Youth Christmas Lesson

Matthew 1:16–25 ESV

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations. 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

The Bible gives little information about Mary’s husband, Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. Matthew 1:16-25 contains virtually all that is known about Joseph prior to his trip to Bethlehem for Jesus’s birth.

Try to imagine the feelings of Joseph as the angel of the Lord told him that his fiancé was impregnated by the Holy Spirit. How could anyone, especially a righteous Jewish man, process such an event?

This is how Joseph reacted: he did what the angel of the Lord commanded him to do and took Mary home as his wife. The Bible doesn’t say when Joseph took Mary home, but in the hours, days, or months between her being found to be pregnant and her arrival at his house, there must have been a myriad of emotions of the people involved: Joseph and his family members, Mary and her family members, neighbors, rabbis, and others in the community.

Few people in Nazareth would have been exempt from being involved emotionally. Under the customs of that time, betrothal was equivalent to being married, except that the betrothed did not have sexual relations.

That is why Matthew 1:16 says Joseph was her husband. That same verse says that Joseph was faithful to the law. According to the Leviticus 20:10, both parties to adultery by neighbors were to be put to death.

There was no alternative, such as divorce. Joseph was in a complete dilemma. He did not want to publicly disgrace Mary, but he was trapped as to what to do. That trap did not necessarily go away after he took Mary home as his wife.

His conscience would have been clear because of the information he received from the angel, but the community of Nazareth would likely have been accusatory, and those accusations would follow Jesus throughout his life.

In John 8:41, the Jewish leaders seem to accuse Jesus of being illegitimate. The first mention of Joseph shows him as being obedient to God under the most unusual and unique circumstances, and most of the remaining mentions of Joseph demonstrate that obedience.

Perhaps their obedience is why Joseph and Mary were chosen to be the parents of Jesus. Maybe this is why one of the first descriptions of their son, Jesus, was: “he was completely obedient to them.”

Show video of “Eyewitnesses Bible Study” Obedience

What was Joseph's initial reaction upon learning about Mary's pregnancy?

Why does it suggest that Joseph was in a dilemma regarding Mary's situation?

Who told Joseph about the special situation with Mary and her baby?

What might have been the community's perception of Joseph after he took Mary as his wife?

What can we learn from Joseph's response to his situation?