Matthew 1:18-25 gives us Joseph’s side of the Christmas
story. In my imagination, it may have
gone something like this:
Joseph finished the table and placed it in the kitchen. He’d made four matching chairs, and if he did
say so himself, the set was a thing of beauty – a wonderful gift for his
betrothed. The polished wood shone from
the expert care and skill his hands had given the pieces. He’d see Mary tonight and show her what he’d
made for their home. Soon he’d bring her
home as his wife!
As he made his way to Mary’s home after dinner, he reflected
on his bride-to-be. The past several
months since she’d returned home from a three-month vacation to Elizabeth ’s home in Judea ,
Mary seemed different; he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. She had a glow about her and seemed – well, older
somehow. Though he’d never considered her a truly beautiful girl, he was taken
with the change in her looks, and thought her lovelier than before. He thanked God for this blessing of getting
such a beautiful bride, especially at his age.
He’d always liked her quiet shyness and the fact that she didn’t giggle
like other girls her age. The arranged
marriage would be a good one.
Joseph knocked on the door, and Mary opened it. Their eyes met as she invited him in.
“I’ve come to take you to see what I’ve made for our home,”
Joseph said. As Mary moved across the
room to a sitting area, he noticed her shape was different – she must have put
on weight or something. He tried not to
stare, but Mary caught his look.
As they sat down on a bench, Mary folded her hands tightly
in her lap and looked away from him.
Could it be? Could
the gossip around town be true after all? His
Mary? Had she played the harlot
while she was away in Judea ? Shock and disbelief were followed by anger,
and then more shock and disbelief.
Surely he must be mistaken. But
there was no getting around it -- they had to talk about it.
Joseph stood, and Mary looked up at him. She was silent. He ran his hands through his hair, and his
jaw clenched. He closed his eyes tightly
and took a deep breath before he spoke. So
the whispers and veiled comments by customers in his carpenter shop were true
after all. He never would have believed
it. Despair gripped his soul.
“Mary, what am I to think?
Who is it? Who’s the
father?” Joseph restrained his anger,
but his heart constricted as he spoke softly.
“It’s not what you think, Joseph,” Mary began. “An angel of
the Lord came to me and said I was going to give birth to the Son of God – our Messiah. Then I went to Elizabeth ’s house because the angel told me
she had conceived a child in her old age, and was six months along. While I was there, she gave birth to a son
they named John.”
“Do you expect me to believe that story, Mary?” Anger and disbelief rose inside him.
The unfamiliar anger in Joseph took her by surprise. “But it’s true, Joseph. Elizabeth
prophesied by the power of the Holy Spirit about the child I’m carrying – God’s
Son,” Mary pleaded. “She confirmed the
angel’s message to me.”
Did he really know Mary?
Was she given to making up outrageous stories such as this? He sat down, then stood up again, and paced
the floor.
“I have to go, Mary.
I need time to think about what I’m going to do,” Joseph said. He felt her eyes follow him as he strode across the room and let himself out.
“Dear God, what am I going to do? What has happened to my sweet Mary? Please help me!” Joseph pleaded in prayer as
he walked home. He opened the door to
his home and saw the beautiful furniture he’d made for Mary. It seemed to mock him. He could never bring Mary home as his wife:
what would the neighbors think? They’d
think he was the father and that they had…
He willed the shameful thought away.
Over the next few days, he threw himself into his work and
found it hard to sleep because of troubling thoughts. What would he do about Mary? She was young
and foolish, but he had no wish to shame her by making a public example of her. That wouldn’t be right. He would divorce her quietly; that’s what
he’d do. After all, divorce was allowed for unfaithfulness. He’d get the papers drawn up tomorrow.
Joseph went to bed early and fell, exhausted, into a deep sleep. Suddenly, he saw an angel of the Lord appear
before him who 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. She will give birth to a son, and you are to
give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Joseph awoke with a start.
So Mary had been telling the
truth! He had judged her so harshly. How must she be feeling? He had to go see her that very day. He’d bear the gossip and reproach along with
her. He wouldn't care what the neighbors or the synagogue leaders thought. He knew the truth: heaven had spoken! God would be faithful. He was settled; he’d bring Mary to his home,
but wouldn’t consummate their marriage until after God’s Son was born.
Mary was sweeping the front porch as he approached her
house. His pace quickened, and his Mary
stood still, waiting. As he took her
hands into his, the shining look in her eyes was reward enough.
Copyright © 2013
Elaine Beachy
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