18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
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.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.
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.
We don't know what to say. It's the bit of the Christian story that requires the greatest leap of faith and we've never quite bridged that gap. The rest of it is a case study in leadership and politics (with some very good spin applied after the event), the underlying message of which is the same as the one you studied in India: Love. That part is not difficult to follow and doesn't (or shouldn't in our view) require faithful adherence to the precept of immaculate conception to make the message valid or worth living.
ReplyDeleteHari OM
DeleteTo be truthful, I too have doubts about the interpretation - yet to approach the 'mass of Christ' without acknowledging that he was born to leave a mark upon the world would be to not share in the universal Love which he himself preached... and which, between you me and the blog here, I suspect he learned about on his travels in India! Thanks for taking sufficient interest to comment!!! Yxx
Yes, I'm with Tigger's first two sentences today. And really, I'm afraid there's a lot not to like in these few verses from Matthew.
ReplyDeleteBut still, Peace and Goodwill to all my blog friends!
Cheers, Gail.
Thank you Yam, for posting these verses, the true reason for celebrating Christmas.
ReplyDeleteChristmas is coming soon! We're lying low, since Caitlin's MIL is visiting. Omicron is spreading, too.
ReplyDeleteThese verses have always given me peace.
ReplyDeleteHugs Cecilia
Joseph was a great man, not bowed by peer pressure.
ReplyDelete