Extra Ordinary

Matthew 1:18-25

The Birth of Jesus Christ
18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[a] because he will save his people from their sins."

22All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23"The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"[b]—which means, "God with us."

24When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Bee's Thoughts:

Most people, including me, would have zoomed into the conception of Christ when they read the above passage. However, tonight I feel that God wants me to look at the character of Joseph and learn something from him. The IV. Expositions of Matthew’s Gospel has the following to say:

Up to a certain point, Mary and Joseph were an ordinary couple, betrothed and soon to be married, experiencing the usual hopes and fears, anxieties and aspirations. Then Joseph found out that his betrothed was expecting, and (worse yet) he was not the father. His initial response was a godly and exemplary one. He wished to divorce her privately rather than to publicly humiliate her. He carefully "considered" his response. And God rewarded his patience, humility, and reserve. God gave to him more light. He was granted a divine revelation concerning the Child.

I see in Joseph a man who loves deeply in actions. Like what 1 Peter 4:8 says, "love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins." Only with true love can one fully forgive.

Before the angel's revelation to Joseph about the conception of Jesus, Joseph would have thought that Mary had betrayed him and resulted in the 'illegitimate' pregnancy. Though hurt, yet he didn't want to shame Mary publicly like how the people during his time would do. Instead, he wanted to privately divorce her. Joseph's action is shown in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8:

Love is patient, love is kind... it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs... It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

What about the rest of the men? I wonder how many of them will do the same thing if they found that their gf or fiancee is pregnant with someone else's child. They probably would take revenge, or confront their partners angrily. Not so for Joseph... I see his love in action for Mary instead. Joseph is that extra ordinary, just like the extra ordinary conception of Christ. I guess God has carefully chosen Joseph to be the earthly 'father' of Jesus because of his virtue of love.


Dear Lord,
Thank You for showing me the virtue of Joseph. I pray that You will also help me love in actions and not just in words. Even at times I am hurt by people I trust and love, help me to react appropriately in Your definition.
As I rest tonight, please help me recover from my sickness that I may continue to do my work well tomorrow.
I pray for Tommy too, that you will help him have a peaceful sleep tonight so his headache will be gone when he wakes up tomorrow morning.
In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.