The gospel of Matthew gives us a glimpse into the experience that Joseph went through in being engaged to Mary.
“Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
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. 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.”
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet. “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”). When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” – Matthew 1:18b-24
In those days, a Jewish marriage involved three steps. First, the two families would agree upon the union. Then a public announcement was made acknowledging the pair that were now engaged. And lastly, the couple would get married and begin living together. While these customs are very different from what we are used to or hear about today, the covenant relationship that they entered into began at the engagement stage. In Judaism, the betrothal meant that the two were now in a legally binding relationship. And while in the “engaged” stage they were not married or having sexual relations, they were considered husband and wife.
Can you imagine how Joseph must’ve felt receiving the news about Mary initially? Joseph was pledged to be married to her, and then a shockwave of the news that she was pregnant must’ve felt like a punch to the gut. Joseph had every right to call off the wedding, and according to the law, it wouldn’t have been a great outcome for Mary. She could have been put to death due to the apparent unfaithfulness.
We’re told that Joseph didn’t want to expose her to public disgrace and had planned to “…divorce her quietly”. This shows us a lot about his character. Makes you wonder if he was struggling to believe that she indeed was telling the truth about the Holy Spirit.
And then it happened… Joseph had an encounter with the angel of the Lord. And everything changed.
While we may not have an encounter with an angel like Joseph did, we all have the chance to respond to the message of God that’s been sent to each one of us. Every person who hears the Good News of Jesus, and what He’s done for them, has the opportunity to be changed by it.
Joseph took the task upon him of what The LORD was asking him to do and followed through in obedience by marrying Mary. His life was about to change, drastically. His plans were about to change, in ways he couldn’t have imagined - it wasn’t what he signed up for. Likely to be mocked in the community. Possibly being overwhelmed by insecurity at times, that he was responsible for teaching and raising the Son of God – God with us. But Joseph’s encounter with the presence of God confirmed in him that God had a plan and purpose unique to his life, and he chose to follow God’s leading, one step at a time…despite the drastic change to his own plans.
God has a specific plan and purpose for our lives too – it’s up to us to follow one step at a time!
Opmerkingen