It’s usually
assumed that Joseph helped her deliver the child, but that would not have been
the case. Strict Jewish rules prohibited men from assisting women in
childbirth. Galilean woman, even those who were young, prided themselves in
self-birth, so the young wife Mary would do the best she could, while Joseph
would do only as much as he was allowed to ease her pain that night.
The day following
would not have been restful, despite their location. Joseph needed to find food
and would have sought a better place for them in the days to come. People other
than the visiting shepherds would have come and gone, feeding animals or taking
them out and bringing them in as needed.
Mary’s Christmas
was certainly a time of wonder. It is for every mother who sees and cares for
her firstborn. Many questions would have come, and she may have asked Joseph to
bring another woman to the stable for help and advice. She also may have
wondered how she was adequately going to mother the new infant the angel had
called Immanuel, “God With Us.” Mary
must have asked herself many times, “Who
is this child and what will His future be?”
Today, two thousand
years later, each of us needs to ponder similar questions, “Who is He and what will my future be with Him?” The importance of
His birth, His life, His suffering and death, His resurrection, and His promise
to return is of greatest importance to us all.
Take time today to
ask God to help you know and appreciate what He has done for you in providing
you a personal relationship with His only Son. Give thanks Mary and Joseph have
given you a glimpse into the face of God.
“Mary
pondered all these things in her heart.” (Luke 2:19)
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