Hope Awakening: A Third Option

“As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. ‘Joseph, son of David,’ the angel said, ‘do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through the prophet: Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means God is with us.’ When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.”
Matthew 1:20-25

But God!

God sees our hearts. He illustrated this by choosing David to be king of Israel after Saul. God didn’t see a lowly shepherd boy, as David’s father did. God saw a man after His own heart. God knew Joseph’s struggle when he heard Mary’s news. Joseph, being both a good man but also a devout Israelite, could only conceive two options. God saw Joseph’s love for Him, and also his love for Mary. God saw Joseph’s heart.

He sent his messenger (can you guess his name?) to visit Joseph through his dreams. Fun fact: an angel of the Lord visited another important Joseph through dreams. Check out Genesis 37 for a refresher about this!

First, the angel reminds Joseph who he is: a son of David. As a faithful Jewish man, Joseph would know the prophecies of the Savior coming through David’s lineage. This is a subtle reminder to validate what he’s going to reveal to him as truth. Next, the angel reassures Joseph. He tells him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, which further reveals Joseph’s heart – he feared what taking Mary as his wife might mean for their lives. The social stigma attached to an unfaithful wife seemed an insurmountable obstacle, but Joseph loved her. Thus, his major dilemma.

The angel then confirms what Mary likely told him: the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit, the boy is to be named Jesus, and he will save the people from their sins. The angel connects his words directly to the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14: “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” Immanuel, God with us. I just love this. Jesus will be the new ark of the covenant, the new temple. Jesus will be God dwelling with us.

To be clear: God still is not forcing Joseph’s hand. God revealed all of this to Joseph so that Joseph understood he would not be disobedient to God by marrying a woman pregnant out of wedlock. He gave Joseph the crucial information necessary to make an educated decision. God confirmed everything Mary told him, and also connected it to the ancient Scriptures. Joseph, like Mary, still had the free will to choose.

Joseph says yes. Joseph chooses to trust God. He chooses to walk the path God paved for him. The way the verse reads, it can be easy to question Joseph’s free will. The Greek word for “had commanded” (prosetaxen) means instructed, but also means appointed or assigned. Joseph said yes to the assignment! He took Mary as his wife, which tells us he chose the third option.

Matthew’s Gospel shows us Joseph’s humanity, struggles, and love. Joseph is another example for us on obedient living. Being obedient doesn’t mean we won’t wrestle with what God asks us to do. It doesn’t mean it’ll be an easy path when we say yes. And we will always have a choice to choose God, or not. May we look to Mary and Joseph’s obedience the next time God calls us to do something challenging!

All praise and glory be to God, forever and ever!

Reflection: We continue to see God use ordinary people in extraordinary ways. We also continue to witness their struggles and learn fully what their yes meant: it was never the easy path. What is God calling you to do that might be difficult? If you aren’t in season where God is calling you to a hard yes, that’s okay too! Spend some time in prayer today, asking God for strength like Mary and Joseph to be obedient even when it’s costly.