Saying YES
Matthew 1:18-25
Today is the day we remember Joseph.
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do 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 as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus. - Matt. 1:18-25
This is not Joseph, the son of Jacob, whose brothers sold him into slavery, though there are similarities in the two men.
Both were given divine guidance through dreams.
Both were connected to Egypt. For one, it was the place where he rose to power, while for the other, it was a place of refuge, a protective space for the savior and Mary.
Both were examples of faithfulness to God’s plan, even though they didn’t understand the plan at first.
One had to accept suffering at the hands of others, while the other had to accept being seen as a sinner, a man of shame and disgrace.
We tend to discount what Joseph, husband of Mary, went through, mostly because it isn’t well documented in the text.
What we do know is in today’s reading. God tells him to name his son Jesus or Yehoshua, meaning the Lord saves.
That is a powerful name, and it could be what convinced Joseph to fulfill his own name, which means He will add. Joseph will bring salvation to the world by being a protector of the one who saves.
I like looking for parallels in these readings. They remind me that God really does have a plan, and that the plan depends on us to say yes to it.
Mary had to say yes. Joseph had to say yes as well.
Does that mean we can work against God’s plan?
We can, and we do, all the time. God stands by His promise to let us decide. Our will is of our own choosing.
God does not force us to do something. His Holy Spirit may coach and guide us, but we make the final choice.
Would God have found another to take Joseph’s place if he had refused?
I wonder.
God chose Mary before Joseph said yes. We don’t know the circumstances that came before.
God could have placed Joseph in the position to be her betrothed, or He could have had faith in Joseph to do the right thing.
I like to think it was the latter. Joseph, when told what God’s plan was, said yes.
How often has God tried to reveal His plan to us and we haven’t responded?
Maybe we should start listening more closely.
More to come...