David Bahn – Reflections

Matthew 1:18-25

¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ^[e] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. ¹⁹And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. ²⁰But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. ²¹She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” ²² All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
²³ “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). ²⁴When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, ²⁵but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

The path of God is not always easy; those who have followed Him over time have sometimes been called on to make great sacrifices. Joseph is one such example. At every turn in this brief story Joseph is called to difficult faithfulness; his is no easy path.

First he chooses the honorable but difficult path of a quiet divorce of Mary when he learns she is pregnant with a child not his own. Next he believes the message of God given in a dream and willingly takes Mary to be his wife; despite the challenges that decision brings.

Perhaps the easiest thing Joseph does is to give the baby boy the name “Jesus.” And that itself points to the greatest challenge of going God’s way. It is not that of any believer – no matter how great the sacrifice or challenging the path. It is that of God Himself taking on human flesh, becoming our Savior, saving us from our sins.

Jesus’ path would not be easy; it would lead to a cross and tomb. It would take Him from the very presence of God. But it would not end in defeat; for Jesus’ path would take Him back to the right hand of God: just where He belonged.

Any path of faithfulness to God is destined for ultimate glory. Just as God led Jesus back to His side, God leads us through the valley of the shadow of death, through the temptations we face, through the difficult challenges of faithfulness into His presence: glory, light and life eternal. When we walk the pathway of faithfulness we must keep our eyes on Jesus who has saved us from our sins and promises abundant eternal life to all who believe in Him.