Matthew 2:14
Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod.
It’s one thing to hear the voice of an angel, and it’s another to listen. Joseph, for the second time, is not just attentive but obedient to the voice he hears. To take the word of an angel that his pregnant betrothed has not been unfaithful but instead has conceived the Messiah by the Holy Spirit takes tremendous faith. Yet he did. Now he is told to move his family from their home in Bethlehem to Egypt. And he does.
So there are two elements to the life of faith we might glean from Joseph’s example. The first is listening – making room and space in our lives and hearts to detect the word of the Lord. And the second is obedience – heeding that voice; pushing other plans to the side; being willing to grow, reconsider, act, and change in response to the Word.
Joseph, quite frankly, doesn’t get a lot of play in the gospels. He is mentioned just a few times in Luke, not at all in the other gospels, and commands our attention only in these opening chapters in Matthew. But while we don’t know much about him, we do know this: He listened to the voice of the Lord, and he obeyed what he heard.
May we receive and be inspired by his example.
Prayer: Dear God, teach us to listen and to obey. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Post image: “Flight into Egypt,” by Giotto di Bondone (1304-06).
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