Day 5
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 1:18
Mary is three months pregnant when she returns from visiting her cousin Elizabeth, and her baby bump is starting to show. She needs to tell Joseph, even if it risks her life.
Imagine Joseph’s devastation and confusion when he learns Mary is expecting, and he knows he is not the father. He had an incomprehensible decision to make.
As a man who followed Jewish law, he knew that divorcing Mary publicly would cause her to be disgraced and possibly stoned to death for adultery. And while Joseph would have been familiar with Old Testament prophecies, it had likely never crossed his mind that HIS future wife would be the virgin giving birth to the coming Messiah. But God sent this sign to Joseph:
...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 of 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. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”
Matthew 1:20-25
Consider
- What do these passages teach you about God’s character?
- What are some areas in your life that you are trying to control and should trust God to control instead? How can you grow your trust in God?