When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
There is something about the experience of Joseph that is paradigmatic. We see a circumstance that the world assumes to be one thing, in his case a woman conceiving out of wedlock, but are asked to trust that it is something else.
Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
When we trust the angel, when we believe Jesus is more than the world believes him to be, we will still face the ridicule of the world. The world does not and cannot believe that a virgin could be with child. And so, like Joseph, we must be willing to sacrifice our reputation for the sake of this virgin and her son.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.
Joseph was receptive to the angel's message and chose to trust him. He found true strength in obeying the revelation he was given. We would probably second guess anything with such inauspicious beginnings. Wouldn't God make himself more manifest? Or if not, wouldn't he at least come in a hidden way that did would not be a cause of dishonor for those who would first receive him? But his ways, clearly, are not our ways.
God's plan never had much regard for the expectations or interpretations that seemed obvious, that were the default ways of thinking for the world. He had already provided a word by which his people could understand and hope for what he would finally accomplish in the birth of Jesus.
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel
Why leave himself at the center of so much misunderstanding? He gave those who heard a choice about what they would believe. It was not a birth that merely went under the radar. But neither was it a birth that was obviously miraculous to bystanders. It was a birth the full significance of which could only be grasped by revelation. And the hope of that revelation had already been prepared. It was meant to be cherished by his people, to raise their hopes for what he would finally accomplish.
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel
This prophecy can help us to raise our hopes this Christmas. We live in a world where Jesus is still misunderstood and ridiculed. Sometimes we ourselves are among those who take the worldly view of things and fail to trust. But our hearts nevertheless cry out for the one whose name means "God is with us". Nothing else will satisfy us. May he send angels to all of us to open our hearts and prepare us for Jesus whose very name reveals him as our savior.
We are called to welcome a king who still doesn't look all that much like a king to the world. We are called to trust that his governance is wise and right when the world may believe it to be hateful. Yet despite these appearances he is a king whose reign is mercy and justice. May all hearts be given the grace of Joseph to welcome so great a gift.
when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;
As king he shall reign and govern wisely,
he shall do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah shall be saved,
Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name they give him:
“The LORD our justice.”
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