Joseph & Believing

Matthew 1

Joseph was engaged to Mary. She gets pregnant. By the Holy Spirit, according to Mary. Not likely, according to Joseph, and everyone else.

It's the start of the greatest miracle, son of God, born of a virgin. And from the start it's wrought in skepticism, doubt, and controversy.

Conceived by the Holy Spirit? "Really, I'm still a virgin, Joseph. I did nothing, nothing wrong. No sex with anyone. This is God. Really. Believe me, Joseph. I did nothing. God."

Sorry, Mary. No. Not God, that's too much. It's over. I can't marry you.

Could it be? Could God be?

God could have planned it better, set everything up better. Made the prophesies more clear, ran an ad campaign first, sent a messenger to the town first, before all the damage and controversy was done, to warm everyone, let them know what was coming. But no, not that way.

That's not what happened. Instead every person, after every event, is challenged with the question, "Will you believe something incredible and large is happening?"

It probably starts with Mary. She was the only one with the benefit of a warning. The angel came to her before things happened, when the angel came to warn her. "You will get pregnant, Mary, with the son of God." (Matthew, although, omits this part; the story begins when she is already pregnant, and Joseph takes centre stage.)

Joseph is obviously challenged to keep up. He dismisses Mary's explanation and decides to divorce her, quietly and mercifully. It's impossible, this whole story is impossible. God has to step into this belief void.

No one else, presumably, believes. Elizabeth and Zechariah do, because if their own miracle baby (which also started with unbelief). But likely no one else did.

So small, so insignificant. The coming of the messiah in proportions larger than anyone could dream. But no prophet in the temple to announce it, no seer appeared in the village square. Nothing, it seems, to make it easy for anyone to understand, to believe in what was happening.

But still, a need. They had to believe. Mary had to believe. So did Joseph. The story depends on them believing. In the middle of the chaos and controversy they don't have a choice; the story ends if they don't believe. It doesn't matter that the evidence is scant, that the story is unbelievable.

Their whole village had to - although we find out later most of them did not.

And this, sadly, at least it makes me sad, is the way of God. Quiet and subtle. So understated.

The story is much bigger. Matthew precedes it by 42 generations of genealogy. This is where the whole history of Israel is going. And then everything quiets to a whisper no one can hear.

I guess I'm not atypical in my struggle for faith. Everything is evident for everyone to see. But so quiet, so unobtrusive, so understated.

And this is what God puts in front of all of us. Not a lot. But a need to believe. No excuses. And if you don't, the story ends for you.