For the first 3 weeks of December as we approach the time when we particularly remember the birth of Jesus Christ we will be considering verses from Matthew.
I am then hoping to take a break from posting over Christmas and New Year but in 2023 anticipate returning to Job, alternating with Matthew every other week, God Willing.
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Matthew 1
In the first section of this chapter Matthew records a long list of names. These trace back the ancestry of Jesus through his earthly legal father, Joseph, to King David and to Abraham.
Matthew is demonstrating how Jesus fulfills the promises of a Jewish Messiah through the royal line of David and how he fulfills the covenant promises made to Abraham.
The second section begins the account of Jesus' birth, commencing at the time when his legal father Joseph has found out that his fiance, Mary, is expecting a child.
We are told that Mary's pregnancy occurs before she and Joseph have consummated their marriage, and is by the Holy Ghost - or Spirit.
Whilst thinking about secretly divorcing Mary, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream telling him not to worry about marrying Mary and confirming that her pregnancy is by the Holy Ghost.
The angel tells Joseph the baby's name is to be Jesus and explains the reason for this - that he will 'save his people from their sins'.
Matthew then illustrates how this fulfills earlier prophecies that a virgin would have a baby son called Emmanuel, meaning 'God with us'.
On waking from his dream, Joseph obeys the angel in taking Mary as his wife, but does not consummate the marriage until after Jesus is born.
Before even reading this chapter this morning, whilst getting up and thinking about reading and reflecting on it it immediately came into my thoughts to write about Joseph's obedience.
Some of us are so used to reading these accounts of Jesus' birth that we become over familiar with them and perhaps lose sight of the wonder of them and other aspects of faith which they illustrate.
But in recent weeks my own thoughts have been brought to reconsider these events through preaching from North Road Chapel, Devon, and today I have been reminded of this.
Joseph, in verse 20, is instructed by the angel, 'Fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost'.
In verse 24 we then read, 'Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel ...had bidden him, and took unto him his wife'.
We might ask, why was Joseph fearful? Was it not a wonderful thing that Mary had conceived a baby by the Holy Ghost?!
Well, firstly, Joseph must have been puzzled. He had no doubt got to know Mary to some degree - and perhaps thought that not only was her pregnancy out of character, but that her claims of being with child from the Holy Ghost - a far fetched reason of the imagination, which was hardly likely - were even more out of character. It suggested that not only was Mary not to be trusted, but that she was unfaithful and a liar. What sort of start was that for their proposed marriage?
And yet no doubt Joseph was familiar with the prophecies contained in the scriptures, and did he wonder if it could really be happening through Mary? Or might he have thought that Mary was just using this well known prophecy as an excuse for her unfaithfulness?
He sounds a kind man - Matthew writes that he was 'a just man', or an upright man - and didn't want to make Mary a public spectacle - he didn't want to bring more shame on her than was necessary, but must have considered marriage to her now out of the question so was thinking of secretly putting her away - which means to divorce her.
(My study Bible informs us that in the Jewish culture being espoused or betrothed to be married was as legally binding as actually being married - although the marriage wasn't consummated until after the actual marriage. On 'becoming engaged' vows - or promises were made to each other, and a divorce was required to break them).
And then Joseph has a visit from an angel of the Lord telling him not to fear taking Mary to be his wife, she really was with child by the the Holy Ghost.
Until recently I had never really thought quite what this meant - for Mary to have been pregnant before her marriage and to now still be marrying Joseph would suggest to other people, that they had both been involved in the conception - that it really was Joseph's baby. The scandal of this might not impact us as it should in our modern culture.
Today we are so used to hearing of couples co-habiting before marriage - and often not even marrying - and it is virtually deemed normal for sexual relations to occur outside of marriage and with different people.
But this behaviour is still regarded as a terrible sin in God's eyes. This sin is so great, that in the Old Testament, we read that it was punishable by death through stoning (Deuteronomy 22:23,24).
Dear reader, if you are not a born again christian and you have sinned in this way - if your sins are not covered by the sacrificial life and death of Jesus - you will be called before God after your death to give account for them, and you will be punished by eternal death.
We need to confess these sins and ask for godly repentance to turn from them. The tempter is so deceitful in this area - people will entice you with words saying, 'it is quite normal', 'everybody does it', 'it is just an expression of love', 'how can you know you will be compatible if you don't', and so forth.
And if we are born again and trust that Jesus is our Saviour, let us confess anew any unconfessed sins in this area, and let us pray fervently to be kept from them, avoiding situations which create opportunities for temptation.
But to return to Joseph...here he was, with all the scandal and serious nature of what people would think he and Mary had done, the strain this could put on his marriage, coupled with fears he might have regarding whether Mary was to be trusted, and now an angel from God had not only told him he should still marry her and not be fearful, but also of the wonderful truth that Mary was carrying the Son of God, the Saviour of sinners in her womb!
What did Joseph do?
Take a little time further to think about it? Weigh up all the pros and cons? Ask for further signs?
No - on waking from his sleep he did as he was told and took Mary for his wife!
Dear friend, what path are you and I in today? Have we with much prayer taken steps in a certain situation, and now feel too fearful to continue?
Do we wonder if we have mistaken God's signs to us - something unexpected has happened - and we don't know what to do?
We may not have an angel of the Lord visiting us to explain the situation, but if we have prayed our way thus far, do you think the Lord will now abandon you and leave you to make a mess of it? To be made a public scandal and laughing stock? To have untruths and gossip spread about you?
Perhaps people will talk wrongly about you - perhaps this is the path that the Lord will have you go in, but if he is leading you, he says, 'Fear not'.
If he has intimated to us a way he will have us to walk in, let us obey him - without postponing it.
Let us continue to 'acknowledge him' and trust that 'he shall direct' our paths (Proverbs 3: 6).
Let us remember that 'the LORD is my shepherd' (Psalm 23:1), and pray and trust that 'he leadeth' me - and may we be enabled to follow him, resting in the knowledge that he will work it all out for us, and to his glory.
May God bless you.
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Very helpful thoughts Ellie. Thank you.
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