In one way, Joseph’s faith in God had to be a lot greater than Mary’s. After all, she knew without a doubt that she hadn’t been with a man and yet was pregnant. But Joseph had to believe all that without any proof – something that was quite frankly impossible in the ordinary course of events. Moreover, Gabriel showed up to Mary while she was wide awake, while an angel only spoke to Joseph in a dream. It would have been so easy for Joseph to dismiss all this talk of Mary having a miraculous baby and simply to assume she had been unfaithful to him.

But even before Joseph had this dream, verse 19 makes it clear that he wasn’t the kind to lash out at Mary, to get even with her. Instead, his initial plan was to try to spare her as much of the inevitable shame and humiliation as possible. Wouldn’t it be great if we could all treat people who have hurt us with such grace?

And then Joseph did something even more amazing – he believed what the angel had said to him in a dream, and he believed Mary. No, he probably didn’t understand everything the angel said – after all, we still wonder about exactly how the Holy Spirit caused Mary to become pregnant. But Joseph nevertheless chose to believe the impossible, and agreed to take Mary as his wife and raise the child that he knew wasn’t his. He did all this, not because it made any sense to him, but because God wanted him to.

Now, in verses 22 and 23 Matthew gives us yet another reason why Joseph may done what he did – because of the Old Testament prophecies. As a descendant of David, he had to know the predictions of a Messiah that would come from David’s line. But because Isaiah predicted that a virgin would bear a child, Joseph knew God could bring it about, no matter how little sense it made to him.

Is God calling you today to believe something that just doesn’t make sense? If He has said it in the Scriptures, if He has promised it, you can bank on it. Is God calling you to do something that just doesn’t make sense – like be gentle to someone who has hurt you? If He has commanded it in the Scriptures, it’s best for you and for others. So let’s step out on faith, trusting the God for Whom nothing is impossible.

Matthew 1:18-25 (NASB)

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been 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, desired to put 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 that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 “And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins.”
22 Now all this took place that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
24 And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife,
25 and kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.