LAAMP P
Joseph and That Day
A story based on Matthew’s
and Luke’s accounts of the birth of Jesus
Have you ever had a day
that never seems to leave your mind? A day you will forever think of as “That
Day.” It is a day, good or bad, that changed the course of your life
forever.
Before That
Day, I was so happy at the thought of forever being with my beloved
Mary. The woman of my dreams would soon be my wife. You could see the purity
and commitment to Jehovah in her eyes. My days were filled with preparations to
provide a home and security for my beloved bride. Mary filled my soul with joy
at the thought of our blessed event.
That Day, she called my name, but not with her customary
cheerfulness. Something was wrong. The look in her eyes and the change in her
countenance was disturbing to me. What was the cause of this sudden change in
her demeanor?
That Day, as Mary began to tell of the miraculous
encounter, I could not believe my bride was telling me she was pregnant outside
of marriage. How could she use our God as the Father of her baby? When
did her loss of integrity become an excuse for infidelity by blaming God?
That Day, my heart sunk, and rage began to build within
me. I listened. I sat. I cried. I questioned. Did she lie about her love for
me? It was too much to bear. I dismissed myself from her presence and sought a
place to be alone and pray.
That Day shattered the dreams I had for us forever.
A few days later, I
approached her about the bizarre story she told me That Day.
However, she was adamant about what had happened to her. My anger and
bewilderment grew even more. The funny thing is I wanted to believe her. Mary
is not a liar, nor had there ever been another man in her life. Why the sudden
change now? I left again, very confused.
Because I trusted Mary,
I chose to believe what had happened was not her choice. Surely, it was rape,
and she preferred not to disclose the man’s name, or she did not know the man.
Whatever the reason, I decided to divorce her quietly, and maybe I could
forget That Day.
That Day brought many sleepless nights. Finally,
one night I fell asleep and had the most fantastic dream or vision of the
night, as the prophets would say. An angel appeared and said Mary was not
lying. She was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. In a moment, all anxieties about
the situation shifted from Mary to me. I could believe Mary again! Now, I was a
part of God’s plan to bring the Messiah into the earth. It is astonishing to
know that God can do such wondrous work inside one’s heart in a moment.
That Day is not about Mary anymore. It is about
Messiah and me. Could it be that the virgin prophecy given to Ahaz by Isaiah
was about our Messiah coming into the earth as well? What a precarious position
for me. I must marry a woman that is pregnant but not by me and take care of
the Child. How do you take care of a Holy Child? Lord, help me!
As I reflect on the
beginning of this journey of timeless wonder, it seems like a never-ending
dream. I was amazed by how God provided for us all those years to fulfill His
prophecy. He planned so many things beforehand:
- Foreteller of our Messiah to Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth (a great
comfort and witness to Mary about her condition)
- Caesar Augustus ordered us to go to Bethlehem, according to the scriptures
- The Messiah to be born in a place where
everyone could come and worship Him
- Welcome and acknowledge the Holy Child in
the His temple by revered elderly worshipers, Anna, the prophetess, and
Simeon
- Give us finances from strangers to live in
Egypt while Herod was alive (no family loans)
Those are the most
memorable, but there were many, many more throughout this journey. The
Holy Child, Jesus, God’s Son, is a man, working as a carpenter like me. I
expect that soon the world will know who I am because of Him. I am the man who
took care of and raised God on earth. All of this will be history someday.
That Day will live forever in the hearts of men for
eternity. I’m sure mankind will rejoice that Mary and I accepted the challenge
to be God’s instruments for the world’s salvation.
Wow! What a blessed
event That Day will become!
Scripture references:
1 John 3:1-2, Genesis 1:26-27, Isaiah 7:14, Luke 1:26-38, 2:1-20, Matthew
1:18-21, 23, 24; 2:6, Micah 5:2-5a
I, Mary
From One Mother to Another
A story based on Matthew’s and Luke’s accounts of the birth of
Jesus.
I lovingly called him Bearer. He was a surefooted and humble donkey — the bearer of the burden to carry my unborn Child and me to Bethlehem. My husband, Joseph, handpicked my little donkey. The one he trusted the most to carry us safely to our destination.
At the time, I pondered the wisdom of taking this trip to my
husband’s ancestral home for the census, but we had no choice. The journey
would be arduous and lengthy. My Baby, Messiah,
and King must be born in Bethlehem.
