Today we see Joseph’s struggle with what to do with his pregnant fiancé.
“She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you,
Joseph, will name Him Jesus—‘God saves’—because
He will save his people from their sins.”
Matthew 1:21
Take this Woman
Joseph
Have you ever been so angry you couldn’t think about anything else? Every time you tried to do your work, you found your mind going back to your anger like your tongue searching for a chipped tooth.
That’s where it all started for me.
That first afternoon after Mary came to my shop and told me she was pregnant, I ruined two chairs and had to start over on an order that was already late. At first, I could only feel pain. Hurt. Cut to the core. I’d been betrayed. In short order, it all turned to anger.
I thought about the law. I wouldn’t be the first good Jew to accuse his betrothed and turn her over to the council for punishment. But the law was so harsh: public stoning. I didn’t have it in me to do that to Mary. My mind painted a picture of the two of us standing alone in the market square—me with stone in hand and her on her knees, praying for mercy. Then I was weeping. I was fond of her. Had you asked me that morning, I would have said I loved her, but with this . . . this betrayal, this deception . . . I didn’t know what to think.
My trade is carpentry, and I take pride in my workmanship. When I commit to having a table and chairs ready for the Sabbath, I have it ready.
The afternoon she came to me and told me the unbelievable story about an angel and a visitation by the Holy One Himself, I couldn’t keep my mind on my work. The anger rose, and I smashed my thumb and then shattered the chair leg I was turning.
It took me all night to finish that last chair for the set. It was already the fifth day, and Ari Bentamas would be here to pick up his order at the third hour.
I finally got it right just before dawn. I always tested each chair by sitting in it. I felt for places where the chair pressed or poked uncomfortably, checked to see if it wobbled. When I landed in the fourth chair, my fatigue won me over, and I fell into a deep sleep.
I dreamed I was back in the square again, a fist-sized stone in my grip. This time there was a mob watching me on both sides, as though I was the only one with a stone. They called out to me.
“Kill her!”
“Kill the harlot! She deserves to die!”
“She betrayed you.”
“She betrayed the Almighty One.”
They were spitting vile names at her, too: Whore, Filth, Jezebel.
Then, in the dream, someone walked up from behind me and stood at my side. He put his hand on the stone I was holding, and that was when I turned to look at him. He was radiant. He said:
“Joseph, son of David, don’t hesitate to get married. Mary’s pregnancy is Spirit-conceived. God’s Holy Spirit has made her pregnant. She will bring a son to birth, and when she does, you, Joseph, will name him Jesus—‘God saves’—because he will save his people from their sins.”
I awoke to a banging on my shop door. The sun was up, and Ari had arrived to pick up his table and chairs. As I helped him load them into his cart, I thought about my dream. It was no fleeting dream that vanished like a vapor as I awoke. I could still hear his voice—the voice of that angel—telling me God’s Holy Spirit had made Mary pregnant.
Once Ari was on his way home, I closed up shop and headed to see the rabbi. Seeing me at his door at that hour startled him, but when he saw my excitement he invited me in.
“What can I do for you, my son?” he asked.
I decided to get right to it.
“Isn’t there something in the Prophets about a virgin being with child?” I asked.
He pondered this a bit and then went over to his scrolls.
“It seems to me there is something near the beginning of Isaiah’s prophesies that mentions such a thing. Let me see. It was after Isaiah found himself in the throne room of the Lord Almighty. Ah! Here it is. It’s just a brief mention. I never really thought about it, but it says:
‘So the Master is going to give you a sign anyway. Watch for this: A girl who is presently a virgin will get pregnant. She’ll bear a son and name him Immanuel (God-With-Us).’”
“Thank you, teacher,” I said as I hugged the startled elder. Then I ran out of his house.
I ran straight to Mary’s home and banged on the door. It took everything in me just to stand still while I waited for it to open. The Lord God was using Mary and me to bring His own Messiah to His people!
When she came to the door, I picked her up and spun her around on the steps.
“He came and told me, too! It’s all true! I’m sorry I doubted you. The Lord is so wonderful!”
She began to cry, as did I. We were laughing and crying and dancing.
God has taken the worst thing that could ever happen to me and brought me my greatest joy. The crushing hurt I thought would kill me has turned to life and hope.
What a day! What a wonderful day!
~~~
To read the original story, see Matthew 1:18-25.
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Thanks for coming by,
See you again tomorrow,
Ben