Joesph's Dream

Matthew 1:20-24

I wonder how much time passed between Joesph knowing that Mary was pregnant and being told by the angel that Mary's pregnancy was Holy-Spirit conceived. I suspect it was more than just a couple of days. God seems to enjoy a little tension and suspense(just think of the years Abraham waited for a son or the breath-taking-last-minute-no-where-to-go-save of the the Red Sea crossing).

When the time finally did come, when the angel most likely startled Joesph in his dream, Joseph must have felt a tremendous relief, but it was a relief that was most likely followed by terror. "Joseph, Mary has not cheated on you; you will now be the father of a deity."

Terror/awe/wonder often stuns people into inaction, so I'm grateful that the angel tells Joesph exactly what to do: "Joseph. . . . take Mary home as your wife. . . . [and] give [your son] the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20,21).

I love Jesus' name. It means, "The Lord saves." Before Jesus took his first breath in this world, he had already been named; his mission had already been laid out for him. Matthew ties Jesus' name to a prophecy in Isaiah, "'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel'--which means, 'God with us'" (Matthew 1:22,23). I have at times wondered what the connection was between the meaning of "the Lord saves" and "God with us", but I recently read in Andrew Murray's book The Blessing of Obedience a thought that connects those two names:

"The secret of true obedience is a close and unmistakable personal relationship with God.... It is God's holy presence consciously abiding with us that keeps us from disobeying Him. . . . The only power to obey is in the presence of God" (Murray 523).

How does Jesus save us? He is with us! He is with us in taking our sin; he is with us in living our lives. He walks with us even now, and in his presence our sin runs away.