Matthew 1:18-25 (New Living Translation)
The Birth of Jesus the Messiah
18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. 20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:
23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’”
24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.
Joseph was faced with a potentially immoral and shameful situation. His first response was to use the Jewish Law and take the legal way out. No one would have blamed him.
Then God intervened. Joseph listened.
When confronted with a choice to go with the legal loophole or act with love and compassion, he did the right thing. That took courage.
We don’t hear much about Joseph for the rest of his life, a small note here or there only. He lived quietly the rest of his life with a son who loved him all the more for his courage to obey God and follow his heart. He lived the rest of his life in the shadow of Jesus . . . the son he nurtured and helped bring to adulthood.
Here was a humble man who, at the most crucial time, showed great courage. I wish I was more like Joseph.
