posted Dec 18, 2016, 2:40 PM by web feat
Compared to Luke's version, Matthew shares a very simple story, and with a very different focus: The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
While he was trying to figure a way out, he had a dream. God’s angel spoke in the dream: “Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant...
...then Joseph woke up. He did exactly what God’s angel commanded in the dream: He married Mary. (Matthew 1:18-25 from Eugene Peterson's "The Message")
What might have happened to Mary and her baby Jesus were it not for Joseph? How might the world be different had Joseph not embraced the unexpected, and obeyed as God's angel directed him?
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