Here’s how the Bible describes some of the circumstances surrounding Jesus’ birth:
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:18-21)
Have you ever wondered what was going through Joseph’s head when he heard all this for the first time? Perhaps, being a good Jew, his mind raced to the Old Testament passage of Deuteronomy 23:2 which states:
“One of illegitimate birth shall not enter the assembly of the LORD; even to the tenth generation none of his descendants shall enter the assembly of the LORD.
It was no small thing for Joseph to take Mary as wife. He risked having his descendants excluded from the assembly for 10 generations! God was asking him to step out in faith and trust Him. Joseph’s character is seen in the fact that he acted in faith and obeyed.
He was addresses as “Joseph, son of David.” (v. 20) Do you think he got that a lot? How often was this common carpenter linked to the greatest king Israel ever had? While it’s true that David was his biological ancestor, such a link was probably not often associated with him. There was no royalty, no crown, no obvious link to the throne.
The angel had interrupted Joseph’s contemplation of ‘hushing up’ the whole issue of Mary’s pregnancy. He sought to ‘put her away secretly’ and not make her a ‘public example.’ While we applaud Joseph’s intent, and understand that his motives were honorable (he was a ‘just man’) we find that not only was God’s intent that he should go ahead with marrying Mary, but that this birth would be the most public event in human history. There would be no privacy, no secrets, no dodging the public eye. This birth was going to be angelically announced. And the baby would grow to be a man whose birth would always be shrouded in doubt and suspicion (see John 8:41). But the message to Joseph was clear: “Don’t be afraid”
What is it that God is calling you to do today? Is there a temptation, no matter how noble, to take the path of least resistance in your life and avoid a decision that could be misunderstood or hard to explain? Is there a fear of what might happen if…?
Take a lesson from Joseph. Though the results of obedience may be difficult, the consequences of disobedience are even more so. As a Christian, I am also the son of a King, and the message to me is the same, “Do not fear.”
That’s the wonder of Christmas.