Tuesday, December 23, 1997
Tuesday, December 23, 1997I'm sure that Mary and Joseph were excited about getting married. We can imagine Joseph inventing carpentry errands that took him by Mary's house. We can picture Mary making a wide detour with her water jar on the way to the well and walking ever so slowly past Joseph's shop. Joseph must have been happy. Mary would soon become his wife.
Then one day everything changed. Mary wanted to speak with Joseph. She told him about an angel who told her that she would have a child who will "be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High." (Luke 1:32) Matthew tells us that Joseph was a "righteous man" but he was having a hard time believing Mary's story.
Joseph had two choices: he could set the wedding date sooner and hope people had lost track of time, or he could divorce her. Mary was in danger. If anyone found out that she was pregnant she would be stoned to death. Matthew tells us that his decision was to quietly divorce her.
Joseph, however, was a "righteous man" and God intervened. As Joseph was sleeping, an angel from God spoke to him, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife... for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit." The angel told Joseph that he had the responsibility of naming the child Jesus, "for he will save his people from their sins." Joseph was faithful to God's call. and, as the say, the rest is history.
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