An Unexpected ChristmasSample

Day 3: The Choice 

If you’ve heard the story of the birth of Jesus, it can be easy to breeze past Joseph and the enormity of the choice this young man had to make.

Read as Matthew, one of Jesus’s disciples, records the story of Joseph:

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. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, 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 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 1:18–25)

You may have a mental picture of Joseph as you read this passage. But the true image may not be as you envision. At that time, Jewish men married around age 18–20. Also, it may seem strange to hear that Joseph was thinking about divorcing Mary when they were engaged. At that time, many marriages were arranged through a betrothal. This was a promise to marry that could only be broken through a divorce, which would not have occurred without reason.  

Consider the predicament of young Joseph. The young woman who he has promised to marry is pregnant, and he knows that he is not the father. It’s hard for us to grasp the weight of the choice he had to make. He was likely weighing two options:

 

1. He divorces Mary. The community would likely assume that she was unfaithful to him. This choice would likely result in shame for Mary and her child. 
2. He marries Mary. He would raise a child who was not his own. Lineage was everything in the Jewish culture. Additionally, the community around them would assume Joseph had gotten Mary pregnant before they were married. And based on the views of his culture at that time, this choice would likely result in shame for Joseph’s family.

We aren’t told how long Joseph weighed this choice before an angel appeared to him in a dream. But we do know what Joseph did when he awoke… he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

Joseph’s obedience came at a cost to him. There would always be whispers related to his family. There would be a cloud of shame that hung over his family’s name. 

Isn’t it interesting that the Savior of the World, Jesus, was born under a cloud of shame? God could have planned the story another way, but he didn’t. Perhaps it’s because this baby would someday become a man who would take away the shame of the world. Joseph’s choice became a chapter in the great story of our Savior, who would one day save his people from their sins.