Joseph’s
Reassuring Dream
Matthew 1:18–25
18The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, before
they came together, she was found to be
with child† by the Holy Spirit. 19So Joseph, her
husband, being a righteous man, and not wanting to disgrace her publicly,
decided to divorce her secretly.
20But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord
suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be
afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. 21She
will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save
His people from their sins.”
22Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through
the prophet: 23“See, the virgin will be with child and give birth to
a son, and they will name Him Immanuel,” which is translated “God is with us.”
24When Joseph woke up from
his sleep, he did as the Lord’s angel
had commanded† him. He took his wife home, 25but he
did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him
Jesus.[1]
These are the facts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her fiancé, being a man of stern principle, decided to break the engagement but to do it quietly, as he didn't want to publicly disgrace her.
As he lay awake considering this, he fell into a dream, and saw an angel standing beside him. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "don't hesitate to take Mary as your wife! For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus (meaning 'Savior'), for he will save his people from their sins. This will fulfill God's message through his prophets—'Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and he shall be called "Emmanuel" (meaning "God is with us").'"
When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel commanded and brought Mary home to be his wife, but she remained a virgin until her Son was born; and Joseph named him "Jesus."
- God is
... What do we learn about God in this passage?
- We are
... What do we learn about people in this passage?
- I will ...
What has the Holy Spirit revealed to us in this passage? How will I
- You can
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Why is the Virgin Birth important to the Christian faith? Jesus Christ, God's Son, had to be free from the sinful nature passed on to all other human beings by Adam. Because Jesus was born of a woman, he was a human being; but as the Son of God, Jesus was born without any trace of human sin. Jesus is both fully human and fully divine.
Because Jesus lived as a man, we know that he fully understands our experiences and struggles (Hebrews 4:15-16). Because he is God, he has the power and authority to deliver us from sin (Colossians 2:13-15). We can tell Jesus all our thoughts, feelings, and needs. He has been where we are now, and he has the ability to help.
An engaged couple in our culture may call off a wedding at any time. But for the Jews, engagement was more permanent and could be broken only through death or divorce (even though sexual relations were not yet permitted). Because Mary and Joseph were engaged, Mary's apparent unfaithfulness carried a severe social stigma. According to Jewish civil law, Joseph had a right to divorce her, and the Jewish authorities could have had her stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:23-24).
A Change of Plans
Perhaps Joseph thought he had only two options: divorce Mary quietly, or have her stoned. But God had a third option—marry her. In view of the circumstances, this had not occurred to Joseph. But God often shows us that there are more options available than we think. Joseph changed his plans quickly after learning that Mary had not been unfaithful to him. He obeyed God and proceeded with the marriage plans. Although others may have disapproved of his decision, Joseph went ahead with what he knew was right. Sometimes we avoid doing what is right because of what others might think. Like Joseph, we must choose to obey God rather than seek the approval of others.
The angel declared to Joseph that Mary's child was conceived by the Holy Spirit and would be a son. This reveals an important truth about Jesus—he is both God and human. The infinite, unlimited God took on the limitations of humanity so he could live and die for the salvation of all who would believe in him.
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