Thank you Pastor Andrew for opening up Joseph to us this morning. 

 

Celebrating the birth of Jesus.  The incarnation.  God taking on Himself what it means to be human.  Jesus - fully God - fully man - going to the cross for us.  Joseph kind of gets an honorable mention in all that as the guy who does the right thing.  But where does He really fit into what God is doing?

 

Looking at most manger scenes Joseph is almost kind of necessary to the birth account.  But with a virgin birth how really important is he?  Have you noticed this?  In a lot of manger scenes he’s standing behind Mary with this kind of solemn holy look on his face. 

 

Processing the birth of Jesus - there are a number of ways that Joseph connects with us. 

 

Engagement was a commitment as respected as marriage itself.  It was  public - binding - exclusive - an arrangement between the man and the woman.  Families are joining together.  Yet, while there was the trust and commitment of marriage, the consummation of the marriage - the physical intimacy that can lead to children - was not to take place until after the marriage ceremony.

 
Mary is “found” to be with child.  We’re not told exactly when she was “found” to be pregnant.  Was it before or after she visited Elizabeth?  Was she outed by her parents?  Did she make the announcement herself with some weak story about an angel?  Most probably she’s at least 3 months pregnant.  In that culture - and what used to be true in our culture - that Mary is “found” to be with child - pregnant - is a tragedy - a disgrace. 

 

Maybe we’ve heard this so many times that we’re numb to the horror of that.  Joseph is confronted with what could only have been the adultery of his fiancée.

 

Betrayal by a spouse - someone you’ve trusted with your life - adultery is devastating.  At the gut level your life gets rearranged.  Your hopes and dreams get ripped away.  There are deep - unexplainable - emotions and feelings.  Anger.  Depression.  Feeling out of control - alone - exposed - abandoned - shamed.

 

Joseph - who deeply loves Mary - has to decide how to handle all this.  Should he have her stoned?  Not currently a part of the culture.  But permissible.

 

Should he divorce her to save his own reputation in the community?  But, that would dishonor her.  It would disgrace Mary in the community.

 

If He marries her then people will assume that he’s the father - more disgrace - ongoing shame.

 

Ultimately the child yet to be born will live with that disgrace.

 

Finally Joseph decides to quietly - not publicly - quietly divorce Mary - to release her from the commitment of the engagement.  It’s a gut wrenching decision.

 

So Joseph - having decided to end the engagement with Mary - is still  wrestling with his decision.  When he finally falls asleep an angel comes and reveals that the pregnancy really is a God thing.  The child has been conceived by the Holy Spirit - a fulfillment of prophecy.  Immanuel.  The child is God - the Savior of mankind.  Name Him Jesus.

 

Mary is integral to God’s fulfilled prophecy - the virgin whom Isaiah predicted would conceive.  Gabriel tells Mary that every generation after her would consider her blessed.  She’s honored - revered.  She’s been upheld for 2,000 plus years as an example of Godly womanhood - an influence on generations of women.  Her expression of praise to God - the Magnificat - has been recited and sung.  It’s one of the most well known and loved passages in the Bible.

 

Joseph’s role in all this is completely different.  His role has not been predicted by prophets.  There’s no statement that his name would ever be called blessed by generations to come.  After Jesus’ 12th birthday there’s no mention of Joseph anywhere in Scripture.  Looking through Scripture - unlike Mary - there’s absolutely no record of anything Joseph ever said - no Joseph’s Magnificat.

 

It is easy to imagine Joseph - understandable in the way we sometimes deal with God’s instructions - understandable for Joseph to dismiss the angel’s instructions as just a dream.  An overzealous mind trying to process a tough situation.  Our own spiritualizing verses the actual prompting of God.  Too much garlic in the hummus last night. 

 

Reality check.  Even with the angel’s instructions Joseph has to live in the real world.  Very soon Joseph would gaze into the face of a baby and never see in that face the reflection of his own.  It would be way easier to send Mary away.  To walk away from the whole thing and go on with his life.

 

Joseph thought he had it all worked out.  Now he has an angel giving him messages from God.  He’s got a choice to make.  How will he respond?

 

Read with me Joseph’s response - Matthew 1:24,25:  When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him:  he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a Son.  And he called His name Jesus.

 

Joseph - with all the emotions he was feeling - with all the choices he could have made - Joseph chose to obey God.  No rationalizing.  No argument.  No discussion.  No hesitation.  Joseph woke up and did what God asked.  He submits his own desires to the will of God.

 

In processing the birth of Jesus - in thinking through our own openness to God and His working in our lives - in connecting with Joseph - thinking through how all this can apply to us today - it’s important for us to see that the relationship of Joseph and his adopted Son Jesus doesn’t end here in verse 25. 

 

Some 30 years later - as Jesus is beginning His ministry - He enters the synagogue of His home town of Nazareth.  Jesus is handed the book of the prophet Isaiah and He reads from Isaiah 61 - and then begins to speak to the congregation about the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophetic words.  The congregation is impressed with how Jesus is speaking to them - this child who grew up in Nazareth.

 

Among those listening the question is asked, “Is this not Joseph’s Son?” (Luke 4:16-22)

 

Relevant to what we’re thinking through this morning - the question is significant  because Joseph may have been dead for almost 20 years.  But, Joseph - his character - his reputation - is still remembered in the community.  In a very real sense they’ve been listening to Jesus because of Joseph.

