Joseph Took Mary Home as His Wife
Today’s Passage: Matthew 1:20–25
Focus Verse: When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. (Matthew 1:24)
Learning of Mary’s unexpected pregnancy, Joseph intends to privately end their engagement. As he mulls over the best way to do this, he has a dream. As he sleeps, an angel comes to him with a message from God.
First, the angel addresses him as Joseph, son of David. It’s easy to rush by this label, but just a few verses before this passage, Matthew names Joseph’s father as Jacob.
The angel’s reference to the son of David alludes to King David, a distant ancestor of Joseph. Calling him the son of David reminds Joseph of the promises God made to that king.
One pledge is that his descendants would rule forever in a kingdom that will never end (2 Samuel 7:16). Joseph is part of this royal line, as will be his offspring, including Jesus as his stepson.
Next, the angel tells Joseph to not worry about taking Mary as his wife. The life inside her was indeed conceived by the Holy Spirit, a spiritual act and not a physical one through Mary’s infidelity.
Though Mary has already told him these facts—as unbelievable as they seemed—hearing the angel’s confirmation corroborates her story. How relieved this must make Joseph, knowing that she did no wrong and her virtue is still intact.
The angel then says she will give birth to a son, and they are to name him Jesus. These are the same two pieces of information that the angel Gabriel had already given to Mary, further confirming the accuracy of what Mary had told her fiancé.
Jesus, the angel tells Joseph, will save the people from their sins. In contrast, Gabriel had told Mary that Jesus will reign forever in a never-ending kingdom. These two proclamations are not, however, in contradiction to each other.
To save all people, Jesus will die for their sins and rise from the grave to show his mastery over death. Then he will assume his rule forever. Jesus’s saving act provides for his eternal kingdom.
When Joseph wakes up from his dream, he does as the angel commanded. He takes Mary into his home as his wife. But to keep her virgin status intact, they remain celibate until after Jesus is born.
Questions:
How does God speak to us?
When he tells us to do something, do we obey?
Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for coming to earth to save us and establishing your rule in a kingdom that never ends.
[This devotional is taken from the December 17 reading from The Advent of Jesus.]
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Peter DeHaan writes about biblical Christianity to confront a status quo faith and live a life that matters. He seeks a fresh approach to following Jesus through the lens of Scripture, without the baggage of made-up traditions and meaningless practices.
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