Christmas Angelic Announcements – Joseph is the final lesson in our Advent series on the heavenly visits to the characters of Christmas. There is a lot of focus on Mary during the Christmas season, but none of it would’ve happened had God not intervened with an angel sent to Joseph.
Heartbreak probably doesn’t touch the emotion that Joseph felt after that conversation Mary had with Joseph. There is enough stress between a couple pledged to be married in the ancient world if everything goes according to societal norms. What if Mary is pregnant!? Everyone in town knew the truth. There was no hiding it. Joseph didn’t buy the “Mary saw an angel” argument. There were a couple things that could’ve happened to Mary. First she could’ve been stoned as an adulterer. Joseph didn’t want this. He loved Mary. He would divorce her quietly. The Jews had liberal divorce laws that allowed a man to divorce his wife for almost any and every reason. If that happened the Savior of the world would be born to a homeless teenager with a very limited social safety net.
So the angel went to Joseph and shared the good news! Joseph would be a step dad! Don’t be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. With the previous two angels we spent some time looking at their reaction to the angel. Zechariah didn’t believe the angel at first, but confirmed right after the baby was born that the child’s name would be John – just like the angel said it would be. Mary believed the angel. We don’t get to jump into Joseph’s mind, but we do see his actions. Right away he woke up and did just as the angel commanded. He actions reflected a heart that believed!
Want to hear more? Watch this week’s study – the final in our series on the Christmas Angelic Announcements – Joseph.
Please click HERE for the Bible class slides.