Mennonite Weekly Review

“I’m pregnant.” Those words always have a way of turning lives upside down. For a young married couple eager to start or expand a family, the words can bring wonder, joy, anticipation, gratitude. But for an unmarried teenager, the words can bring fear, shame, anxiety and dread.

Dueckman

In the midst of such a life-changing event is where Joseph and Mary find themselves in this week’s lesson. We can imagine the range of emotions running through both of them when Mary is found to be with child. For Mary, who already knows the divine origin of her pregnancy, this event must have brought a mix of emotions. In Luke 1 we read of her song where she accepts with humility her role and praises God for choosing her to be the mother of the Savior. Still, she must feel uncertainty, even dread, in trying to explain her condition to Joseph and eventually to the rest of the community. Matthew 1 particularly focuses on Joseph’s point of view.

Saved from humiliation

Today out-of-wedlock pregnancies do not carry the stigma they once did. But many can remember a time when the aberrant couple, or sometimes only the mother-to-be, were called in front of the entire church to confess and repent. It must have been humiliating. Similarly, in the ancient Jewish world, fornication, which would have been assumed in this case, would lead to a public trial. Joseph knows this would be humiliating for Mary and wants to spare her. Another option is a private divorce, which Matthew says Joseph was considering, being a “righteous man.”

God’s solution to this awkward situation is to reveal to Joseph in a dream that Mary had conceived by the Holy Spirit. But it would require an act of faith and courage on Joseph’s part. Joseph is asked to go through with the planned marriage in taking Mary into his home and giving the baby a name, in effect acknowledging the child as his own. It also solidifies Jesus’ place in the lineage of David.

A central theme for Matthew is connecting the Old Testament with the New, making it clear to his Jewish readers that Jesus is the Messiah they have been waiting for. Before continuing with his narrative, Matthew inserts into the story (verses 22-23) a reference to fulfillment of the Scriptures by quoting Isaiah 7:14: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The name “Immanuel” means “God with us.” God stepping down to intervene in history by the very act of divinely conceiving a pregnancy in a human woman is a further solidification of God’s presence among us.

Rising to the test

In the final two verses of this chapter, we learn that Joseph is obedient in taking Mary as his wife before Jesus is born. Unlike the familiar passage in Luke, the narrative in Matthew gives no details on the birth itself, only that it takes place. Matthew is more concerned with setting up the background story of establishing Jesus as Messiah.

Being called on to take part in this drama is not something Joseph asks for. He may have thought his life and future were neatly working out. Yet in the face of unexpected events, Joseph rises to the test and follows through, despite uncertainties. God is clearly with both Joseph and Mary at this testing time in their lives.

Before Christmas, let us consider Immanuel: God with us. Life is full of unexpected events. To be a Christian means experiencing Jesus’ presence in our lives every day, whatever tests it may bring.

Amy Dueckman, a former staff writer for Mennonite Weekly Review, works for Canadian Mennonite and Mennonite Central Committee British Columbia and is a member of Emmanuel Mennonite Church in Abbotsford, B.C.