The Angel Visits Joseph

Bible Study Lesson from Matthew 1:18-25 | Christmas Story

19 Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and 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.

21 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."

22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:

23 "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel"—which means, "God with us."

24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.

25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.

Joseph is Visited by an Angel

Engagement or Marriage?

Remember that marriage steps were a little different in the Jewish tradition as couples were engaged first but this engagement was close to the same as being married.

 

Joseph and Mary were engaged in this way when she became pregnant. There are many ways to explore this story and it would be beyond the scope of this lesson to address them all.

 

Joseph Listened to God's Will

A key point is that Joseph did decide to take Mary as his wife after the visit from the angel. This one step most likely saved her life. Stoning for sin was very popular during this time in history so Mary would most certainly have been put to death for her "condition" if not for Joseph stepping in.

 

Human and God

Another point is the influence of the virgin birth for Christian faith. Christ was born to a human woman which meant that he had human blood running through his veins. But, as the Son of God, he was also born without sin which would later allow him to die on the cross to forgive all nations (including us) when he rose on the third day.

 

Am I Good Enough?

The answer - no. I am not good enough - there is only one way. We are all sinners in the eyes of God and we cannot do enough or be "good enough" to be accepted into heaven when we die.

 

The Way?

The only hope we have is through accepting Jesus Christ as our savior and redeemer. He can forgive our failures in life and bring us through the doors of eternal life. Not a bad trade, is it?

Love in Christ

- Bob

More Bible Study Lessons - The Christmas Story

Matthew 1:1-17 - The Genealogy of Jesus Christ