‘Confused’ is not the word -
it was much more than that!
I was desperately in love with
a girl called Mary – she was such a good looking young woman. The overwhelming
desire for me to marry her was her devotion to God, which was was something
that every man would look for in a potential wife.
Our lives were turned upside
down when she said that she had encountered the angel Gabriel, who had informed
her that she would carry God’s Son who was going to be born on earth.
I was not quite so sure, as I
thought that there were grounds for separation because she had been unfaithful
to me. Just as I was going to part the waves with her, I had a dream when God
told me that, indeed, Mary was carrying God’s Son in her womb. Well, I was
astounded – it was like I was finally let into the secret. I was willing to
take the scorn and derision that was directed at this wonderful women, who had
been selected by God for this mission.
When the time was drawing
close for the baby to be born, we set off to Bethlehem because both of our
families were descended from King David, so the Roman authorities had directed
that we were to go there for census purposes.
When we arrived after four
long days, we went looking for accommodation but there was nothing available in
the sleeping areas. One of our relatives kindly offered us the space where the
animals slept for the night.
It was in the middle of the
hay and straw that Mary gave birth to a baby boy, the precious Son of God.
Well, I wasn’t prepared for
what happened next – certainly not for the number of visitors that we were
going to have.
The first crowd to arrive were
the shepherd from the nearby hills. I thought that they might be smelly, but it
was impossible to tell as we were among all of the animals ourselves. They were
really excited as they talked about angels appearing to the them to tell them
about God being born in the city. When they left us, I could still hear them
telling the neighbours loudly what had happened.
The next group couldn’t have
been more different – intelligent and cultured. They were wise men that had
come from a long distance. They bought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh,
which I though were weird until we needed them as we were later forced into
exile. The wise men also had a dream – it seemed to be a regular occurrence! –
that they were to go home in a different direction as King Herod wanted them to
return to him so he would know where we were.
When they had gone, I had
another dream from God, telling me to take Mary and the baby Jesus to Egypt as
Herod was wanting to murder the infant because Jesus represented a threat to
his kingship.
I obeyed immediately – after
all, when God speaks, you act. We got our goods together and, in the middle of
the night, we set off to the foreign land, knowing that God would guide and
guard us.
Points to ponder:
·
How do your actions show God working in your
life?
·
What does obedience to God look like in your
life?
·
What aspects of Joseph’s would you like to
emulate?
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