“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream…” Matthew 1:20.
“But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream…” Matthew 1:20.
Here is the realization that no married person ever wants to come to – that my spouse is having an affair. Maybe this has been your experience. What a breach of trust! And now comes the massive question – what am I going to do about it? Forgive? Divorce? Require atonement?
This is a relationship wrecker today, but even more so in Joseph’s day. Once you became engaged to a person, you were legally married even though you did not become intimate or live together until the actual wedding day. This was Joseph and Mary – not intimate, but married as far as the community was concerned. And now she is pregnant – and not by him.
This would have been the worst experience of Joseph’s life. If it is true that he was a fair bit older than Mary, he must have second guessed himself. “Look at my wrinkles and my work worn hands – how ugly I must seem to her!” “What did I do wrong? How could I have not seen this coming? Who is the other person?” What about his reputation in this small community – either he can’t control his young wife’s passion – or he can’t control his own passion and now strings a yarn. He would be the object of pity and scorn in the small town of Nazareth.
Besides that, he was trying to live a godly life. Don’t you love Joseph for thinking about Mary and trying to decide how to lessen the blow for her? Is this what happens to a godly man?
How Joseph needed an encounter with the Lord at that critical juncture in his life. So much hung in the balance.
Mary had her own troubles. No doubt she had spoken to Joseph about her fidelity and the angelic visit – that the holy one was conceived of the Holy Spirit – that the Promised One would be born to her. Somehow God’s overarching plan entailed Joseph’s personal agony. How could he ever believe a story like this one unless he had a powerful encounter from God? An angelic visitation convinced him – an angel he was to meet multiple times in his life – God matched the message to the need. And when Joseph woke up, he took action to receive Mary as his wife. He even went along with naming his child – not Joseph junior – but Jesus. His faith action from that encounter wove him into the great redemption story.
You may have a different situation than Joseph, yet the depth of your quandary and personal pain are similar. Sometimes God’s people get pulled through a knothole even though they are in the will of God. This is crystal clear through the pages of the Bible. Are we prepared to walk the holy way even in the midst of this trial?
I think it’s fair to ask the Lord to encounter us in some way and in a timely manner – to match the message to our need. How will He speak? Will it be through His Word as we are in it? Through another person with a timely message? Maybe a dream or a realization in prayer? Perhaps a message will come to you this Christmas time as it did to Joseph so long ago as he “considered this.”
“Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning” Psalm 30:5.
Pastor Leon Throness
