I wonder about this man, Joseph. He was kind and honest. Matthew 1:19 calls him “just.” These character traits are apparent when Mary, his fiancé, becomes pregnant. You know the story. Joseph was not the father. Wanting to do the right thing, he settled on divorcing her quietly. Many of us may have stopped right there, but not Joseph.
Verse 20 gives us additional insight into Joseph’s life. It reads simply, “as he considered these things.” I can only assume he was considering Mary. I would do the same. Thankfully, Joseph didn’t “consider” the same way we often do.
When we “consider,” we worry. I’m sure Joseph did too. He probably woke up at 2 am in a cold sweat worried about what to do. “Mary is lying,” he must have thought. He knew his rights. Leaving her was a reasonable thing to do. It was expected. But, he loved her. With all of his heart.
At some point, Joseph’s worry moved to God. Maybe, he fell to his knees sobbing, or maybe he quietly carried the conversation in his heart for days. Whatever his method, he fell on the truth of the prophet Isaiah who said “they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength” (Isaiah 40:31). For Joseph, God was the only stable thing left in his life.
As Joseph submitted to God, his broken heart was healed and his mind was transformed. God revealed a new vision for his life. It would not be, as he expected. Instead, God announced a bigger plan for him and Mary. It would be the beginning of a new world order.
Behold, the virgin shall conevieve and bear a son and they shall call his name “Immanuel” (Matthew 1:23)
Immanuel, “God with us.” It hinged on the faith of one simple man, Joseph, and his willingness to hear God’s bigger plan. This is worth our “consideration” too.