As their meal was finished, and the table was cleared, the family soon found themselves gathered again around Caleb to hear more about the birth of Christ. As all found their place, Caleb looked up and began to speak to his grandson, Seth. “My son, your grandfather is growing old, so would you mind refreshing my mind with the rest of the question you had asked me before we enjoyed our meal.”
“Saba(Hebrew for grandfather), of all the people in this world, why would God choose Mary and Joseph?”, Seth asked with a puzzled look on his face.
As Caleb thought for a second on how to begin, his mind went back to his own past. “Seth, as you know, my parents were there as the Church got its start. They were there, with Peter, John, and the others as the Holy Spirit fell on all in the upper room at Pentecost(Acts 2). I was so blessed to be able to learn from the apostles, from those who had spent so much time with the Master. At your age. my son, I was able to ask them question after question, until I am sure they would hide when they saw me coming. And many of the questions you now have, I was able to ask of so many of them. As I am sure you have been told many times, I was just a few years older than you are now, when we had to flee from Jerusalem, as the persecution began. And even as we started our new life, here in Antioch, I still saw them all often, and would still cherish each chance I got to talk with them.”
As Caleb drew his grandson near, he began to say to him. “Let me share with you what they so often shared with me about Joseph and Mary. Matthew told me of Joseph that he was a righteous man, and was obedient to God(Matthew 1:19-25). And Luke would often speak of Mary, telling us she was just as obedient, and sought the Lord’s will for her life(Luke 1:28-38). I know I have something you would enjoy hearing about Mary in my library. Give me one second to find it for you, my son.”
As Caleb hurriedly fumbled through his papers and scrolls, he quickly came across one and returned to his seat. “I have found it! Luke wrote down the words for me that Mary gave as praise to the Lord after hearing she would carry our Savior. Words that show the very nature of this woman that the Lord chose to carry His Son. Let me read these words to you. ‘My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave; for behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed. For the Mighty One has done great things for me; and holy is His name. And His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him. He has done mighty deeds with His arm; He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart. He has brought down rulers from their thrones, and has exalted those who were humble. He has filled the hungry with good things; and sent away the rich empty-handed. He has given help to Israel His servant, in remembrance of His mercy, as He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and his descendants forever.’(Luke 1:46-56). In the words of her prayer, you can all but feel her desire to closely follow His will.”
“Saba”, Seth began to say, “I can see they were obedient to the Lord God and followed His will. But I am sure there were many at the time we could say the same about. Of all the people, I just wonder why the Lord chose Joseph and Mary?”
Caleb paused for a moment, before he began to speak. “My son, Mary and Joseph were not just obedient and righteous, but they also perfectly fulfilled all the Lord told us the Messiah would be, and the Lord knew this so very well. Look at what the prophets told us about the Messiah, and you will begin to see this. God promised the Messiah would come from the lineage of Abraham and from David, and that his birthright would be traced back to both(Genesis 12:1-3, 2 Samuel 7:12, Isaiah 11:1). I remember reading from brother Matthew, as he started his whole Gospel by showing that Joseph was of a direct line from both David and Abraham(Matthew 1:1-17). As you have been taught Seth, the birthright honors the rights and privileges of the family, and allows the father to pass on the authority and responsibility to the son of his choosing. Traditionally it is given to the firstborn son, but could also be passed down to an adopted son. Jesus, as the adopted and oldest son of Joseph, held the birthright promised by God, and in Him we see this promise being fulfilled.”
As Caleb continued to explain, “But our God did not just stop there. I remember brother Luke telling me about the family history of Mary, how from her lineage he could also trace back to David, and even all the way to Adam(Luke 3:23-38). As tradition teaches us that we can only be considered a Jew through our mother’s ancestry, we see in what Luke taught me that Jesus not only had the birthright, but the bloodright, to be called the Messiah. And as Luke traced the line of Jesus all the way back to Adam, we see that all mankind, not just our ancestry as Jews, are related to Jesus, and now hold to that same right(Galatians 3:28)”
“Seth, also remember the words I have taught you that Micah told us about the Messiah. ‘But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you One will go forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His goings forth are from long ago, from the days of eternity.’(Micah 5:2). How perfectly our Lord prepared for the plans He would have for Mary and Joseph as He had Micah write those words, Seth. Mary was betrothed and engaged to a man in Joseph, who at an appointed time, would have to return to the small town of Bethlehem with his promised wife and unborn child, the place of his family's birth. At the exact time the Child that Mary was carrying would be born.”
“Consider also, Seth. Hundreds of years before Christ was born, the prophets foretold that the Messiah would be of humble means, without a high reputation, despised and rejected by most men(Isaiah 53, Zechariah 9, Psalm 22:6-7). Mary and Joseph were not from Jerusalem, or a place of prestige. They were from Nazareth, a place that was looked down on by all Judeans, and thought of as being good for nothing(John 1:46). But from the lowliest of places, the Lord found two with the highest of faith. Two that perfectly fulfilled the humble beginnings the Messiah was foretold to have.”
And as Caleb looked around the room and saw the family glued to his every word, he returned his attention to his grandson. “One last thing I would also tell you about Mary and Joseph, Seth. Scripture tells us that the Messiah would be born of a virgin. Isaiah said, ‘Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel.’(Isaiah 7:14). The Messiah had to have God as His Father. He could not have a human father, as He was not born into sin, the way all of us are(Psalm 51:5, Romans 5:12). So for this to happen, required the Messiah to be born of a virgin. If Mary had already completed the martial rituals, the world would have assumed that Joseph was His father. And she would have had to have been of the highest reputation, or no one would have ever believed her to be a virgin, not even her own family. But in Mary and Joseph, the Lord found the perfect mother and father to raise His Son. A mother in Mary, whose reputation showed all a women of faith. And a father in Joseph, who would raise the Messiah as his very one.”
Caleb laid his hand again on the shoulder of his grandson, Seth. “My son, long before the prophets knew there would be a Messiah, the Lord had a perfect plan in place to bring the Messiah into this world. A perfect plan to bring salvation to this world through His Son. And He had in place the perfect man and woman, in Joseph and Mary, to help bring this plan about. It was not by coincidence that He chose them, but in the perfection of His plan, He worked perfectly through them.”
Caleb drew his grandson close, and began to speak to him again. “Seth, does this help to answer your question, to help you understand why the Lord God chose Joseph and Mary?” Without pause, Seth quickly began to answer, “Yes, Saba, it does. But Saba, I still have several other questions about his birth, could you help me to understand those also?” Before Caleb could even answer, his own son, Asher quickly added. “Abba(Hebrew for father), I have a question too.”
As Caleb looked up again, he could see more questions forming in the faces of not just Seth and Asher, but in many of his loved ones. And as he glanced out the window, he could tell how late it had become. “I know you all have so many more questions. After all, you are of my blood, and I know how many questions I also once had! The hour is becoming late, and we all need our rest. But I will make you all a deal. We will gather to discuss this often, over several nights. And each night, I will look to answer more of your questions about the events of His birth. And I must confess. I enjoy telling all of you as much about Christ as you enjoy hearing about our Savior!”
A couple of nights later, Caleb and his family would meet again. And as they prepare to talk more about the birth of Christ, I hope your family will plan on joining Caleb’s family as they do!
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