18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. 20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Introduction
Joseph was the man that God trusted with His Son!
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
The focus in the Gospel of Mathew is on Jesus the the God’s promised Messiah
In first century Jewish marriage customs, there were three relationships that a couple had: The engagement, the espousal and the betrothal.
Mathew is careful to mention that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit
It’s Jesus’ sinless nature, along with his humanity, that what qualified Jesus to bear the sins of the world.
The Problem
Joseph’s life was turned upside down. He was heartbroken.
He could so easily have made another decision, to seek vengeance, to be bitter, to punish, but he chose mercy.
Choose Mercy
As Christians, we are to choose mercy.
But better than sacrifices is not to commit the sins in the first place!
Joseph had a plan to let mercy triumph over judgement, to show compassion, but God had a better plan.
God’s plan is a better plan
“Joseph, son of David,
It immediately begins Joseph thinking about the Messiah.
for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
Christ was born without sin not because of Mary, but because he was conceived by the Holy Spirit.
and you shall call His name Jesus,
What the angel really said was “you shall call His name Yeshua.
It’s not Yeshua or Jesus, is both.
For He will save His people from their sins.”
And of course, it was Yeshua, Joshua who led the Jewish people to the Promised Land of Israel and the name Joshua means “The Lord is salvation”.