Advent - Day 9

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 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 1:18-25 ESV).

When Matthew moves from the genealogy to the birth of Jesus it is almost anticlimactic. He recounts the nine months between Gabriel’s announcement and the birth with the use of one event between another heavenly messenger and Joseph. I can imagine that Joseph, like any young man would have been very busy preparing for the wedding. He must have been full of anticipation and joy at the coming culmination of the long process of courtship with this woman whom he obviously loved greatly. However, when Mary became pregnant with Jesus, it was surely a terrible shock to Joseph. Though he and Mary were betrothed, meaning they had given public and binding vows to each other, they had not yet lived together as man and wife. The only logical conclusion Joseph could reach was that Mary was pregnant by another man. For him, he could only come to the conclusion that she had deeply betrayed and rejected him. Yet his love for her prevailed. Remember that adultery was punishable with death by stoning under the Mosaic law. He was a “just man” (v. 19) indicating that he followed and respected the Law. However, he did not want to subject Mary to derision, judgment, and possible death. His decision therefore became to “divorce her quietly.” Joseph intended to dissolve their union with as little legal involvement as possible. It’s clear that he had no desire to see her publicly humiliated or put to death for what he believed to be her transgression. It is at this point that he lays down for a bit of rest, which must have been difficult to attain during this time of stress and anxiety. And, then God breaks into his world with a wonderful message that is so urgently needed in our world today. The angel, or perhaps the preincarnate Christ, comes to him and says, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. It is a message of forgiveness and mercy. He is to marry her, not to avoid difficulty; it would still be difficult. He is to forgive her and finalize the marriage because God was in control. This child “is from the Holy Spirit.” Do you see it? Every hurt, all our disappointments and challenges are merely tools in the hands of the Holy Spirit to bring our good. That’s the basis of forgiveness. I wonder if there are wrings in your life that need that mercy this Christmas. Apply it! God is in control.