Now we need to go on from coordination to the matter of guidance. It is so clear that guidance came out of the coordination. A virgin with a child is certainly not becoming, and Joseph was minded to give Mary up. However, while he thought on these things, he had a dream.
Some of the translations render this word “trance” instead of “dream.” It was not an ordinary dream, but more like a vision or a trance. While Joseph was thinking on these things, he received a vision from the Lord. Then he was led to take Mary as his wife. Who brought Mary to Bethlehem? Who brought Mary with the child to Egypt? Who brought them back to the land of Israel? And who brought the child with the mother to settle in Nazareth? Joseph! All of these moves were with Joseph, and all the guidance came through Joseph.
We also need to see in this picture how submissive Mary was. She was so much favored with the Lord’s mercy, yet she was so humble and submissive to Joseph in everything. She had the ability to conceive, but she did not receive any leading from the Lord concerning the necessary moves. The leading to move came only to Joseph.
If we would be a Joseph to receive the leading, we need to be outside the realm of our mentality. Joseph was minded to put Mary away, and while he thought on these things, he saw something as a vision that had nothing to do with his mentality, something outside the realm of his mentality. We need to learn not to analyze so much in the realm of our mentality. Then we may receive the leading to do something that is absolutely against our natural way of thinking.
I really appreciate Joseph. Suppose the angel of the Lord were to come to you and tell you to take Mary, who has a child in her womb, as your wife. Would you take her? You would probably tell the Lord that this was against nature and would damage your reputation in society. Then you would tell Mary that you simply cannot take her to be your wife. If this is the case, you could never be a Joseph. To be a Joseph, we need to be delivered from reasoning in the realm of our natural mentality. In the church life, many times when we follow the leading of the Lord, it may seem that we lose our good name, and we may be completely misunderstood.
When we consider all the steps of the Lord’s leading with Joseph, we need to realize that not one step was easy for Joseph to take. Mary had a child in her womb, yet Joseph was asked by the Lord to take her as his future wife. Do you think this was easy to do? It appears both Mary and Joseph were poor people, living in a despised district and a small town. Then a decree came that they all must be registered in their home town. Today this may be easy, but in those days it was not so easy, especially for poor people. However, the Lord had sovereignly moved in the heart of Caesar to issue such a decree. Therefore, it was necessary for Joseph to go to the home town of his relatives, and to take with him his future wife who had a child in her womb. Of course, they would ask Joseph who she was and when they were married. Then Joseph would have to tell them that they were not married yet. Just consider the situation. Not one step was easy to take.
Then after Jesus was born, another leading from the Lord came that Joseph should take the child and his mother to Egypt. No doubt Joseph thought he had traveled enough, but now he must go far away to Egypt. We need to remember that they were poor, and this was a long, hard journey. Joseph may have wondered how long they were to stay in Egypt. The Lord simply told them to go and stay. They might be there a month, and they might be there a year or longer. It is difficult to move when you do not know how long you will stay in the place to which you are moving. This was a real test for Joseph, but he did as he was told.
It may have been only a short time after they arrived in Egypt that the angel appeared to Joseph again and told him to go back to the place from which he had moved. If I were Joseph, I would think the Lord was quite troublesome. He had barely settled in Egypt, and now the Lord was asking him to return to Israel. He did not even say to what city in Israel they should return. This no doubt was hard for Joseph, but this is the way of the Lord’s leading.
The Lord tells us one step at a time, never two steps. When He wants us to take the second step, He will tell us. We should not ask about the second step, but simply go ahead and take the first. We want to know not only the second step, but even the steps in eternity. We want to know everything. The Lord, however, told Joseph only one step at a time.
Therefore, Joseph returned to the land of Israel. Then, hearing that the son of Herod had come into power, he was afraid. At that point he received another vision from the Lord that he should go to Nazareth. Step by step, Mary received the leading of the Lord through the coordination of Joseph. Eventually everything was fulfilled which had been prophesied in the Old Testament. The child was born in Bethlehem. He was brought down into Egypt and brought back out of Egypt to the land of Israel. Then He settled with His parents at Nazareth. All of these steps were necessary for the fulfilling of the Lord’s purpose.
We all need to learn the lesson of coordination. Whether we are a Mary or a Joseph, we need one another. Mary and Joseph need to work together to bring forth Christ in an adequate and perfect way to fulfill God’s purpose. This is the way of New Testament service. The New Testament service in the church life is a service of coordination in every step to fulfill the Lord’s purpose. We all need to learn this lesson if we are to be useful in the Lord’s recovery. It is really something to see Mary and Joseph working together in such a wonderful coordination. This is the reason for the Lord’s leading in every step of their move. We all need to apply this governing principle to our service in the church life.