Crisis averted. Mary is pregnant, but now Joseph knows that all she told him is true. It took an angel coming to him in a dream to change his mind, but Joseph needed to be fully on board with this plan. He had to know it was real, and he needed to be told what he was supposed to do. Mary had to carry and give birth to the Messiah, but Joseph had his part to play in all of this, too.
“And she will have a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through His prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a Son, and they will call Him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’” Matthew 21-22 (NLT)
“…you are to name Him Jesus” Jesus was a common name at that time, but it meant “The salvation of Yahweh.” Peter says in Acts 4:12, “there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved.”
He was to be named Jesus, the salvation of Yahweh, because “He will save His people from their sins.” He was coming as a savior. That was His purpose. It had been God’s plan from the beginning.
As we talked about on day three, the people were looking for a Messiah that would come and liberate them from their oppressors, but here the angel makes it clear what Jesus was coming for, He was coming to save them from their sins. Another man might be able to defeat their foes, but only Jesus could save mankind from the grip of sin and death.
In Romans 5, Paul tells us that through one man, Adam, sin and death entered the world. Sin and its consequence spread to everyone. It was now a part of our DNA. We were helpless enemies of God because of that sin. That is why Jesus had to come into the world as a human. He had to die to take our place so that through His death and resurrection, we would receive God’s wonderful grace and His gift of forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
The mother of the Messiah had to be a virgin who conceived by the Holy Spirit because the corrupt seed of Adam could not be passed on to Him. He was truly Immanuel, God with us! The angel was letting Joseph know that the child Mary carried was the very child foretold by the prophet Isaiah. His mind had to be blown.
Today’s truth is that the Christmas story isn’t a sweet story about a tiny baby born in a manger. It’s an incredible story of a promise fulfilled, and grace and forgiveness poured out as God became one of us to save us from our sins.
Debbie's Perspective 
Today’s truth is so hard to wrap my feeble mind around…how a mighty, powerful God loves me ( and you) so much, despite all my ugliness, my unwillingness, my stubbornness, my judgments…….me…that he would send his son….oh not send..like you are going whether you like it or not….but send because you have to go. Jesus wanted to go. Jesus, the Salvation of Yahweh was willing to go, to come as a baby, because he loved me, you, us!
Yes! Incredible, amazing, mind blowing.