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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." Matthew 1:20-21
Joseph's reputation was on the line as he learned about Mary's seemingly miraculous pregnancy. He could spare himself a lot of trouble by quietly walking away, saving them from speculation about their fidelity to each other, let alone his own holiness. This miraculous conception is celebrated by Christians today as good news, but for Joseph, it surely sounded like his life was about to become far more difficult.
Nevertheless, Joseph found courage to stay with Mary because of God's promise. Perhaps he woke up from his sleep second-guessing his dream. Perhaps he had a long list of reasons to second-guess the angel's words in his dream.
However, in the scope of salvation's history, you can see that Joseph's obedience and act of faith ensure that generations would enjoy God's blessing through Jesus. The hard times he endured as neighbors stared and whispered about him and Mary resulted in a legacy he could have never imagined.
Joseph's reputation was on the line as he learned about Mary's seemingly miraculous pregnancy. He could spare himself a lot of trouble by quietly walking away, saving them from speculation about their fidelity to each other, let alone his own holiness. This miraculous conception is celebrated by Christians today as good news, but for Joseph, it surely sounded like his life was about to become far more difficult.
Nevertheless, Joseph found courage to stay with Mary because of God's promise. Perhaps he woke up from his sleep second-guessing his dream. Perhaps he had a long list of reasons to second-guess the angel's words in his dream.
However, in the scope of salvation's history, you can see that Joseph's obedience and act of faith ensure that generations would enjoy God's blessing through Jesus. The hard times he endured as neighbors stared and whispered about him and Mary resulted in a legacy he could have never imagined.