Today's Scripture
One Year Bible Daily Reading – Joshua 10-12; Luke 16
Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25
18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ took place. When Mary his mother was engaged to Joseph, before they were married, she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband was a righteous man. Because he didn’t want to humiliate her, he decided to call off their engagement quietly. 20 As he was thinking about this, an angel from the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child she carries was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you will call him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” 22 Now all of this took place so that what the Lord had spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled:
23 Look! A virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son,
And they will call him, Emmanuel.[a]
(Emmanuel means “God with us.”)
24 When Joseph woke up, he did just as an angel from God commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he didn’t have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to a son. Joseph called him Jesus.
What does this passage mean to me/us?
Contributed by Will Adkins
At the time in the Jewish faith the engagement period known as the, “betrothal period” was much stricter than in today’s culture. An engagement could not be broken without a divorce. A betrothed woman was referred to as a wife and Joseph a husband. The discussion of Joseph being “righteous” meant he was following in the tradition of strict Jewish law. Joseph was following the law but wanted to do it quietly so that Mary would not be judged publicly or even stoned. However the angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him of the plans for Jesus to be a savior. The fact that Joseph and Mary had no union until Jesus was born is important as Matthew and Luke make it clear Jesus was born of a virgin. This is such a wonderful foundation of Jesus’s life and to the righteousness of Joseph and Mary, doing as God commanded, despite the shock and fear of it all. It is both of their faith’s that I admire, faith that although this is not optimal in their culture that God will provide and what an important role they will play in the future as Jesus earthly parents.
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