Just Imagine

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “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”

Matthew 1:18-21

Imagine being Joseph. The culture was very different back then. Girls usually got married within a few years of physically maturing and the men were typically older and more established. Although it would be strange in our eyes, girls were usually married between the ages of 13-15 and men were typically between the ages of 20-25. Keep in mind that the average male life expectancy was around 40 and they would need to be established to care for a family which explains the age discrepancy. Further, they were expected to take adult responsibility once they had passed puberty so their maturity level at that age would have been much higher than it is today. (Sorry Gen-Zers).
 
They were not naive to the ways of the world. When Joseph found out that Mary was pregnant, and he knew he wasn’t the father he knew that only one thing could have happened. She had been with another man. He was engaged to her which was the first part of the marriage process but until their public ceremony he would have lived separately from her and would not have been with her. He could have publicly renounced her by formally divorcing her in front of everyone. The Old Testament prescription of execution for those found guilty of adultery was not allowed by the Romans or practiced by the Jews during this time.
 
Recently I heard someone criticize Joseph for wanting to divorce her. He said it was unbiblical. First, The Bible does make an allowance for the permissibility of divorce for marital unfaithfulness. Second, they were betrothed and if he didn’t divorce her, it would have been a scandal people assuming that he was the father of the illegitimate child. Finally, he chose to be misunderstood and possibly scorned by deciding to quietly divorce her to not put her to shame which was an honorable response in the situation.
 
Imagine his surprise when he was visited by an angel in his dream! It was explained to him that the child conceived through Mary was from the Holy Spirit. This virgin birth would have been unheard of and never recorded as happening before in Scripture. It was almost inconceivable and mysterious. Even today, we believe it, but we cannot explain it ourselves. Exactly how God accomplished this is beyond our comprehension.
 
This child would be Immanuel, God with us. Joseph responded in obedience and faith. “When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Matt 1:24-25)” No longer was it a question of his honor or helping Mary save face, he now understood that he was a part of God’s unfolding story unlike anything that had ever happened before.