5 Days To Christmas | The Choice

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“The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:23-25)

You may be familiar with the next portion of the story. You’ve likely heard of the virgin Mary. It’s tempting to consider her as just another character in a story. But consider for a moment the real Mary.If you’ve heard the story of the birth of Jesus, it can be easy to breeze past Joseph and the enormity of the choice this young man had to make. Read above as Matthew, one of Jesus’s disciples, records the story of Joseph.

You may have a mental picture of Joseph as you read this passage. But the true image may not be as you envision. At that time, Jewish men married around age 18–20. Also, it may seem strange to hear that Joseph was thinking about divorcing Mary when they were engaged. At that time, many marriages were arranged through a betrothal. This was a promise to marry that could only be broken through a divorce, which would not have occurred without reason. Consider the predicament of young Joseph. The young woman who he has promised to marry is pregnant, and he knows that he is not the father. It’s hard for us to grasp the weight of the choice he had to make. He was likely weighing two options: 

He divorces Mary. The community would likely assume that she was unfaithful to him. This choice would likely result in shame for Mary and her child. 

He marries Mary. He would raise a child who was not his own. Lineage was everything in the Jewish culture. Additionally, the community around them would assume Joseph had gotten Mary pregnant before they were married. And based on the views of his culture at that time, this choice would likely result in shame for Joseph’s family.

We aren’t told how long Joseph weighed this choice before an angel appeared to him in a dream. But we do know what Joseph did when he awoke… he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  Joseph’s obedience came at a cost to him. There would always be whispers related to his family. There would be a cloud of shame that hung over his family’s name. 

Isn’t it interesting that the Savior of the World, Jesus, was born under a cloud of shame? God could have planned the story another way, but he didn’t. Perhaps it’s because this baby would someday become a man who would take away the shame of the world. Joseph’s choice became a chapter in the great story of our Savior, who would one day save his people from their sins.

Prayer for the Day

God what are you  showing me?  What am I going to do about it? 

God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?

Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.

Read The New Testament In A Year

4 x 6 Plan | Read: Acts 23:1-11 & Revelation 16:1-16