Matthew 1: 18-25
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child throught the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Imnmanuel”–which means “God with us.”
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
A Thought
Matthew was a Jew chosen to show that God kept his promise to Israel to deliver the Jewish people from their bondage of sin. Matthew tells of the family bloodline from Abraham all the way down to Joseph who was pledged to be the husband of Mary, the virgin found to be with child of the Holy Spirit. This is how Jesus was a fully human man and the Son of God. An angel spoke to Joseph, a righteous man, in a dream that this child was to be a son by the Holy Spirit and he should be named Jesus to fulfill what the prophet Isaiah had spoken long ago to save the people from their sins. Joseph did all that the angel had spoken. It is amazing that God would and still does today use ordinary people to accomplish great things for his kingdom.
Our Prayer
Father thank you for our promised redeemer, your Son Jesus the Christ to make it possible for all to receive forgiveness whether Jew or Gentile. Help each of us to become more like Christ that the world may know of the love that you have for each of us in that you were able to send your Son to earth to be “God with us” to bring us back in a right relationship with you. We ask in Jesus’ name, amen.
