Friday, December 21, 2012

God Became Man

 

Read Matthew 1:18-21

http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=223094319

 

^"She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

 

So far this week, we have only read and talked about Mary; Joseph has been left out of the limelight and was getting the short end of the stick.  The Matthew account of the foretelling of the birth of Jesus has much more focus on Joseph than on Mary.  Matthew opens with a genealogy that connects Jesus to David through Joseph, and so it is Joseph who must wrestle with what to do about this child in Matthew.  Mary’s obedient response of “Here I am, Lord” found in Luke is left out.  We are given a man with a pregnant fiancé, who is probably somewhat angry and confused at the situation.
 
Joseph’s dream convinces him to stay with Mary, but the end of that dream had to be shocking.  He is told to name the son Jesus, “for he will save his people from their sins.”  I wonder if Joseph though he misheard the angel.  Maybe Jesus was to be a war hero, wielding a sword and defending the damsels, or maybe he was to a rich man, spending his dollars to influence public policy.  Maybe that’s how this baby was to be important, but saving people from their sins?  How is a baby supposed to do that?
 
This is the scandal of the whole season.  We have been thinking about this all week – God became man.  God became man specifically because he loved humanity and planned to save them from their sin.  This declaration by the angel to Joseph is incredible.  First, man can be saved from sin, and second, God chose to begin this work not with a monarch, not with a wealthy man, but with a baby.  Jesus would heal and be able to confidently say, “Take heart, your sin has been forgiven” (Matthew 9:2).  Incredible!

Brandi Tevebaugh

Eternal and loving God, pour out in our hearts this day the light of your love, warming us to one another, enlightening our understanding of others, and revealing the path of charity upon which you have called us to walk. Amen.