Matthew 1:24-25 (NIVUK)
24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
After today’s verses, we only come across Joseph one more time, when in the next chapter he is warned to flee to Egypt with Mary and Joseph and so evade the clutches of Herod. His absence in the story is conspicuous. Why is this? Did he have little to do with Jesus? Was he an absent father? Did he leave all the work to Mary? Having seen something of his faithful and gentle character this week, I can’t believe that. My gut feeling is that Josephs fades into the background of Matthew’s story to make room for God’s activity, to save any confusion over who Jesus’ father is, that he is of divine origin.
Spirit, help me to live for God, and in doing so step aside to make room for him to be seen and glorified.
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