2.2 – Assurance of Jesus – Matthew 1:21

Meanderings 1 Minute

"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" (NIV).

"She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (NRSV).

Reflections on Matthew 1:21:

  1. Read Matthew 1:18-25.  Who is the speaker?  Who is the listener?
  2. This dream came to Joseph in the midst of wrestling with how to put off his marriage to Mary now that she was "with child."  When have you wrestled through the night over a difficult decision?  What decision tugs at you today?  Are you ready to let Jesus keep you from following through on wrong intentions or save you from the destructive consequences?
  3. Within the context of the Roman Empire, Mary and Joseph, Nazareth and Bethlehem, are of no significance.  If God chose to save through world beginning at a point of worldly insignificance, what does that mean for you?  for our church?  for the world?

Published by Allen Bingham

I am a follower of Jesus, husband, father, and pastor of Haymount United Methodist Church in Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA.

Published