MATTHEW 1:18-25 TELLS us that the humanity of Jesus was derived from His mother Mary. The Bible declares that “Christ partook of the flesh and blood of the children; that He is a fruit of the loins of David after the flesh; born of the seed of David according to the flesh; a fruit of the womb of Mary; born of a woman; a branch of David; a shoot of the root of Jesse; sprung from the tribe of Judah; descended from the Jews according to the flesh; of the seed of Abraham, since he took on him the seed of Abraham, and was made like unto his brethren in all things, sin excepted; so that in truth He is our IMMANUEL, that is to say, God with us.”
HOWEVER, JOSEPH struggled with Mary’s pregnancy. We read in Matthew 1:19 that he was planning to put her away. Joseph must have said to himself, “I am betrothed to this woman and she is carrying another man’s child.” But we are also told in vs. 19 that Joseph was a righteous man, and therefore he determined to put Mary away privately. Joseph cared about the Law of God and he knew the marriage bed is to be kept undefiled and holy. And though Joseph loved Mary, he determined that he would not unite in an estate of adultery with Mary because he loved God and His Law. So, Joseph determined to divorce her, but at the same time Joseph had great love for Mary. This is demonstrated by the fact that he does not take the full recourse of the law, which he could have done. You see, in the Old Testament, a woman who was betrothed to a man that was caught in adultery could have been stoned to death or publicly disgraced and expelled from the community (Deut. 22:23-24). But Joseph determined to divorce Mary quietly and not shame her publicly or call for the death penalty.
BUT IN VERSES 20 & 21 the angel of the Lord comes to Joseph in a dream, and he says, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” Notice the angel addressed Joseph as the Son of David. Joseph was a humble carpenter; He was not some great merchant. And yet the angel says, Joseph, remember who you are — you are a son of David, which means he was of the house and lineage of David. Joseph may not have been impressive in the eyes of the world, yet to God he was a son of David, a son of the man after God’s own heart. God’s message to Joseph was, “you take Mary as your wife. And you name that boy, Jesus.” We are told in vs. 24 that Joseph awoke and did as the Lord commanded. Joseph believed the Lord and therefore was obedient. What a great example of the ability to trust God despite all the outward evidence to the contrary. Joseph’s heart was broken, but by faith he obeyed the messenger of the Lord and took Mary as his wife. Joseph gives us an excellent example of what it means to walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7).
DO YOU LIVE the same way? When your world is falling down all around you, do you believe the promises of God in Scripture? A mark of a true believer is faith in God’s Word, which means to trust all that God has revealed in Scripture. And if you trust God’s Word it will be evident to all because you will live according to God’s counsel no matter what your circumstances may be. No, you will not live a practically perfect life, but you will live a practically distinct life. The direction of your life will be clearly different from the ways of this world. Do you believe God? Joseph believed and so must we! Praise God for His amazing GRACE by which He changed our hearts and enabled us to believe the promise of the Gospel.
Christmas Eve Devotional: December 24, 2025
In Christ,
Pastor S. Henry
