The Father named the Son
What an amazing discovery in Matthew 1:21-24 this morning! We all know and have heard of the virgin birth and the fact that God chose Mary to be the mother of Jesus. How amazing would it have been to be the mother of the Son of God! I have generally seen Mary's role as a much higher role than that of her husband Joseph but that is not so.
While Mary carried Jesus during her pregnancy and put up with the shame, Joseph's commitment to this child's birth was just as important and strong. Joseph couldn't not just sit by and take an inactive role in the life of Mary's Child, he was instructed by God to be in the trenches and active.
God instructed Joseph to name the child!
In the culture, the father would give the son the name and in so doing would declare him the heir of the father's inheritance. In the giving of the name, the father was legitimizing the birth of the child. By naming Jesus, Joseph was stating that he was the father and that Jesus was a legitimate child to his house and inheritance. As the firstborn, Jesus would have the greatest inheritance in the house...even over that of Joseph's firstborn son. Joseph was giving up a good deal in his act of obedience here. It wasn't just that He was accepting this child as Mary's child and agreeing to care for Him, Joseph was all in and completely involved in the process.
Now for the amazing part! While Joseph named Jesus on earth...the Father is the One that gave the Son His name!
God the Father named the Son and made Him the Heir of all that is rightfully His!
Jesus had an earthly inheritance and a heavenly inheritance. Jesus had an earthly father and a Heavenly Father. Jesus had been given a name that had been given a common name among the people at the time BUT it had an uncommon purpose because it was given by His Heavenly Father.
Jesus means "God Saves" and Emmanuel means "God is with us!". Jesus the Emmanuel, means the "God who saves is with us!" A name and a purpose given by His Father and his father...indicating his mission and purpose!
Joseph was all in and had as vital of a role in the life of Christ as Mary...Joseph awoke from his dream and "did exactly what God's angel commanded in the dream".
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