18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” 22 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Of all the persons Matthew mentions in his accounts of Mary’s conception and the birth of Jesus, Joseph is the one least talked about. Yet, it was he who’s lineage was directly from King David. Moreover, we hear about a man who is decent to the core. In today’s thinking, he would be erased from the Bible and his name removed from history – what a cold-hearted patriarch! He was going to ‘generously’ send Mary away in secret!?
Considering the culture of the day, though, sending Mary away was indeed a kind and generous thing to do! Mary would have been called a whore and Joseph a man with a whore. That they weren’t even married at the time didn’t make much of a difference. Betrothed was the same as being married. For Joseph to clear his name, he would have been expected to deliver her to be stoned for what she must have done!
Not Joseph, though! After the angel appeared to him in a dream, he did what the angel asked him to do, quietly and apparently without complaining. That means he was a man of faith, a good husband (to be) and (based on the picture we’re getting) a man who was quiet, strong and steady. A man who must have been a great Dad to Jesus!
The picture I get from Joseph and Mary: they were the perfect couple to raise Jesus.
For all of us who had less than perfect parents (or worse), this is a good time to look back and reconcile with them. Whether they’re still alive or have passed – search your hearts and lay down your anger, hurt and disappointment! Speak to them in your heart kindly and forgive them – realizing that they very likely had parents just like the ones they had become and that they very likely not only didn’t know any better but couldn’t have known any better!
Make up your mind to – from now on – honor them in your thoughts, your words and your actions!
Ephesians 6:2-3
2 Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth.
Honor your Father in heaven, who gave His only begotten Son so that you may live.
Prepare your hearts to celebrate the birth of Jesus!
Have A Blessed Day!