Joseph: The Dreamer

After he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared

to him in a dream, and said,

"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."

Matthew 1:20 

When Mary returned from visiting Elizabeth, she would have told Joseph the entire story of the visit from the angel and his exact words, including his answer to her question, "How can this be?"  Joseph's ruminations about divorce seem to indicate that he found the message far-fetched.  The words of the angel he could not accept from Mary's explanation he suddenly received directly from the horse's mouth.  

During those stress-filled hours of agonizing about what to do with his shattered engagement, Joseph had a dream from God. The angel in the dream told Joseph the exact same message that Gabriel told Mary - this pregnancy was not from common human dalliance, but from the Holy Spirit. 

The angel told Joseph that Mary would have a son, and that he was to call the child Jesus, "...because He will save His people from their sins."  This statement would have been an unmistakable indication to Joseph that the child to be born would be the long-awaited Messiah.  The Gospel writer Matthew interjects at this point in the narrative that all of this was done to fulfill the words of the prophet Isaiah in chapter 7, verse 14:  Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel - God with us." 

When Joseph awoke from his dream, he did exactly as the angel had commanded.  There were no more questions, no hesitation, no "what if's".  God had clearly spoken.  Matthew says that Joseph "...took Mary home as his wife," and cared for her for the remaining time leading to the long-awaited birth.

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Joy to the earth! The Savior reigns.

Let all their songs employ.

While fields and flocks, rocks, hills and plains

Repeat the sounding joy, repeat the sounding joy,

Repeat, repeat the sounding joy.

The United Methodist Hymnal, No. 246