Matthew 1:18 “This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[d]: 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[e] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
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,[f] because he will save his people from their sins.”
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”[g] (which means “God with us”).
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.”
The scandal had given the gossips of Nazareth something to talk about for days! They didn’t notice anything when Mary left for the hill country to visit her cousin Elizabeth, but when she came back, it was obvious that Mary was at least six months pregnant!
“Mary? Pregnant? Oh, and I always thought Anne was such a good mother and that Mary was so virtuous!” “Huh! That Mary is really a looker! Guess Joseph just couldn’t wait!” The vicious remarks were everywhere. If Mary went to collect water, her friends tittered at her, and the old women gave her angry glances. As Joseph was working in his carpenter’s shop, his buddies who passed by made crude remarks. But things could have been far worse. Deuteronomy 22:23 – 24 ordered that if a virgin was raped in town, both she and the young man should be stoned – he for the rape and she for not crying out. But if a couple were betrothed as were Mary and Joseph, and the woman became pregnant, they were considered to have consummated the marriage early. There would be no grand celebrations, no processions through the streets with laughing, singing friends. There would be no thrilling marriage feast with lots of wine. But the couple would be treated as having already married.
This was NOT what Joseph had imagined when he became betrothed to Mary! He had been eagerly anticipating their marriage celebrations and the joys of sexual intimacy. Mary was a lovely young lady, beautiful both inside and out, and Joseph couldn’t wait to make her his wife. But not like this! Never like this! What was Joseph going to do? This question burned in his brain day and night; it was becoming difficult for him to eat, to sleep, or even to work. One night, after Joseph had been wrestling with this problem for hours, he fell into an uneasy sleep. And it was at this point that God sent an angel to reassure Joseph.
Many times, all the emphasis seems to be on Mary. But according to Matthew’s account, Joseph was a very devout and caring man, who found himself in a hard situation. Joseph had done nothing wrong; yet, he had to bear the burden of public ridicule. And anybody who has lived in a small town can tell you that a juicy story such as this one doesn’t die out within a few days or weeks. No! For years afterward, small – minded vicious people will be telling and re – telling the story, adding more gory details every time they do so. And yet, because of what the angel told Joseph, he did the difficult but honorable thing. Joseph quietly took Mary as his wife as if he, Joseph, had fathered this child. It wasn’t fair at all to Joseph, but because Joseph also had faith, he believed what the Angel had told him, and he acted accordingly.
Perhaps today you are an innocent person stuck in a situation not of your own making. Somebody you trusted has let you down, and now you don’t know what to do. If you save yourself and throw this other person under the bus, this other person may suffer terribly. And you can’t really be sure of all the facts. What should you do?
The Bible tells us that God is no respecter of persons. (Acts 10:34) This means that God doesn’t play favorites. Many times, we may have to endure trying situations, but the same God who strengthened and encouraged Joseph so that he was able to withstand public ridicule and shelter Mary can also strengthen and encourage you.
PRAYER: Father, today many of us are stuck in bad situations that are not of our making. We have been trying to do the right thing, but now we are still facing criticism and ridicule. We don’t know what to do or which way to turn. But Lord, you are the same God who strengthened and encouraged Joseph so that he was able to care for Mary. You honored Joseph by making him the earthly father of Jesus. Lord, please give us grace and courage so that we can do the right thing, and the wisdom to know which path to take. In the mighty and precious Name of Jesus. Amen.
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