 

Joseph is not just a guy who shares second billing with some shepherd’s and a bunch of animals in house.  Who gets put behind Mary because nobody knows where else to put him. 

 

In Matthew 1:20 - when the angel addresses Joseph he begins with, “Joseph, son of David…” 

 

Joseph is of the royal lineage of David.  Even though his family had lost the direct link with David’s throne - the usurper Herod is on the throne -  the upbringing Joseph had would have been grounded through the generations in the human and spiritual values of King David.

 

Joseph must have known that he had roots belonging to a people - a family line - with history.  His people had walked with God and experienced God’s faithfulness and blessings.  Joseph belongs to a family which had received promises from God regarding the coming Messiah. 

 

Joseph must have known where he and his family fit into all of that.  Where he came from.  Where he was going.  He belonged to the line David - from whom would come the Messiah Who would be given the throne of David and reign over the house of Jacob - God’s people -  forever.  The Messiah Who would be from Bethlehem - Joseph’s ancestral home. 

 

That whole royal linage of David connection comes from Joseph to Jesus.  The purity and protection of Mary is placed in the hands of Joseph.

 

Are we tracking?  Joseph is tracking with God.  He understood God’s promises for him and for his people.  His life is in sync with God’s salvation history for his people.  Joseph is yearning and longing for the promised Messiah who will free His people from oppression and bring peace and prosperity.

 

Joseph is chosen by God to a role that is crucial to the fulfillment of God’s plan and Jesus’ birth that Joseph chooses to fulfill.

 

In that we need to connect with the reality that the important thing in life is not our working by our own whit and wisdom to figure things out - or to get messed up thinking about what other people may think of us - or to outshine others.  What’s important is our faithfulness and obedience to God.  Accepting our place - our role - in the ministry that God has entrusted to us in the places and timing and circumstances of where God has called us to serve Him.

 

God’s description of Joseph comes in Matthew 1:19 - God calls Joseph a “just man.” 

 

“Just” - the Greek word is “dikaios” often translated “righteous.”  Meaning someone who is right according to God’s standard of what is right - and so “just.”  Meaning just as God is just - doing what is the right thing to do - so Joseph - faithful and obedient - in sync with God -  Joseph does what, according to God’s instructions, is the right thing to do.

 

Apparently that was the pattern of how Joseph did life.  In the synagogue - in Nazareth - they began listening to Jesus the son of Joseph.

 

Joseph is a tremendous example of a Godly husband and father.  Day after day - year after year - in the carpenter shop - Jesus at his side - Joseph worked on wood and shaped the character of Jesus.  Joseph’s fathering influence - his character - is demonstrated in how Jesus conducts Himself.

 

Joseph was a man with a tender loving heart.  He demonstrated this quality in his decision of how to treat Mary.  He put Mary’s life ahead of his own rights.  He married Mary to protect her from accusations.  He protected her on the road to Bethlehem.

Joseph cared for His family.  He protected Mary and Jesus - taking them to Egypt to escape Herod’s massacre of baby boys.

 

Joseph was submissive to the government.  He went to Bethlehem.  He registered in the census.

 

Joseph followed God’s law.  He took Jesus to be circumcised and named on the 8th day after His birth.  He took his family to Jerusalem - to the Temple - as required by God’s law.

 

And, Joseph obeyed God.  When God’s angel said to take Mary as his wife - he obeyed.  When God’s angel said, “Go to Egypt” - he went.  When God’s angel said go back to Israel - he returned.  He obeyed - submitting his desires to the will of God.

 

This may be a stretch.  But not too far a stretch.  Just maybe some of Joseph’s example was in Jesus’ mind - there in the Garden of Gethsemane - when Jesus - wrestling with His own choice to obey God - Jesus prayed, “Not My will Thine.”

 

Processing all that...

 

Most of us - if not all of us - have dreams.  Expectations - hopes - thoughts about our future - the future of our families.  This is a time of the year when we’re especially aware of that.  We cling to the familiar - times with our families - our personal traditions.

 

As we go on in life - especially as we get older - we tend to resist whatever may rock our boat.  What might put things out of balance.  Control is important - predictability - managing our lives.

 

Which isn’t all bad. 

 

But none of us is here by random chance.  Maybe we’re not in the royal line of David with all of the history that implies.  But we are called to the family line of the Messiah.  God has purpose - a role - for us in the places where we do life.  Each of us is valuable.  Crucial.

 

There are times when God may desire to do something new in us and through us.  There are times when God may desire to move us out of our comfort zone.  How would we respond if we we’re given the choice given to Joseph?

 

Thinking about our own lives - our own openness to God’s will - and the coming of Jesus to us.  We have a choice.  To live faithful and obedient.

 

That brings us to some crucial questions.

 

Have you welcomed Jesus as your Savior?  Have you chosen to follow Him?  If you have not - it is essential that you do.

 

And if you have welcomed Jesus as your Savior - are you willing to have your dreams - your heart - conformed by God to His will?   To live faithful and obedient in whatever circumstances He calls you to live for Him?

 

May each of us allow God to direct our thoughts and our actions.  May He make each of us useful to Himself - to use us - as He used Joseph - in our homes - our families - our community - in His church - wherever and whenever for whatever - for His glory.

 

 

 

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®  (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.  Used by permission.  All rights reserved.