This is post #6 in the Christmas devotional “Christmas Joy.” Read more devotionals by Mel Lawrenz.
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. –Matthew 1:18-19
We know so little about Joseph. He is only mentioned in the birth and childhood stories of Jesus. He was named after an ancient patriarch who used his success in Egypt to save his family and a future nation. Joseph was a carpenter who lived in the town of Nazareth. His ancestors were from Bethlehem, so when a Roman ruler, Caesar Augustus, wanted a census, Joseph had to go back to Bethlehem, even though his wife was well along in her pregnancy.
The most important thing we know about Joseph is that when the time called, he displayed great faith and grace. He had found out that the woman he was engaged to be married to was pregnant. While Mary had the benefit of the an angel to explain her unique conception, Joseph had not been visited yet. All he had was Mary’s word. So what was that conversation like? No, she hadn’t slept with another man. Yes, she was pregnant. And yes, a spiritual being had told her that she would conceive by a unique act of God—and as though that wasn’t enough—the child in her womb would be the Savior of the world.
Why did Joseph believe her? Why did he change his first plans to quietly divorce her so as not to expose her to public shame? (Engagements were so serious then, to break one off amounted to a divorce.) Why did he choose instead to take her as his wife—and then abstain from sexual relations with her until the birth of the child? If you were in his shoes, would you have believed Mary?
Here is something for all of us to think about at Christmas. Think of Joseph. Think of him looking into Mary’s eyes, hearing her account, knowing in his heart of hearts it was true, and having the courage to act on that faith, even though he may have had doubts. As nonsensical as it seemed, he believed it. As much as the idea of a virginal conception violates both logic and science (even the rudimentary science of millennia ago), he knew it was possible with God. As risky as it was to stay with Mary and be branded by others as the hapless dupe of an immoral woman, Joseph decided to take that leap of faith.
That is true faith. It wasn’t just that he trusted Mary; he trusted God. That God could; that God might; that God would.
Learn how to form a “circle of influence.”
Prayer for today:
God, give me Joseph’s courage and iron-strong faith. Give me faith to believe that, at the birth of Jesus, you really did enter this world—my world—and you are still working powerfully in it.
This Night in Bethlehem
by
Debbie Binnie
The streets are alive
this night in Bethlehem,
congested as they are with man and beast
searching for roof, for rest.
Come, as they must, to obey
this taxing Caesar, this little god
who cares nothing for them.
Comes the fullness of time
In this unquiet night;
Joseph pleads his case
and wins a place with the animals
who start and stir with heavy hoof.
Quiet Mary, favored of God,
yet daughter of Eve,
bears a son not silently
this night in Bethlehem.
In exotic lands, untouched by Caesar,
wise men gesture, stammer
question in heightened whispers
What this strange starlight means.
From far and near
opened ears attend
to sounds of hope
to forgotten promises brought to mind.
(Other ears hear only Caesar,
and then as now
are deaf to Heaven.)
So clamorous this heaven
so full the sky
with rustling, potent, brilliant hosts,
that shepherds’ blood
runs cold with fear
then warms to wonder with words
of peace and of a road to Heaven
leading first to a manger in Bethlehem.
Even now their clarion carol
echoes in our ears.
Above the clamor of our own unquiet night,
above the din
of our getting and selling
above the babel
of our many gods
who care nothing for us,
comes the voice of One who does—
urgent, sweet, persistent, clear
calling us to Him, with them
to his old rugged cradle
to his yet unpierced side
to our knees bent at last
this night in Bethlehem.
Thank you, Debbie, for writing and sharing this thoughtful poem!
But, Joseph was told. The very next verses tell us, “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. 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.’”
That’s not to say that Joseph didn’t display amazing faith; he did. But Joseph was told by the Lord that Jesus was God’s child.