“I have no hope! I see no hope for myself or the world” Life is filled with setbacks, personal losses, and unanswered prayers. We need Hope this Christmas.
In Matthew 1:18-25, Mary was found to be pregnant through a miracle by the Holy Spirit while she was betrothed to Joseph. Betrothal in ancient Israel was much different than “engagement” in our culture. The Jewish betrothal involved a legal contract. It could be broken only by an official divorce. Any sexual activity during this period was viewed as adultery and could carry the death penalty. Matthew, however, is not reporting a scandal but God’s intervention into human history. This was no ordinary human conception. God was at work!
His description of the Holy Spirit’s role in the virginal conception is quite different from Greco-Roman parallels. These so-called parallels all depend upon a god having sexual intercourse with a human. There is no hint of this in Matthew.
Further, the perception of those is that Mary knew that she was in a shameful and potentially dangerous position. How would one know that this pregnancy was the result of divine intervention and not of sexual promiscuity, immorality, or rape? Joseph, a man who was just and righteous, likely doubted that Mary was innocent. Matthew records Joseph acting in a way that would reduce her shame and shield her from perhaps deadly consequences of adultery. Joseph planned to divorce her quietly.
But God was at work! He revealed to Joseph His plans. As a result, Joseph should not fear because the child was a miracle of the Holy Spirit. After the child was born, Joseph did what the angel had commanded and gave him the name Jesus. Joseph trusted in God. There was hope.
We can have real hope today by connecting to the Lord Jesus Christ by faith. Everyone that trusts in Jesus and his death for our sins is forgiven. Everyone! Biblical hope is disconnected from circumstances and looks beyond this world and this life to Jesus Christ. It looks to him to rest, to trust, and to hope. There is real hope this Christmas.