The Journey – Part 1 of 3

Matthew  1:18 - 25 (NIV)
18  This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about[a]: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet[b] did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

20  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. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus,[c] because he will save his people from their sins.”

22  All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”[d] (which means “God with us”).

24  When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
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We usually look at today’s scriptures as part of the Christmas story, which they are, and we look at them in a festive celebratory way.  From our perspective, that works.  Christmas is a time of celebrating our savior’s birth and our salvation through Him.  But as soon as we are born, we begin to die.  We have only a certain amount of time before we die.  So it is also with Jesus.  He was born into this world in order that He would die a horrible death for us.

This is where Jesus’s earthly journey to the cross begins.

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