Isaiah 7:10-16, Matthew 1:18-25
Obedience is one of the things that God desires His people to have. Since the time of the patriarchs of Israel, covenants have been made with God based on obedience. He was the God of the universe who would care for and protect the nation, while people were invited to obey and depend on Him. This pattern continued until the birth of the Savior. He fulfilled His promise to save the world in His love, but at the same time God invites us to respond in obedience. We are invited by God to wait in obedience, as seen in our reading this time in Joseph's response.
While Luke's Gospel tries to highlight Mary's obedience in accepting God's will for her, Matthew's Gospel tries to underscore Joseph's role in receiving the news of Mary's conception. Our text today records that Joseph and Mary were engaged. The betrothal relationship in the society at that time was different from what we practice today. Actually, culturally and in terms of beliefs, they were already in an official relationship or in other words, already in a position of "marriage".
It's just that Mary was still in her parents' house until the day she was to be taken to her husband's house. Before being taken to Joseph's house, Mary was found to be pregnant. Religiously speaking, Joseph could have taken Mary to court to check for adultery (Deut 22:23-27). However, Joseph did not want to take the legal route and had compassion for His fiancée. He wanted to preserve Mary's dignity so he chose to divorce her quietly. The relationship “betrothal” according to the law was fixed, and they were already called husband and wife so she could only be divorced by a divorce decree. But before that plan could be realized, God wanted something different for Joseph to do.
Joseph was visited by the Angel of God in his dream. Dreams have long been used as a way for God to communicate with His people. The angel told Joseph to take Mary as his wife. The baby Mary was carrying was the work of the Holy Spirit. The baby was to be named Jesus (Aramaic: Yeshua / Hebrew: Yoshua) which means God is salvation. He was the one who would come to save His people from their sins (v.21). Like the pattern in Matthew's Gospel, the event of Jesus' birth is also interpreted according to the existing prophetic lines. All of this has been recorded in Isaiah 7:10-16. The Immanuel (Hebrew: God with Us) has finally come and fulfilled God's saving work.
Joseph and Mary were involved in such a great work. What God's word commanded was carried out by both Joseph and Mary.
Both exhibited the qualities of a servant of God. Without many words, He did what God wanted. It was God's presence and presence that enabled Joseph to obey His will, even though the path was not easy. In the midst of doubt and on the edge of making important decisions in his life, he was willing to humble himself and submit to His will.
Isn't that the kind of obedience we should strive for in our lives of faith? Like Joseph, we too often experience indecision in life. Being at the crossroads of various decisions, each of which has consequences that are not easy. In faith in God, these events become God's way of teaching us obedience. Obedience to God leads us to remain faithful to His ways until Christ returns to complete His salvation. Another thing we learn from this story is that through obedience to God we open up a great opportunity to be involved in His work in the world. Just like Joseph and Mary who were involved by God in His great plan to save the world because of their obedience and humility. Learning to obey should be the believer's lifelong learning program.
Reflective questions:
To what extent are we willing to learn to be obedient in following His will?
