Rachel Workman: The birth of Jesus was certainly not a glorious
one. You can imagine how hard that was on Mary. In those times to become
pregnant before you were married was not acceptable. We lose sight of that in
today's time where it's just common. For Mary this was quite a burden and a
struggle. And I imagine it was for Joseph as well. I'm sure this is not how
Joseph imagined things being when he took a wife. I for one am grateful for
their obedience.
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John Burnett: 18 Now
the birth of Jesus [a]Christ was as follows: when
His mother Mary had been [b]betrothed to Joseph, before
they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And
Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her,
planned [c]to send her away secretly. 20 But
when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your
wife; for [d]the Child who has been [e]conceived in her is of the
Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a Son; and you shall call His
name Jesus, for [f]He will save His people from
their sins.” Joseph was a righteous man and knowing that Jesus would
save people from their sins means that he probably knew Jesus would have to die
to do so. 22 Now all this [g]took place to fulfill what
was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call
His name [h]Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.” Not only was Jesus with them but God is
with us today in the form of his living Word and the Holy Spirit. 24 And
Joseph [i]awoke from his sleep and did
as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 [j]but kept her a virgin until
she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Luke 2:1-7
2 Now
in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus, that a census be taken of
all [a]the inhabited earth. 2 [b]This was the first census
taken while [c]Quirinius was governor of
Syria. 3 And everyone was on his way to register for the
census, each to his own city. 4 Joseph also went up from
Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is
called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, 5 in
order to register along with Mary, who was engaged to him, and was with child. 6 While
they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth. 7 And
she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid
Him in a [d]manger, because there was no
room for them in the inn. God’s providential will is on display again
in this passage as he uses Caesar Augustus and his decree to bring Joseph and
Mary to the city of David. The humble beginnings of being born in a barn
and laid in a manger is not much different than your ordinary baby lamb, but
what makes his willingness to be humbled this way is his amazing grace and love
for us. To come down off his throne in Heaven and willingly be led to die
on the cross for a sinner such as I is love beyond description. Thank you
Lord Jesus.
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Krista Cook: - Jesus' birth! So
awesome to see the prophecies all come true. What a wonderful thing to be
a part of - Joseph and Mary were certainly blessed to experience
this firsthand. But we are still receiving blessings from this great
event.
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Mike Grimm: Matthew 1:18-25
“… until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.” Way to “phone it in” Matt. Actually, Matthew focuses more on Joseph’s obedience and events
leading up to the birth of Christ, than the actual birth.
Joseph's righteousness (v. 19) is further demonstrated by his
scrupulous obedience to God's word.
1. His obedience to the angelic word. "When Joseph
woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded and took Mary as his
wife" (v. 24) - his naming of the child (v. 25) being further obedience to
the same command. Joseph simply did what God, through the angel, had told him
to do. He thus provides us a model.
2. His obedience to the prophetic word. Joseph also obeys
"what the Lord had said through the prophet" Isaiah. The prophecy
stated: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son"
(v. 23). Accordingly, Joseph "did not have sexual relations with her until
her son was born" (v. 25). It was as a virgin that Mary was both to
conceive the child and to give birth to the child. We see what sort of model
Joseph provided for the child Jesus
Luke 2:1-7
Luke’s purpose is not to
emphasize the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, as Matthew would do, for
his gospel is written to a Gentile, who is probably not familiar with the
prophecies of the Old Testament. Luke’s purpose is to show the humble
circumstances of the Messiah’s birth.
Much of the imagery
which has become a part of the Christmas and nativity tradition has been
supplied by our “filling in the gaps” of Luke’s account. What we are told is
that there was not room in the “inn,” which resulted in the baby Jesus being wrapped
in rags or strips of cloth and placed in a cattle feeding trough for a crib. We
do not know that Jesus was born in a stable, or in a cave for that matter. What
is important is that the prophecies were fulfilled and our Lord and Savior,
Jesus the Christ, was born for us. Yes, us. To die for all our sins a short
time later so that all that believe in Him, and accept Him as their Lord and
Savior, WILL be saved. It does not matter to me the circumstances under which
He was born, nor do I care that December 25th is not His real date
of birth. I only care that the event actually happened. I’ll discuss the
details with Him the first time I see Him.
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