TERRE HAUTE —
I’ve spent the last couple of days decking the halls until my house looks and smells like Christmas. I have a nice collection of manger scenes, and as I set about to display them throughout the house, I realize that it is a simple manger scene — Joseph, Mary, Baby Jesus, shepherds and wisemen — that makes the heart of Christmas.
We need to have a heart like Joseph’s. He and Mary were not yet married when he discovered Mary was pregnant. And on top of that, she told him the Holy Spirit was the father of her child. Joseph, with his righteous, compassionate heart, had decided to divorce Mary quietly to avoid piling more disgrace on Mary.
But then an angel came to Joseph in a dream. The angel told Joseph, “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The Holy Spirit really is the Father of the Baby. She is going to give birth to a Son that you are to name Jesus, for He is going to save people from their sins.” To Joseph’s credit, when he woke up from the dream, he did just what the angel said. Instead of divorcing her, Joseph immediately took Mary home to be his wife (well, sort of!) and when her Son was born, Joseph named him Jesus. (For the exact wording of the story, read Matthew 1:18-25.)
Joseph had a heart of courage. He had a lot to be afraid of. Lots of people were going to do lots of talking. “Joseph, you know that baby is not yours. Just what has Mary been up to? And with whom, huh? Why in the world are you marrying her, Joseph? How can you believe that the Holy Spirit is the Father of her baby? What kind of story is that, anyway? You have every right to divorce her, Joseph. You have the law on your side. You can’t really be still wanting to marry her. What kind of fool are you, anyway?”
Yes, there was a lot to be afraid of. If Mary was lying and this was not the Son of God, then Joseph would be stuck raising another man’s child. Laughter, gossip, ridicule and shame would follow him all the days of his life. But if Mary was telling the truth (and Joseph’s actions showed that he believed Mary’s claims), then Joseph would be raising the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Was he adequate for the task? Would he now be the kind of earthly father that Jesus needed? How could he, a simple man, raise Jesus the Christ to manhood?
But, the angel told Joseph not to be afraid, and Joseph’s heart became a heart of courage, and he obeyed.
Our hearts should strive to be more like the heart of Joseph. He was afraid, and his fears were legitimate. Yet, when confronted with the truth, Joseph’s heart became obedient. He didn’t hesitate, or analyze or second guess his decision. God told Joseph what to do, and Joseph courageously obeyed.
Joseph had a heart of courage. Do we?
Verna Davis, speaker and writer, maybe reached at vrdspeaks@yahoo.com.
Features
THE JOY LADY: Our hearts should strive to be more like Joseph’s
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