Faithful, yet merciful

Faithful, yet merciful

Scripture:

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. 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. Matthew 1:18-20

Observation:

Following the genealogy of Jesus, Matthew now proceeds to describe the specifics concerning the birth of Jesus briefly. The first fact focuses on Jesus’ mother. She was a woman betrothed to a man called Joseph, but was found to be pregnant before the marriage. Those of us in the faith take for granted that her impregnation by the Holy Spirit is an undisputable fact after looking at the whole miraculous life of Jesus. However, imagine if you were there at that time and heard about this story. There is no way any of us would simply believe it to be true. Instead, most of us would be quick to condemn Mary as being sinful. What would the relatives and neighbors think about Jesus as he grew up? On the cross, our Lord endured our shame that we might receive His glory. Even from his mother’s womb, our Lord already had to endure unwarranted shame and judgment from others, and all for us.

The second fact in this passage focuses on the qualities of Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. He was faithful to the law, yet did not want to expose Mary to public disgrace. According to the law, Joseph had the right to publicly denounce Mary, even ask her to be stoned for adultery, but he was a different kind of man. Most enraged husbands to be would have taken the opportunity for revenge but Joseph lived under different principles, in fact, under higher principles that would only be expounded by Jesus Himself in the Sermon of the Mount. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Forgive. Love those who hate you. Joseph obeyed the law, yet he also showed mercy beyond the written law, a marvelous example for all of us to follow.

Right after establishing Joseph’s righteous character, Matthew moves on to tell us of Joseph’s encounter with the angel in a dream. In the dream, the angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary home as his wife because the child in her was from the Holy Spirit. Why would Joseph be afraid? Joseph could have been afraid of the disgrace accompanying marrying a pregnant woman. People would think he had committed immorality before formal marriage. Joseph could have been afraid to marry someone who was presumably impure or immoral and who may have affairs with other men. Joseph could have been afraid of leaving his inheritance to the son of another man. We could not begin to imagine how troubled Joseph must have been. But the angel from God settled all those fears – do not be afraid, there is a divine reason for this. Mary is pure. She is pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Joseph would have known about the prophecy of the virgin giving birth. All of a sudden, he realized that the situation had changed from tragic to truly divine.

Application: How amazing it is that not only did our Lord come down to earth as a mortal human, but even started to endure our rejection and shame from birth. Praise Him and worship Him for His great sacrifice for us, that He endured our shame that we might share in His glory.

Consider the deep qualities of Joseph, who not only followed the law but the spirit of the law, showing great mercy and gentleness. Pray too that we might learn to be like that, not to be judgmental and condemn, but forgiving and considerate of others, even if they may not deserve it. Praise God that He takes away our fears, and indeed, how He can instantly change a tragic situation into something truly divine.

Prayer: Praise You, Heavenly Lord Jesus, for Your great love for us. How great Your sacrifice was for us. Even from birth, You started suffering for us. Thank You, Lord, too for the example of Joseph. Let us be righteous like him, gentle and forgiving, not condemning and judgmental of others. Praise You, great Heavenly Father for You take away our fears. In all things I will ever trust in You. Even in darkness, You can bring light, and out of tragedy, something divine! In Jesus name, Amen.