A Small Part in a Big Plan

This morning I decided to start at the beginning. I had been jumping all around the Bible the past six to nine months. While this isn't a bad method of studying the Bible, I keep hearing about the importance of reading it in the whole context of things. So I decided to follow the wisdom of those older then I. Matthew chapter one is where I started.
Now some may ask, "Isn't Genesis the first book of the Bible?" Yes and there is surpassing value in the Old Testament, however I felt compelled to begin in the New Testament. What is wild about all of that is that as I was studying the first chapter I kept turning back to the Old Testament in reference what I was reading. Interesting how they work so beautifully together eh? Coincidence....I think not.
After attempting to read the whole chapter out loud, which was interesting because that genealogy has some crazy names in it, I was drawn to the person of Joseph. This man is mentioned very little yet the impact he made was invaluable. He isn't mentioned anywhere after Jesus left his home. There are many unanswered questions about him. Did he die? We simply do not know. But the role that he played proved to alter history.
A little background to begin. Mary was betrothed to Joseph. What does that mean? Well, we would probably correlate the word engagement to bethrothal, but I'm convinced it meant quite a bit more back then. In today's world people get engaged and unengaged in a heartbeat so the word doesn't seem to hold the weight that it needs to. Mary was legally pledged to Joseph. It was basically pre-marriage. She was hands off to any other man. She was to be his and his alone. So you can only image the emotions and thoughts that went through Joseph's head when he found out that she was pregnant. Betrayal. Anger. Brokenness. Bitterness. Now I won't pretend to know exactly how he felt of what was going through his mind, but I do know how he reacted. "And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly." (vs.19) Wow. He had every right to scream, "WHORE! PROSTITUTE! HARLOT!" at the top of his lungs, but he didn't. He had every right to present her to the congregation of Jews to have her stoned for this perceived adultery. Deut. 22:23 states it with crystal clarity, "If there is a betrothed virgin, and a man meets her in the city and lies with her, then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones." (Quick side note: I'm assuming that they were in a city when she conceived. If she was in the country at the time of conception then legally she wasn't to be put to death according to vs.24 in Leviticus.) Either way, the implications of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy were condemning.
All this being said we reflect on Joseph's reaction and marvel at a man of such integrity. By God's grace he didn't make a quick decision and divorce her but "considered" what he should do. A lot of times we miss this part of decision making. We do not take time to "consider" what we should do or what we should say. It was in this time that God spoke to him with words that would change his life forever. "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (vs.20-21)
Joseph had a choice like so many of us do. It wasn't an easy choice. It wasn't a safe choice. It was a risky choice. He was putting his reputation on the line. If the people found out he was going to marry an adulteress it would have been devastating to his name.(Names were a big deal back then.) Yet he chose obedience. And by God's grace, his choice was world changing. If at first he would have chosen to expose Mary for her perceived adultery Jesus would have been viewed as a bastard child, illegitimate. No big deal, right? WRONG. He would have had no name for himself and no one would have given him the time of day let alone a status as Rabbi. Bastard children do not become Rabbis. Joseph's silence prevented that exposure.
Joseph's obedience was an invaluable step in the furthering of the Kingdom of God. He stood with quiet strength, trusting in the word of God, though he probably didn't understand it. And in his final act of obedience Joseph did something that I look forward to doing someday to my children. He gave the Son of God his name. "And he called his name Jesus." (vs.25)
I thank God for men like Joseph who were obedient even when life didn't make sense, even when it was hard. They model for me a way of life that I know God is pleased with. Joseph wasn't a great man because he was the earthly father of Jesus. He was a great man because he was obedient. And his obedience brought to this world a God who became flesh and dwelt among us, a God who came to save His people from their sins. Thanks be to God for that.