JACOB was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins." When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home.
The WORD Today
After tracing the family tree of Jesus (1:1-17), Matthew declares that Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises made to David and so a son of David according to the flesh (Rom 1:3), even if his virgin birth excluded the work of man (vv 16, 18). Jesus is rightfully a son of David only through Joseph, who is physically not His father. Joseph—whom the evangelist calls "righteous" not because he does not expose Mary to shame but because he seeks the fulfillment of God’s will in everything—takes Jesus as His son and confers on Him his name, thus giving Him all the rights of a descendant of David. This shows that salvation is God’s work, but it is realized with the cooperation of man and woman.
The evangelist pictures Joseph as a man of faith and humility. It is not simple to accept becoming foster father to God’s Son. Joseph does not understand what has happened to Mary, but he respects her and trusts in God. When he learns the truth, through an angel, he does not hesitate to do what God wills even if he does not fully understand it.
SOURCE: "366 Days with the Lord," ST PAULS, 7708 St. Paul Rd., SAV, Makati City (Phils.); Tel.: 895-9701; Fax 895-7328; E-mail: publishing@stpauls.ph; Website: http://www.stpauls.ph.
