Read: Isaiah 7:10-16; Romans 1:1-17; Matthew 1:18-25
This morning, Pastor Rick will present the birth of Jesus from Joseph’s perspective.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: 23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Joseph has always fascinated me. In a male-dominated, patriarchal society, he is strangely silent. Nowhere in Scripture is he quoted as having spoken. Obviously, he did, but his part to play in God’s unfolding plan is shockingly brief and kept to the shadows, not the spotlight.
Matthew 1 is the one place Joseph is at the center. Matthew goes to great lengths to make sure we know that Joseph is the father of Jesus. He begins his gospel with a genealogy that traces out the generations from Abraham through David to Joseph.
Though Jesus’ birth is clearly miraculous – a virgin becomes pregnant by the work of God’s Holy Spirit – nonetheless, Joseph is his adopted father. He is the one who names Jesus according to the command of God – thus adopting Jesus as his own – and inserting Jesus into the line of David. He is great David’s many-times-great grandson. He is in the line of the Messiah.
Joseph’s story is brief, but full of beauty. Joseph is a just man. He is a man of righteousness. He is a man of faith and obedience and ultimately a man of love. In Joseph we see the mysteries of God working in subtle yet profound ways.
In Joseph’s story we see the mystery of God working in the common people and activities of life. He works in Marys and Josephs – common people – to bring into the world the Messiah. He uses the pressures of religious traditions, law, and community. He uses the customs surrounding marriage, family, and decisions to divorce. God enters into these common areas of life with transforming power. If God comes into the common and the everyday; if he has something to say even about a common man choosing to divorce his wife-to-be, how might God work in our every day lives and decisions? How might he want to transform our common lives through the presence of this uncommon child of promise?
In Joseph’s story we see the mystery of faith and obedience. Joseph is a just man. He is a man of strength and purpose. He is devoted and faithful to his beliefs and is ready to act on those commitments. When the angel breaks into his sleep, he isn’t divided and wavering. He’s resolved. He had made his decision and knew what he would do. When the angel calls him to going through with the marriage, he doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t ask for a fleece. He doesn’t question at all. He simply obeys. Matthew emphasizes his obedience by using the exact words the angel speaks to describe Joseph’s actions. How might God demonstrate his power when we are open to his call and ready to obey what he asks? Joseph gives us an example of faithful discipleship well before his son calls us to “Go and make disciples” of all nations.
In Joseph’s story we see the mystery of what righteousness looks like. Joseph decides to divorce Mary because he is a righteous man (1:19). This was not an easy decision for Joseph. To divorce Mary or have her killed are what the Law said a righteous man would do. But God calls him to something better. God calls him to grace and to a righteousness the shows itself in mercy. Joseph risks being seen as disobedient by the world; the risk of becoming an outcast to his family and friends and community; the risk of being seen as sinful and to face suffering for the sake of obeying God’s command. It reminds us of another in this story would become sin for us that the promises of God might be realized. When law and righteousness or justice seem to collide, can we trust in the promises of God? Can we trust God when it seems he’s taking us further than we can imagine?
In Joseph’s story we see the mystery of God’s promises and the ways he fulfills them. We see this throughout the Bible, but Matthew is especially concerned that we see the myriad of ways Jesus fulfills God’s promises. The miraculous birth and name “Immanuel”, first promised in Isaiah 7, Jesus is God with us and this beautiful truth begins his story and ends is at the end too: “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Even the name “Jesus” is filled with promise and meaning. The angel tells Joseph, “You shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” What a promise! If Joseph merely pondering this incredible promise so radically changes his life and mind that he reorients his entire life to make it possible, what might its fulfillment do in our lives?
Robert Smith writes that this Jesus is “pure gift, holy surprise, a fresh act of God, a new genesis, a new creation.” And it all comes about “from the Holy Spirit.” We live with the awareness of the mystery that is Jesus and that through the Spirit, God’s power is among us and ready to lead us in ways that we can only imagine. Is that good news, or is it a bit frightening? Perhaps James Boyce is right, “If we do not anticipate the Christmas event both with hope and with just a bit of anxious fear, then we are not sufficiently tuned to the implications of God’s presence among us.”
Questions for Reflection:
- Have you ever taken time to ponder Joseph’s silent, but significant, role in Jesus’ birth?
- Which of the mysteries mentioned speaks to you most? What is it that you find intriguing?
- Does the thought that Jesus is with us, that God is near, stir up a bit of fear in your heart? How would you respond if God asked you to do something that was completely different than what you had planned?