Touched by Jesus

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born.

Matthew 1:24-25 (NLT)

The Bible says that Joseph did not “know” Mary until she brought forth her firstborn son. That means they had no intimate connections spanning the time from conception until after it was safe for her post-delivery. Joseph wouldn’t touch Mary until God finished delivering Jesus through her.

And during that time, Joseph accepted his role as a protecting husband, denying his natural passion, restraining his intense love for his new bride, and living in service to God through a season of self-denial.

Joseph understood this line of reasoning: I won’t touch Mary now because God has touched her life in a way that I cannot compete with. But if I play my part, not touching her in this span of time, it will position me to be touched by Jesus when Jesus fulfills the Father’s will for His earthly experience.

And Jesus most certainly touched Joseph’s life. He touched his life with shed blood able to wash away human sin. He touched Joseph’s life with a sinless sacrifice that eliminated forever the need for rams and bulls and sheep. He touched Joseph’s life with a guarantee of a room not made by hands, eternal, up in the heavens. He touched Joseph’s life with the gift of the Spirit to bring back to his remembrance everything Jesus had said.

Joseph may have welcomed Jesus into the human sphere, but Jesus would one day welcome Joseph into the heavenly city. Joseph greeted Jesus when He emerged from the womb, but Jesus welcomed Joseph when he emerged from the tomb.

So let me tell you why we can wait on the Lord and spend long seasons of life in self-denial: Because if we can carry our cross and deny ourselves, then one of these days, the Jesus that asked us to deny ourselves is the same Jesus that will reward us in abundance.

You will not regret practicing patience and exercising the denial of your own wishes and desires in place of God’s perfect will. When you give way to His plan for your life, no matter the sacrifice, the outcome will be so much greater.