You know, I just don’t think it’s fair… when we consider the Christmas story of the birth of Jesus — Joseph just doesn’t seem to get enough credit. I mean the shepherds… they have a highlighted role in the Christmas story. They heard from angels and were the first people to worship the new born Messiah. The Magi get all the credit in the world… these guys didn’t bring a balloon bouquet and a teddy bear as gifts for Jesus… they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh (talk about over achievers). Mary is prominent for the virgin birth. And Gabriel? He has the ultimate mic drop when he tells Zachariah, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God…” How about THAT for an introduction?
Joseph was a real stand-up guy. Matthew writes, “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.” Matthew 1:18-19 NIV
Do you think? As Joseph waits for the wedding day according to the betrothal customs of his people, he finds out his bride to be is…. pregnant. Most people would consider that there were two possible scenarios: 1) Joseph dishonored Mary by getting her pregnant before her wedding, or 2) Mary dishonored Joseph by being with another man before their wedding. Now think about it… neither is a great look for Joseph. A natural reaction would be to tell everyone he knew that Mary had cheated on him, but instead; Joseph decides to sever the betrothal quietly, because he didn’t want MARY to be humiliated. Yeah… a real stand-up guy.
BUT THEN… an angel appears to him in a dream and tells him, “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…” Matthew 1:20-21 NIV So what does Joseph do? “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” Matthew 1:24 NIV Joseph! I LOVE this guy! Just how many people do you think actually BELIEVED that Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit? I’m guessing it wasn’t very many at the time!
I really admire some things about Joseph. First, he was more concerned about Mary and her life than he was about his own reputation. He truly did consider her needs over his own embarrassment. I love how Jospeh demonstrated that he was Mary’s protector, even when he first assumed that she had betrayed him. Secondly, I admire his obedience to God. When the angel told him to go ahead and marry Mary — he did just that. God was asking Joseph to ignore the whispers of the neighbors about Mary’s pregnancy and to be the earthly father of the Messiah. And thirdly, I admire how Joseph trusted that God’s plans are best. He had no idea how things were going to play out in his life with Jesus, but he had faith that God knew best.
So, can we give a bit of a shout-out to Joseph this Christmas season? Because, it sure seems to me that God chose well who would be the earthly father of His Son.
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