Skip to main content

Addressing the Fear


          But after he had 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. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21)

          “Do not be afraid.” Angels seem to need to say this often, but usually, it’s reassurance about themselves. Today’s admonition against fear deals with the situation in which Joseph found himself. Here he was, a young man engaged to a young woman who is pregnant. It’s not his child. By all rights, he should demand the name of the father. He probably did and was told that the Father was the father. What sort of nonsense was that? By all rights, both she and her lover should be stoned to death.
But he loved her. He may not have been in love with her. He may have been deeply hurt by her infidelity, but he loved her. Instead of taking her to court and displaying his innocence and her guilt before the community, he was thinking of quietly disentangling – of giving her a divorce so they would both be free: she could marry the father; he could find a new bride who was faithful. The whispers for both would probably disappear faster. It would also make him the victim, which might have seemed preferable to being one of the sinners.
          The angel addresses the fear and reframes the situation. He changes everything but changes nothing. And, he adds a huge burden. This child wasn’t some base-born bastard, He was from God, by God, and destined to be the long-awaited Messiah. One the one hand, “Whew! Mary’s not what I was afraid she was.” On the other hand, “No one will believe this and how are we supposed to raise the Messiah?”
          What would we see if we tried to look at things more from God’s perspective? Granted, we may not know what it looks like from His perspective, but how often do we ask Him about it? We ask for the storm to be calmed, or at least for Him to calm us. What would happen if we asked, instead, to see the storm through His eyes?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Especially to those who belong to the family of believers."

Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. (Gal 6:10)   “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.   By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35)           Joshua grinned when he saw Rex standing by the door, studying something on the ground. "Hey, man! Are we ready to do this thing?"          Rex looked up. "Josh, I can't do it. We're still best buds, but I can't stand your fiancée."           I've met "Rex" many times. I've been Rex. Joshua (Jesus) loves the Church. He's not a fool. He knows the Church is far from perfect, but she is His chosen bride. The Rexes of this world, who think themselves His friend, turn away from her. "You don't need the Church to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Ssssssubmmissssssionnn

Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ . (Ephesians 5:21)             "Ssssssubmmisssssssionnn." Can't you just hear the serpent hissing this most horrible of words? If you listen to the serpent or the world, submission means groveling, allowing yourself to be abused, denying yourself your own humanity. Nothing could be worse than submission, could it?             Submission has never been a problem for me, as long as things are going the way I want them to. The rest of the time? Well, let's just say that while I don't know how to fight physically, I don't know how to not fight mentally. One of the fights I've been having with myself for years is about submission.             My first breakthrough took place on a trip to a bookstore. As I walked into the store, my thoughts were very clear. 1) I was goi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shark Fins, Triple Dog Dares, Heroes, Villains and Sidekicks

Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12)            There's a scene in Jaws in which someone sees a shark fin and starts a panic. As   all the swimmers scramble to shore, boats surround the fin, which falls over to reveal two kids. With several guns pointed at them, one of the kids points at the other. The message is clear: it was his idea. In Christmas Story, there's a scene in which one kid "triple dog dares" another to do something stupid. Since it's a triple dog dare, well, what choice does the boy have? There doesn't seem to be any end to the trouble that peer pressure can cause. ...
Post a Comment
Read more