Belonging - Week 2

Daily Scripture Readings

Monday          Isaiah 7:1-9

Tuesday         Isaiah 7:10-17

Wednesday   Isaiah 9:1-7

Thursday       Isaiah 11:1-9

Friday             Isaiah 53:1-12

Saturday        Luke 1:46-55

Opening Prayer

Lord Jesus, remind us that You belong to the whole story the prophets and we belong to You.  AMEN

READING:

The point of Matthew 1:18–25 is to tell how “the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way,” that is, in the way described in the rest of the passage. We will come to the highlights of this passage by focusing on its details through the eyes of Joseph.

Joseph came from the line of David, as did his fiancé Mary. Though they had royal blood, they were not rich, and Joseph would provide for his family by being a carpenter. We do not see much of Joseph later in the Gospels, probably because he passed away, likely because he was older than Mary, which was customary in their day.

We find Joseph and Mary “betrothed,” which means they virtually saw one another as man and wife, though they were not yet officially so and would not have physical relations until marriage. However, for a brief amount of time, Joseph planned to “divorce her quietly,” “unwilling to put her to shame” because he was a “just man.” Mary was pregnant, which led Joseph to a logical but incorrect conclusion— he thought Mary had been unfaithful to him and had become pregnant as a result. If Mary truly had been unfaithful, such an act could have been punishable by stoning, which would have been shameful for both her and her family. Joseph planned to avoid this shame for her, quietly dissolve the betrothal, and move on in life.

We can imagine that Joseph was probably heartbroken and undergoing somewhat of a psychological crisis. Mary seemed to have been unfaithful, and all of his plans for their future together had been shattered. Sometimes, however, God brings about or even at least promises great blessing in the midst of suffering. As Joseph slept, an angel came to him in a dream and delivered a message from God that completely changed his outlook for the days ahead.

David Huffstutler