Like Mary, Joseph accepted God’s message

Whether because he told the story from a man’s point of view, or perhaps simply because his sources gave little information, Matthew wrote almost no details about Jesus’ actual birth. His short account didn’t even identify where the birth took place until after the fact (cf. Matthew 2:1). But he reported two key facts: despite his earlier reluctance, Joseph married the pregnant Mary. And he named her child “Jesus” (the Greek form of Joshua, which meant “God saves”), in keeping with the angelic direction in his dream.

• In Luke 1:38, Mary said, “I am the Lord’s servant. Let it be with me just as you have said.” In Matthew 1:24 we read that Joseph “did just as an angel from God commanded.” Luke 2:48-52 told of 12-year-old Jesus in the Temple. His worried parents asked why he was there, not traveling home with them. Jesus replied, “Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?” “My father’s house” clearly didn’t mean “Joseph’s house,” and the text implied that Joseph accepted that answer without protest. Neither Joseph or Mary could see it at the time, but today millions, perhaps billions of people worship during Advent because two humble Hebrew peasants listened, believed, and obeyed. What is God calling you to listen to, to believe, and then to do or be this Advent season?

The Journey: A Season of Reflections

Today’s Insights was chapter 13, “Joseph Did What the Lord Commanded,” from The Journey: A Season of Reflections, by Adam Hamilton. Copyright © 2011 by Abingdon Press, and available on our website for 24 hours by permission of Abingdon Press. If you’d like to buy the entire book of reflections, you can click here for a direct link to the Cokesbury sale page, as well as other Journey resources.