Joseph Accepts Jesus as His Son
18 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. 19 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.
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, 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" (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.
As we continue to look at Joseph, we find this statement, Because Joseph was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. I pointed out Sunday one of the premier attributes of Joseph was his exceptional compassion; his deep sensitivity to the needs of Mary.
You have to understand that Joseph initially doesn't have any reason to believe that Mary is pregnant other than by unfaithfulness. Thus, believing her to be an adulterous, an unfaithful woman, he seeks to find a way to exemplify some caring while also honoring his religious heritage and tradition (wherein adultery is unforgivingly condemned and the female culprit often stoned). He is torn between adherence to all that he has known to be true and right and the pull of compassion on his heart. When the Gospel says that "he had in mind to divorce her quietly", it is telling us that Joseph feels he has found a way to avoid public condemnation of Mary while being faithful to his own understanding of a man's role in these circumstances.
Our moral decisions rarely are cut and dried. There are principles by which we want and need to live as faithful followers of Christ and yet at times compassion pulls so deeply that we truly do feel torn emotionally and spiritually. None of us can tell another person what the right thing to do is in the midst of moral complexities but we all can say that compassion, sensitivity must never be absent when our decisions are made. I've often said that one can be right on a matter of serious doctrine and principle and yet at the same time be wrong when the tone or spirit with which one takes his/her stand is unforgiving, intolerant, condemning.
Joseph was indeed a good and righteous man!
A Special Opportunity - The Advent Prayer Stations, December 18-25
Beginning this Sunday and continuing to Christmas Day are the Advent Prayer Stations in the Mike Wilson Fellowship Hall. There are seven stations that move through the Christmas story from the angel visiting Mary through the wise men visiting the Christ child. Each station is designed to cause us to think of the story in a new way. The stations are also designed to be fairly interactive, and families are encouraged to experience them together.
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