Dec 22 - Faith of Joseph

Faith of Joseph

Friday, December 22, 2023

by: Joy Ross

Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25

Key Verse:

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.  Matthew 1:24

We know so little about Joseph. The scriptures don't give us much information about him. But there are a number of things we can glean from what scripture does say.

• First- he was righteous. He probably could have called to have Mary stoned for being pregnant but he was also carrying because he didn't want to expose her to public disgrace.
• Second- he was a" son of David"- of the royal family line from which the messiah would come.
• Third- he was obedient. Matthew 1:24 says " he did what the Angel of the Lord had commanded him amid took Mary home as his wife".

Can you imagine the faith Joseph must have had? We praise Mary for her faith but Joseph had to have had as least as much faith as Mary, perhaps even more! Can you fathom being a man finding out that his betrothed was pregnant and knowing that it wasn't his? The hurt, anger, embarrassment and loss of trust he must have felt? He might not have believed her when she told him it was no man's child, but God's, yet he still choose to treat her with kindness and dignity, hence, "divorcing her quietly". And then the Angel of the Lord came to him in a dream rather than when he was wide awake as Mary was when she was visited by Gabriel. It must have been enough to convince him of the truth of Mary's claim and he acted in faith- great faith, I would say!

His faith showed again when when he took his small family to Egypt at the instruction of an angel in another dream and yet, again, when he was told in the same way to return home.

I don't know about you, but it always helps my faith along when I get shots of reassurance or confirmation from God in ways I'm not expecting. For instance, Simeon and Anna at the temple the day Jesus was presented according to the law, or the visit of the Magi, who knew the prophecies regarding the Messiah. Even the shepherds at Jesus' birth confirmed God's word to Joseph and Mary.

Eventually they had to go back to Nazareth. Go back to the whispers, the looks. That took great faith as well, for them both. At some point, I imagine, something else came along to talk about in the community, but did the gossip ever go completely away? Did people ever really forget? Were Joseph and Mary ever truly respected in their town? We'll never know this side of heaven, and perhaps no one will care once they're there- it will no longer matter!

Joseph and Mary had great faith to accept God's calling on each of their lives. I'm not sure I would have been able to do that. They both had so much trust in God that they simply "obeyed". They didn't challenge or try to bargain or even ask "why me?".

Such faith, such trust! My prayer for each of us it that when God calls us to Acton, whatever it may be, that our response to God will be the same as that famous line from the movie Princess Bride, "As you wish." No more, no less.

O God of peace, who hast taught us that in returning and rest we shall be saved, in quietness and confidence shall be our strength: By the might of thy Spirit lift us, we pray thee, to thy presence, where we may be still and know that thou art God; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

[Online] Book of Common Prayer