| “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him…” |
| —Matthew 1:24 |
Countless times during most people’s lives, they are faced with important decisions. They may have one or more options to choose. In some cases, any of the available options likely will have both upsides and downsides. The question always remains: which choice will that person make.
Imagine now that you are a grown man who has long watched a young Jewish girl in your village. She is a truly beautiful young woman. As is typical, she is somewhat younger than you are. You are struck by her beauty, grace, and charm. Whenever you see her, your heart beats a little faster. You feel very protective of her. Your love is not driven by a hormone-fueled lust, for you are a grown man with a grown man’s sensibilities and a grown man’s responsibilities.
You are convinced that not only would she be a very loving, caring, and faithful wife, she would also be a sweet, kind, nurturing mother to your children—the children that would bear your name and carry that name forward into another generation.
You follow all the appropriate Jewish customs. You speak with her father. You present evidence of your reliability and financial stability. You speak kindly to her and spend time with her, always in the presence of an appropriate chaperone. Eventually, you win her hand and she agrees to become betrothed, or engaged to be your wife.
You are the happiest man alive. At least, that’s how you feel. Your heart is so full of love for this wonderful young woman that you can hardly contain yourself. You look forward to your wedding day.
Then, lightning strikes. The Gospel of Matthew contains a description of that “lightning bolt” in Matthew 1:18-25:
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. 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.
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. 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.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Joseph of Nazareth discovers that his betrothed is pregnant. How could this be? How could she possibly have surrendered to another man, lost her cherished virginity, and become pregnant?
Joseph’s heart began to turn to stone. But wait! An angel comes to Joseph in a dream and reveals that Mary has not surrendered her virginity. She is still a virgin. She is pregnant because the power of the Holy Spirit has overshadowed her. Now she is carrying a baby boy. And, that baby boy is the Savior of the World, God’s one and only Son.
Here again, as we saw illustrated in Mary’s behavior—and as we considered it over the last few days—we see amazing obedience to the perfect will of God. Joseph surrenders his selfish human will and chooses to obey God.
He will bear the price of whatever shame may fall on him. And, he will be the man who nurtures this young boy into manhood. He will teach him carpentry. He will teach him the ways of the world. And, he will always look at his first-born son with great awe because he will know that he is looking at his Messiah, his Savior, his Lord, and his King.
In this new day, may the obedience of Joseph of Nazareth be our portion. May we be energized by Joseph’s example of obedience. And, may we experience the joy he felt, as he followed the pathway God had laid out before him.
Based on a blog originally posted on Wednesday, December 21, 2016
