Matthew 1:20-21 (NIVUK)
20 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. 21 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.’
We looked at the significance of Jesus’ name, and other names mentioned in looking forward to his birth such as David, a couple of Sunday’s ago. What caught my attention reading this today is the importance of Joseph taking Mary home as his wife. Why was this so important? No doubt it would have made life a lot easier for Mary – it would have been hard to have been a single parent in that day, much more than now. Probably in that culture it would have made Jesus seem more credible as a religious leader – there were scandalous rumours about his background even with Joseph about, it would have been worse if he wasn’t. I can’t help but wonder if part of it was that Jesus had to learn what faithfulness looked like, and Joseph’s faithfulness to Mary was a great way for this to happen.
Father, help us to learn what faithfulness looks like so that we may appreciate yours, and learn to show it in our lives too.
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