Understanding the Scriptures
|Found with child (v. 18)||Going to have a baby, pregnant|
|Be with child (v. 23)||Going to have a baby, pregnant|
|Of the Holy Ghost (v. 18)||It happened by the power of the Holy Ghost (but the Holy Ghost is not His father)|
|Just (v. 19)||Righteous|
|Being interpreted is (v. 23)||Means, is translated|
|Knew her not (v. 25)||Did not have any sexual relations with her|
Espousal was a formal agreement to be married. The agreement was so strong that if a person was unfaithful during the espousal it was considered adultery and punishable by death (see Deuteronomy 22:23–24). This was the reason Joseph was so concerned about Mary’s pregnancy and what he should do about it.
Studying the Scriptures
Do activity A as you study Matthew 1.
Preparing a Father for Jesus
What did Joseph want to do when he found out Mary was expecting a baby? (see Matthew 1:18–19).
What did Joseph decide to do after the visit of the angel in his dream? (see Matthew 1:20–25).
Although Joseph was not the literal father of Jesus, he must have been the kind of man Heavenly Father trusted to be a father to Jesus in mortality. Notice how Joseph responded to situations in Matthew 1:18–25 and write about at least two qualities he demonstrated that you think you could develop as you prepare to be a parent.
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