Matthew 1:18-25

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, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous 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.

It is not clear whether Joseph knew about the baby before, or only after, Mary had visited Elizabeth. Which do you think is more likely?

1. Mary visited Elizabeth within a few days of hearing the news from the angel. Was she even aware that she was pregnant straight away? Certainly it would not have been visible.

   1. If she told Joseph at this stage is shows enormous faith. With no other evidence, she must have believed sufficiently to have risked rejection. Surely she would not have announced that she was pregnant without being absolutely sure.

2. But could she have stayed away for three months keeping this secret from Joseph? Would she not have been feeling that she was betraying him, keeping him in the dark? Or was that why she needed time and the counsel of her older relative?

If Mary's response had been remarkable, Joseph's is equally remarkable. We could understand him being enormously upset. His betrothed had, apparently, been unfaithful. Was there any other explanation?

For Joseph it was not just a case of personal betrayal and rejection. He was a righteous man. She had sinned. There were consequences. The law said that she should be stoned.

But Joseph was also compassionate. He was righteous in the sense of doing the right thing. The right thing was to break the engagement but also preserve her life and her dignity.

To righteousness and compassion we must add faith. When the situation was explained by the angel, incredible as it must have sounded, Joseph believed it. He believed it to the extent that, the very next morning, he married her.

He was also courageous. Others would not believe so readily. Both he and she would be subjected to contempt and criticism. Joseph submitted himself to that for the sake of obedience. God had explained the situation and had said, "Marry her."

For Reflection

1. Can you think of a situation you experienced when you knew the truth but no one else believed it? How did you cope with the scorn of others?

2. Is there a situation now in which God is calling you to courageous obedience? How will you respond?

Two names were given to Jesus in today's passage. Can you see what they are? We are told the meaning of one but what does the other mean? Can you research it?

Lord, please help me to show Joseph-like righteousness, compassion, courage and faith.

In Jesus' name, amen.