After all, the Prophet Micah prophesied that the Ruler of
Israel would come from Bethlehem.
I
remember that day like yesterday when Gabriel, the angel, appeared to me. He
said I was chosen to be the mother of Israel’s Messiah. Me, my Lord’s mother! I was delighted
to be favored to conceive the Holy One of Israel.
After all, I could not say no to an angel and the opportunity to become the mother of my Messiah.
I
was nervous when I told Joseph, then my fiancé, about the angelic visitation. As
expected, he was not happy to know I was pregnant; no man would be under the
circumstances. We were planning a wedding. Of course, my story sounded ridiculous
and was utterly unbelievable. He thought I was making excuses for an act of infidelity.
Thankfully, an angel (I will call him “Faithful Angel”) appeared to Joseph in a
dream and confirmed my story and fidelity.
Later, Joseph shared his first thoughts about my pregnancy.
He thought, “My bride has committed adultery! Who is the father of this baby?
Do I know the man?” However, after the appearance of Faithful Angel, He obeyed the
heavenly visitor and took me as his wife.
After
all, he could not say no to an angel and the opportunity to be our Messiah’s
earthly father.
I was
close to delivering my Baby when we started packaging for the trip to Bethlehem.
The prophet, Micah, had foretold my Baby would be born in that city. Joseph and
I shared the anxiety of telling our family and friends about the trip down
south. However, our God used Caesar Augustus of the great Roman Empire to
fulfill the Holy Scriptures concerning our Messiah. His census provided a reason
for us to travel to Bethlehem for the birth of my Baby. Now, many family
members and friends were required to make the journey with us. Ah! The wisdom
of our God is magnificent. He holds the
hearts of mighty men in His hands and manipulates them to do His will.
After
all, the power of any man starts and stops at the decree of our God.
I experienced
labor pains before we arrived in the city. The streets of Bethlehem were full of
travelers from every part of Israel because of the census. Likewise, there were no rooms
available for us to rest from the journey. As night fell, my labor pains increased more and more. I could no
longer ride Bearer, and walking was extremely painful for me. Finally, an innkeeper offered us his stable. Therefore, we
camped there for the night. Not long after we
were settled, my Baby was born. Can you imagine giving birth to your
first child in a stable full of animals?
After all, the Child born in their midst is their Creator
too.
I
held the Baby in my arms — the Messiah, my Baby. Why was He born in a
stable? The God of the universe had impregnated me without a husband and turned
the heart of Caesar to decree an edict for us to travel to Bethlehem. Yet, the
Son of God was born in a lowly stable.
My husband was perplexed as well
and felt the burden of parental responsibility. Joseph looked around the
stable, let out a long sighed, and took Baby in his arms, knowing His name
would be Jesus. Then he made my Baby a bed out of a small animal trough.
Later, my husband shared his
thoughts about that moment with me. He said to himself, “Could not
the God of my fathers whose Spirit impregnated my wife have prepared a decent place for the birth of the Holy
Child? My wife is lying on the ground, covered with straw in a stable of smelly
animals. What is the meaning of this? Nevertheless, I let it go and kept
trusting in God.”
After
all, Joseph was sure the God of my fathers had selected this place for the
Messiah’s birth long ago.
I heard
a great commotion outside of the stable later that night. The doors opened, and
in came shepherds praising God for the birth of the Savior of Israel. An angel and
a heavenly host had appeared to them while watching their sheep. The angle proclaimed
Baby’s birth in Bethlehem, and the heavenly host praised God for peace on
earth. The shepherds worship my Baby and told everyone about their angelic
visitation, including our family, friends, and
other visitors in the city. At the time, I was puzzled why Faithful Angel
did not proclaim Baby’s birth to the scribes,
Pharisees, and King Herod, but to shepherds in a field.
After
all, He is the Messiah of Israel.
I
moved from the stable into a house my husband found for us. There were days of
rituals to perform according to the Law of Moses. However, by now, we had
noticed an increase in heavenly happenings related to my Child. Some of them
were visible, some of them were dreams, and some of them were intangible
interventions. It would take days to tell the full story of His early years.
After
all, a King greater than Solomon and David was born. He is the One whose origin
is from ancient times. He is on the earth with a mission to save
Israel and the world.
Like Mary, many women are chosen to be mothers of sons of
God (mankind). Jesus was born and died to establish a process for the
redemption of all mankind.
After all, we are the sons of Adam, who is the son of God.