No Fear

I've commented on this before, but I'm always struck at how frequently God tells his people not to be afraid. We're not nearly as tough as we want people to think we are, I guess.

And it's interesting to think about the kinds of things we're afraid of. 

In Matthew 1:20-21, I read this: "But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'"

Joseph evidently was having more than second thoughts about Mary. There was something in the situation that made him afraid, and it was probably the obvious. He likely feared the impact on his reputation. After all, people would talk; either they would think he, Joseph, had jumped the gun, so to speak, or that he had been cheated on. 

For a Jew of the day, that was a bigger deal than just getting laughed at, or scorned. It might harm his business; if there was a more devout competitor, the people of Nazareth might shun him. It also might disqualify him from participating in religious discussions at the temple, or political discussions at the city gate.

What Joseph probably feared was loss of his position in the community. He feared not being able to be Joseph any more.

That's a pretty substantial fear, but God's angel (hmmm . . . Gabriel?) says don't be afraid. Take your bride. Notice he doesn't say, "Don't worry, no one will laugh. I'll protect your reputation." He simply says, "There are amazing blessings in store for you in return for doing this hard thing." Possibly God did also guard Joseph's standing in Nazareth, but scripture doesn't tell us that so it's not the point. The point is, God asked obedience, and in return promised blessing.

That's one of the hardest things for me to do: To trust that any blessing other than the one I already have my sights set on will be good for me. Yet my vision is so limited; God's blessing for me has to be the best possible blessing. If only I didn't fear the loss of control. If only I didn't fear the sacrifice of earthly things.

"Do not be afraid . . ."