Matthew 1:24

THE ANGEL AND THE GUARDIAN

‘Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him.’

Matthew 1:24

I. The Divine Child.—If to a person of tolerably good nature any little child is an interesting object, how much more, when we are invited devoutly to consider the cradle and swaddling bands of our Lord, to watch Him growing ‘in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and man,’ and to pray that by God’s infinite mercy it may not yet be too late, even for such as we are, to become so far like that little child that we may not be cast out of the kingdom of Heaven.

II. The entrusted guardian.—The same Gospels which show us Jesus Christ in His cradle show us also certain holy persons waiting round that cradle, and all those persons are intended to be our examples. The first is the blessed Virgin; another is Joseph, who, from Christ’s birth to his own death, which was at least more than twelve years, and very likely a good deal longer, was the entrusted guardian of our Lord: the minister of God, especially called and raised up to watch over that holiest childhood and youth, and to protect His blessed mother. He must have been, more than almost any one, prepared and made meet for God’s Kingdom, who was permitted for so long a time to exercise a ministry so near to God Himself.

III. The lesson of obedience.—Poor as Joseph and Mary were, they managed to afford one journey every year—and not a very short one—to Jerusalem, to the Feast of the Passover. It was the law of Moses, and they knew that obedience is blessed: therefore they contrived somehow to keep that law. Obedience to the Divine will was the keynote of Joseph’s character. From the very first ‘he did as the angel of the Lord bade him.’

The Rev. John Keble.

Illustration

‘A lesson in obedience may be drawn from an incident of the war in Egypt. The enemy was strongly encamped at Tel-el-Kebir. Lord Wolseley determined to attack them by night, and entrusted to a young naval officer, Lieutenant Rawson, the important duty of leading the Highland Brigade to a certain point in the enemy’s entrenchment, directing the line of march by the stars. The plan was successful, but not without a fearful struggle. One of the first to fall mortally wounded was the noble-hearted young Rawson. Lord Wolseley galloped to the place where he was lying, and took his hand. “General, I hope you are satisfied; I did my best to lead them straight?” said the dying man. “Nothing could have been done better,” was the reply, and poor young Rawson passed away.’