Willing to Take Action

“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife” (Matthew 1:24).

G. K. Chesterton once wrote in What’s Wrong with the World, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.” Joseph knew just how difficult obedience would be. Before the dream, you can almost see him weighing the options—running a mental pros-and-cons list where the cons far outweighed the pros. To marry Mary would have cost him his reputation, his security, and his sense of control. The real question was whether he would try it.

We can imagine the uncertainty. Did Joseph learn of Mary’s pregnancy right away, or only after her three months with Elizabeth? By then, news of John’s miraculous birth was spreading. The inclination to quietly divorce her made sense. Joseph was not a hero in a storybook—he was an ordinary man facing extraordinary circumstances. He embodied what John would later say about Jesus—that he was full of grace and truth. And when God interrupted Joseph’s ordinary life through an extraordinary dream, Joseph responded.

 Joseph became the guardian of God’s presence on earth. He protected Mary’s honor, shielded Jesus from the murderous rage of King Herod, and submitted his future to a plan far larger than his own. And he did so without speeches or hesitation. Matthew tells us that Joseph was a righteous man. God had shaped Joseph’s life for years. Joseph used all the wisdom Scripture had taught him. Then, when he came to the limits of his reason and understanding, he was ready to receive revelation. Once the angel appeared to him, Joseph knew the time of deliberation was over. It was time to take action.

 “Do not be afraid.”

“Take Mary home as your wife.”

“You are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

 And when Joseph woke up, he did exactly what the angel commanded.

The question lingers for us: Do we have the courage to allow God to interrupt our ordinary lives?

 “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield” (Psalm 5:12).

 Blessings to all,

Jonathan