In this series, I want to dissect the life cycle of Jesus Christ into different phases, from His birth to His ascension into heaven. But in this first part, which focuses on the birth of Jesus, there are a couple of things I want us to unpack.
The first thing we need to understand is that God speaks. God always speaks to us, and I believe that the majority of the time, God does that through dreams. So, it is very important that we pay attention to our dreams.
Of course, there are some nuances when it comes to dreams. But if you pay attention, you will realize that God can speak through dreams.
Biblical references: Numbers 12:6; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17.
In this first part, we will explore the following:
- Mary and Joseph: The beginning of Jesus' birth story.
- Joseph's contemplation and God's message through a dream.
- Joseph's obedience and the birth of Jesus.
- King Herod, the wise men, and another divine warning.
- Understanding the mystery of dreams.
- My personal experience: Anthony's scholarship.
- Conclusion: Take your dreams seriously.
1. Mary and Joseph: The Beginning of Jesus' Birth Story
Biblical references: Luke 1:26–38; Matthew 1:18–19.
Now, we all know that Mary and Joseph were about to get married. And we know that an angel appeared to Mary and told her that she was highly favored by God and would have a child whose name would be Jesus. He would be the Savior. Mary was a little bit worried, of course.
Imagine someone appearing to you and telling you that you will have a child, even though you have not been with a man. You see, this is where the mystery of God's communication begins. And as we move further into the story, you will understand why dreams are so important. So, Joseph, on the other hand, found out that Mary was pregnant.
He was upset, of course. Because it makes no sense. Why would a girl, a lady whom I am about to get married to, all of a sudden become pregnant? The Bible tells us that Joseph contemplated this and was considering ending the marriage quietly. And you can imagine what might have been going through his mind.
"This is a mockery. Even if I love her, how do I explain this?"
And, of course, there were so many external factors that could have discouraged Joseph from getting married to Mary. Especially when you consider that this was not our modern society. As of then, people were very strict when it came to the law, marriage, and whatnot. But the Bible says something interesting.
2. Joseph's Contemplation and God's Message Through a Dream
Biblical references: Matthew 1:19–25.
As Joseph was contemplating all these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. This time, the angel told him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife because the child she was carrying was conceived through the Holy Spirit. His name would be called Jesus. You see? Again, this happened through a dream.
And only God knows what might have gone through Joseph's mind when he woke up. Maybe he was thinking, "Am I hallucinating? Or maybe this is just my imagination? Maybe I have been thinking too much about this situation, and that is why I had this dream." You know how our modern society is.
Sometimes, when we have something bothering us, there are a lot of thoughts going through our minds. We begin to overthink things, trying to understand what is happening. So, that might have happened to Joseph as well. But there was something Joseph possessed. Joseph possessed obedience. He was an obedient person. And that brings us to something very important.
3. Joseph's Obedience and the Birth of Jesus
Biblical references: Matthew 1:24–25; Luke 2:1–7.
Despite everything that might have been going through his mind, Joseph obeyed. He took Mary as his wife. And, of course, they later traveled to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born. You see, Joseph could have ignored that dream. He could have said, "Well, maybe I was overthinking things. Maybe this dream has nothing to do with God." But he obeyed.
And that obedience is something we need to pay attention to. Now, we saw what happened afterward. The wise men saw a star and followed it because they understood that a new king had been born. And, of course, they went to King Herod.
4. King Herod, the Wise Men, and Another Divine Warning
Biblical references: Matthew 2:1–15.
Herod was the king as of then. When Herod heard that a new king had been born, he was terrified. Because imagine, you are already a king, and all of a sudden, you hear that another king has been born. Who is this king? Where is this king coming from?
Perhaps Herod was thinking, "I don't want another king. I don't want somebody coming to take over my kingdom. We need to eliminate this king ASAP." So, Herod wanted to know where the child was. The wise men eventually found Jesus and presented their gifts to Him.
But the Bible tells us that they were warned in a dream not to return to Herod, so they went back to their country by another route.
Biblical reference: Matthew 2:12.
