Post by Admin on Dec 6, 2018 7:34:18 GMT
During last week’s discussion of Mary, several people naturally commented as well on Joseph and how he felt about Mary being pregnant. Tonight, we had opportunity to delve into Joseph’s feelings and his encounter with the angel. One clear thought that came up early: while Mary was the one pregnant and without recourse, Joseph had a clear choice: comply with God’s plan or run away. Faced with that kind of unimaginable challenge, to be Dad to the Son of God, wouldn’t any of us feel unworthy and unable to succeed, and take a pass if we could?
The discussion opened with a question about interruptions, to recall a time when we were impatient with an interruption, and also particularly when we find ourselves caught up in someone else’s problem. We all experience that type of impatience, and no one is a fan of being diverted from our own immediate tasks nor our long-term objectives. Joseph, we read, was sorting through the two choices he had in dealing with Mary’s pregnancy: under the law, he could quietly divorce her, or he could demand a public stoning for adultery. He seemed to have settled on the quiet divorce when the angel visited him in a dream, confirmed Mary’s story, and explained the new plan, for him to be father to Mary’s child – essentially, Joseph was directed to an Option 3 he never contemplated and probably could barely comprehend. We had a rollicking discussion about Joseph and his situation. How often do we expend time and energy sorting through our situation to arrive at our own decisions, and then when checking in with God, discover that there are additional alternatives and perspectives? On the other hand, we did feel that God expects us to learn and grow so that we can handle situations of our life in a Christ-like way, without asking God to direct our every word – all of which led to a desire to live in a rapport with the Lord, independent and yet dependent.
From the little we know about Joseph, which is pretty much just this passage, we cannot ascertain how well he knew Mary, and if his decisions about her are influenced in any way by their relationship, either love or even friendship. We can assess him as law-abiding and knowledgeable of scripture, merciful, faithful, and obedient. Through this story we receive more proof of the divinity of Jesus with another angel’s testimony, and the instructions to Joseph to not have sex with Mary before Jesus is born. God has picked these two for this important job, and although we read impressive things about their faith and obedience, we need to remember that they are really ordinary people, no different than us. Instead of downplaying our ability to do great things, we need to acknowledge that it’s God that does the great things, through a whole crew of ordinary people, just like us. And we can be like them, accomplishing God’s work.
The discussion opened with a question about interruptions, to recall a time when we were impatient with an interruption, and also particularly when we find ourselves caught up in someone else’s problem. We all experience that type of impatience, and no one is a fan of being diverted from our own immediate tasks nor our long-term objectives. Joseph, we read, was sorting through the two choices he had in dealing with Mary’s pregnancy: under the law, he could quietly divorce her, or he could demand a public stoning for adultery. He seemed to have settled on the quiet divorce when the angel visited him in a dream, confirmed Mary’s story, and explained the new plan, for him to be father to Mary’s child – essentially, Joseph was directed to an Option 3 he never contemplated and probably could barely comprehend. We had a rollicking discussion about Joseph and his situation. How often do we expend time and energy sorting through our situation to arrive at our own decisions, and then when checking in with God, discover that there are additional alternatives and perspectives? On the other hand, we did feel that God expects us to learn and grow so that we can handle situations of our life in a Christ-like way, without asking God to direct our every word – all of which led to a desire to live in a rapport with the Lord, independent and yet dependent.
From the little we know about Joseph, which is pretty much just this passage, we cannot ascertain how well he knew Mary, and if his decisions about her are influenced in any way by their relationship, either love or even friendship. We can assess him as law-abiding and knowledgeable of scripture, merciful, faithful, and obedient. Through this story we receive more proof of the divinity of Jesus with another angel’s testimony, and the instructions to Joseph to not have sex with Mary before Jesus is born. God has picked these two for this important job, and although we read impressive things about their faith and obedience, we need to remember that they are really ordinary people, no different than us. Instead of downplaying our ability to do great things, we need to acknowledge that it’s God that does the great things, through a whole crew of ordinary people, just like us. And we can be like them, accomplishing God’s work.