https://odb.org/2024/12/17/the-rescue-2
God’s plan in saving the world was to send His only son to the world that whoever believed in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Yet His son can not miraculously appear out of thin air. Thus, God chose Mary, who was already betrothed to Joseph, a descendant of the House of David. Mary was pregnant with child, conceived of the Holy Spirit, before she got together with Joseph. Joseph, who wanted to follow the law, planned to divorce Mary quietly and avoid publicly embarrassing her. However, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife. She was conceived by the Holy Spirit and will give birth to a son whom he will call Jesus as He will save His people.
The amazing and magnificent thing is that Joseph complied with the message from the angel despite possible public ridicule. In taking Mary as his wife, he may be accused of having consummated the marriage before they were married and thus committed fornication. In other words, putting himself into the modern-day “shotgun marriage.” Jesus’s entrance into the world has to be natural, and yet He can not be conceived of man as He must be without sin to redeem the sins of mankind. As a result, both Joseph and Mary would have had to go through the stigma of bringing up a child apparently out of wedlock, as against the cultural norms existing then. Perhaps that is why little is known and written of Jesus’s early childhood, and perhaps that is also why Jesus said a prophet is not accepted in his hometown (Luke 4:24). I believe the first 30 years of Jesus’s life on earth was likely one where He would have had to face shame, contempt, and ridicule.
The message to us this morning is that in fulfilling God’s will and realising His plans and purposes for our lives, we may be called to be like Joseph. We may be called to face and overcome people’s ridicule for upholding God’s principles in the things we do or the way we react to situations, at home, or at work. We are called to not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of our minds that in the process, we may test and approve His good and acceptable and perfect will (Romans 12:2). Our world is right side up, which to the world may be upside down. We put what is right and what is Godly first. It may appear to be foolishness to the world, but that’s our life in Christ!
Ronnie's Thoughts 