all of Nazareth. His wife-to-be, Mary, was a truly beautiful woman. Not only was she a joy to look at, she was skilled in all the qualities that would make her a most excellent wife and mother to Joseph’s future children.
Like the majority of young women in his community, this future bride of Joseph’s would come to her marriage as a virgin. The purity of her body was a reflection of the purity of her mind, heart, and soul.
In light of these circumstances, can you even begin to imagine the shock that Joseph must have felt when the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and gave him news that would rock his world? His bride-to-be was pregnant. And, she had become pregnant by a means that no other human in the face of history had ever experienced. She was pregnant by an act of God through His Holy Spirit. The Son she would bear was not from the seed of Joseph. This Son was the very Son of God.
Joseph revealed the depth of his character, as the Scripture verse at the beginning of this blog post declares, when he responded to the angel’s appearance in the dream. Scripture tells us that Joseph did exactly as the angel had commanded him to do. Despite all of the criticism he would endure, Joseph took Mary as his wife. And, when this miraculous baby was born, Joseph gave the baby the very name that God had intended: the name of Jesus.
There is so much we can learn from Joseph’s example. Joseph bent his selfish human will to the divine, perfect will of God. When God told Joseph what to do, Joseph did exactly as God had commanded. That kind of obedience is exactly the kind of obedience that God expects from us. The question remains: are we willing to do what God instructs us to do?
