O. My immediate observation is one based in confusion. Why list
the descendants of Jesus, leading to Joseph, when Joseph is not the father of
Jesus? Is it because of filling some prophecy, saying 14 descendants to David,
14 descendants to the Babylonian Exile, and 14 descendants to the Messiah? It
confuses me to list all of these when Joseph is not the father.
A. One of the most difficult aspects of relationships is the
humanity found on both sides. Initially, Joseph wanted to run upon discovery
that his Virgin wife was pregnant, and he knew the unborn child could not
possibly be his. Everything that would be said about him, about her and about
the son-to-be would make life difficult with Mary.
An angel came in a
dream to explain how special this child would be. To me, it seems Joseph must
have had a profound love for his wife, Mary. He wanted to believe her, that she
was still a Virgin, and that the child was conceived by Holy Spirit. All he
needed was an extra push by the Angel to follow through with that love, to
follow through with that plan.
How do we apply
this teaching? Trust Love. Trust doing the right thing. Sometimes, we don’t get
the added push by an angel to do the right thing, to trust in love, even
through the most challenging of circumstances.
Sometimes, all the
fears we have of what others think of our faith and our beliefs need to be set
aside. Follow through on the Love. The Love that God shared with us with his
Son, Jesus. It is Jesus that allows us to move beyond our sin and focus on our
love of others. Even from the very beginning, Jesus began to share this
beautiful truth with us. Love.
P. May I trust more in Love today. May I not be dissuaded by
fear as I start upon this path. May I have the strength to persevere, always.
The Next Scripture: Matthew 2: 1 - 23
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