And more importantly, again, this is what I want to emphasize. More importantly, the Bible says that an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph again in a dream. This time, the angel told Joseph to take Mary and Jesus and flee to Egypt because Herod was seeking to kill the child.
Biblical references: Matthew 2:13–15.
You see? Again, God communicated through a dream. So, from this first stage of the life cycle of Jesus, is it now safe for us to conclude that God really communicates through dreams. Look at what happened. When Joseph was contemplating whether to marry Mary, God spoke to him through a dream.
And when the life of Jesus was in danger, God again communicated with Joseph through a dream. You see why dreams are very important? And after Herod died, God again guided Joseph through dreams, leading the family back to Israel, where they eventually settled in Nazareth.
Biblical references: Matthew 2:19–23.
You see how dreams appeared repeatedly throughout this first stage of the life cycle of Jesus.
5. Understanding the Mystery of Dreams
Biblical references: Numbers 12:6; Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17.
Now, we all dream every now and then. We have dreams, and sometimes we see people we know. We see relatives, friends, and people who are familiar to us. If you look at it carefully, I believe some of these figures we see in dreams may be angels, like the ones the Bible talks about.
It does not necessarily mean that the person you see in your dream is actually the person. Because, of course, if you dream and see me in your dream, I am probably not the one. I might be somewhere sleeping. I may not even know what is happening in your dream. So, how do we explain these things?
These are mysteries that we cannot fully explain. Even scientists have not been able to explain everything about dreams and how all these experiences unfold. There is still so much we do not understand. Of course, not every dream has to be a message from God, and that is why discernment is important.
But this is why I believe we should pay attention to our dreams. Now, just to wrap up, I want to share a personal experience.
6. My Personal Experience: Anthony's Scholarship
A friend of mine, Anthony, applied for a master's degree in China. He also applied for a scholarship. So, he reached out to me and told me about his application. He asked me to pray about it and see what the outcome of his scholarship application would be. All right. So, before I slept that night, I prayed.
I asked Jesus, "Father, what will be the outcome of Anthony's scholarship application? Will he be given the scholarship?" So, what happened? I had a dream. This time, I found myself in China. There were a lot of people around me. I was standing somewhere, and in front of me, there was a glass partition. Behind it, I could see people working and evaluating applications.
So, at first, when they released the list of successful applicants, I was looking for Anthony's name. But his name did not appear. I couldn't see it on the first list. So, I was waiting eagerly, hoping that his name would appear. Then, the second time, when they released the second batch of successful applicants, Anthony's name was announced among them. But something happened.
It looked like some people were surrounding me, trying to block me from seeing what was happening. I don't know how to explain it, but I had this knowing within me that these people had something to do with Anthony's family. It was as though they were his family members. They were trying to block me from seeing the result.
I don't know why, but that was the understanding I had in the dream. I just knew within me that these people were connected to Anthony's family. So, when I woke up, I reached out to Anthony. I told him, "Anthony, you will be given that scholarship." And boom! He got the scholarship.
He traveled to China, completed his master's degree, and currently, he is in the United Kingdom working. You see? This is a personal experience that reminds me of how important dreams can be.
And when we look at the first stage of the life cycle of Jesus, especially the role that dreams played in the life of Joseph, we begin to understand why we should not take our dreams lightly. Because God speaks. And when God speaks, it is important that we pay attention.
7. Conclusion: Take Your Dreams Seriously
So, just to sum everything up. From the first stage of the life cycle of Jesus, we have seen how God communicated with Joseph through dreams. When Joseph was confused about Mary's pregnancy, God spoke. When Herod wanted to kill Jesus, God spoke again. And when it was time for Joseph to return with his family, God also gave him direction through dreams.
Biblical references: Matthew 1:20–24; Matthew 2:13–15; Matthew 2:19–23.
You see? God speaks. And I believe that God still speaks today. Sometimes, we are so occupied with our daily activities, our thoughts, and everything happening around us that we may not pay attention to our dreams. But there are things we need to take seriously. And dreams are one of them.
So, my message in this first stage of the life cycle of Jesus is simple: Take your dreams seriously. Pay attention to them. And always remember that God can communicate with us in ways we may not fully understand. See you in the next life cycle of Jesus.
Thank you.