Day 2: “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded.”

BLOG SERIES: The Birth of Jesus—Obedience leads to Blessings

Hurt. Confused. Completely blindsided.

After receiving the news, I can almost picture the evolution of Joseph’s expression—the widening of his eyes, the rising of his brow, and his backward movement in disbelief. Then moments later, a furrowing brow, a wrinkled forehead, and downturned lips. Oh, how heavy his heart must have felt. Oh, how heavy this whole situation must have been.

I suppose he felt torn; torn between what the religious law said and torn between what his heart felt. I suppose he reconciled the unexpected situation as best he could when he set his mind to divorcing Mary quietly so as not to mark her or bring her shame.

But then, after what might have been a series of long, emotionally-exhausting days, Joseph laid his head down to rest. In his slumber, he was met by an angel of the Lord. “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.”

And when Joseph awoke he didn’t question what he saw. He didn’t try to rationalize it or dismiss it. Instead, Joseph made a decision to put God first. In bold faith and obedience, he acted immediately. “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.”

In the coming 12 days, we will see how the obedience of an ordinary man, and the obedience of others, were part of one of the most extraordinary events the world has ever known.