20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins.
22 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,
23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
24 Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:
25 And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus.
These seven verses are dense enough to provide the content for an entire novel. It sets up equally Joseph or Mary as the protagonist.
Joseph's story centers around the hurt and betrayal that wells up inside him upon realizing Mary is with child, one that obviously cannot be his, for he has been an honorable man. Yet Mary has not even had the decency to tell him the truth. What fool would believe such a thing?
"Joseph, I promise, I have been with nobody; this child comes from God only. Even I cannot believe it; yet, I know it to be true. An angel of the Lord told me, and even if he didn't, I know where I sleep. I am not a hussy."
"I'm sorry Mary. Babies simply do not begat themselves."
The climax comes in one great cathartic moment for Joseph: "Honorable? How could I think such a thing! I am less than the dust of the earth. Here is a woman so pure, so good, God himself has chosen her as mother of His only begotten son, and here I was ready to 'spare her' the embarrassment of public divorce! What kind of man am I? How could I see her as anything other than what she is: the future mother of my own Lord and Savior? It is not she that is unworthy of me, but rather I who is unworthy of her."
Mary's story confronts her with the restrictions of a patriarchal society: the anguish of losing her one true love because only a "pure" woman is worthy of marriage; the worry of wondering how to put food on the table in a society where there are few options for single women, especially one with a child. Will she, the mother of God's only begotten, have to turn to prostitution? "To bring up God's literal child in such circumstances? Unthinkable! But what other choices do I have?"
What amazes me is that both stories are equally there. I have filled in the missing details, but I have not created the conflict that drives the plots. Both Mary and Joseph are equally heroic--high-minded, good characters trapped, like all of us, in the human condition. Both are chosen to be the parents of the Great I AM and yet, simply by being human, destined to be unimaginably under-qualified for the position. Yet, because of their goodness, because of their courage, because of their faith, they are willing to go forth and serve anyhow.
Amazing.
After reading such a story, how can we desire to serve any less?
We are not qualified by our nature, our talents, or our positions; we are qualified through Christ. All we need to be qualified to serve is the willingness to say "yes".
Note: My wife and editor, Marci, wants me to add that she doesn't think Mary would ever say "hussy".
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