Day 25 Faith and Trust

Day 25 Faith and Trust

24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. Matthew 1:24-25 English Standard Version

Matthew tells the Christmas story from the perspective of Joseph while Luke narrates the story from the viewpoint of Mary. As an English teacher, I emphasize the role of viewpoint as part of how an author communicates their point. While I believe that the Holy Spirit is the true author of scripture, I also believe that the men who took up pen and paper helped shape the message of the text. Matthew wanted to communicate the role of faith and trust in the incarnation, so he laid out how Joseph trusted both the Lord and Mary. 

We know precious little about Joseph from scripture. He descended from David. He normally lived in Nazareth where he earned a living as a carpenter or craftsman. He was an upright, or righteous, man. He was willing to put off consummation of marriage for nine months, give or take. As a veteran of multiple deployments, I know a bit about putting such things off. That would not be an easy task, but one that Joseph shouldered willingly. He took Mary into his home, ‘but knew her not.” He complied with orders delivered in a dream. Later, he uprooted his family, fleeing to Egypt because of a dream. He walks across the stage of scripture with quiet obedience, setting an example of faith and trust that comes down to us today. He enters and leaves the written record with no trumpets, no fanfare. He receives a message through a dream and does what he’s told to do. Would I take such life-altering actions based on a dream? I doubt it. But Joseph did. Faith and trust altered the dynamic and opened a door for God to enter the world and change everything.