ENCOUNTER #4

A Groom, an Unborn Child, an Angel, and a Rough Beginning

MATTHEW 1:18-25

“Joseph had this in mind when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.
The angel said to him, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary
as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and
you will name him Jesus [He Saves], because he will save his people their sins.”

Joseph was in a crisis . . . emotional upheaval. . . considering a quiet escape. His
lovely fiance, Mary, was going to have a baby. But it was not his child. It was over. . . his plans, the house he was preparing for his bride, his heart of love for the girl with whom he planned to spend his life and establish his own family. He had been waiting to share that future with his Love . . .Mary.

But then came the shocking revelation that she was having a baby. A baby that was not
his.

A man in love has his own dreams for the future. A home he will prepare. . . a job that will provide for her. . . sons to carry on his name . . . sons to be taught and carry on his trade, children to carry on his family legacy. His good reputation in the village of his family’s significant history as a direct descendant of King David would now become the whispers of the whole town. Joseph had waited for Mary. She was worth the wait.

And then, it blew up.

Mary had gone away to visit with her Aunt Elizabeth. Joseph had stayed in his and Mary’s hometown of Nazareth. He had a big responsibility to build the home in which his bride and their future children would live after they married. But Mary had returned in a way that had devastated his hopes . . . his dreams . . . his dignity. Future family plans with his Bride shattered. The respect of his community, his reputation , his dignity. . . his future . . .crumbled before his eyes.

Mary was carrying a baby . . . inside. And he was definitely not the father. This was not
his baby. Layers of devastation began to swirl in the young man’s heart and mind. He
had preserved her greatest gift to him. . . her virginity. What had Mary done!? Joseph loved Mary. He did not want her to “pay” . . . She could have been stoned to death by the villagers. It was the traditional, legal, just consequence for such behavior. Everybody knew punishment for such immoral behavior. Joseph must have been shaken to the core.

But God knew. God was Present. God understood Joseph’s shock . . . hurt . . . turmoil.
God knew the Truth. This was a significant part of His Plan. . . despite human realities.
Joseph still cared about the girl he had chosen to marry. He had built and prepared a
house for them and for their future children. That’s what a good man does for his family.

Joseph’s emotional and mental nightmare swirled in his mind and heart as he laid down
to sleep. It was a brief escape from the tragic disruption to the life he had been preparing. Mary would be at great risk of being stoned to death once the villagers began to see the evidence of a baby growing within the cover of her robes. He did not want that to happen. His heart and mind struggled with the implications of her “sin” becoming visible. But he did not want Mary to die. She had become part of his heart. . . more than a legal arrangement with her family. Joseph began making a plan of escape for Mary. . . one that would allow her to quietly “disappear” without the danger of usual punishment in such cases, . . . public stoning.

But in the quiet of the night, when Joseph’s new reality . . .a living nightmare, took a brief reprieve with sleep. Then Joseph had a Visitor. A Light penetrated his darkness, and radiated peace, love, compassion . . . hope. God had come near. He knew the agony in Joseph’s heart. He saw the pain. . . the fear . . . the turmoil of a young man’s shattered dreams.

God’s Light penetrated Joseph’s nightmare. A Voice spoke in the darkness. . . It called him by name. The Source of that Light was gentle. Loving. Personal. Understanding of the pain of his broken heart, The Voice held no condemnation . . . a tender disruption to the agonizing thoughts that were swirling about his tomorrow . . . his life . . . his love . . . his family. God’s Voice ended the turmoil in Joseph’s heart about his beloved Mary.

The Voice spoke to his fear . . . his hurt . . . A Voice called him by name.
“Joseph, descendant of David, take Mary as your wife . . . the Child within her is from Me . . .a Son, and you will name him Jesus [“He Saves”] because he will save His people from their sins. He will be a Gift for all of mankind. “ ~Matthew 1:20-21

When a man sees his world falling apart, a relationship dissolving. . .feels his heart breaking . . . his dreams crumbling, God draws near. Joseph’s heart was tuned in to God. Even in the midst of emotional pain and turmoil, he had not shut his heart towards God. Joseph experienced God’s Presence, His gentleness, His guidance, His assurance, Hope, and His Heart of Love for a fallen world that needs forgiveness and salvation . . . soon to be offered through his son . . . His Son.

God saw the emotional and mental anguish of a young man. He cared for the internal turmoil in Joseph’s heart. But God’s Plan included this young man. He was part of His plan. He would be the key male figure in His Son’s earthly life. Provider, protector, role model, teacher. . . the most influential man from God’s Son’s birth until He would step into His Eternal Destiny . . .a carpenter . . . Teacher . . . Healer . . . Friend . . . Savior. . .

Messiah.