18 This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was
pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found
to be with child through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband
was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had
in mind to divorce her quietly. 20 But after he had considered this, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in
her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you
are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will
call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” 24 When Joseph woke up,
he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his
wife. 25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son.
And he gave him the name Jesus.
- Matthew 1:18-25, The New International Version, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan
Publishing House) 1984.
Dear Friends in Christ,
I don’t know that we can go so far as to say he is the totally forgotten figure in the Christmas story, but of Mary, Joseph and the Babe, certainly it is Joseph who draws the least attention. And from what we learn about Joseph in the Bible, that was probably just fine with him.
This evening, in our final midweek Advent devotion and just days before we celebrate the central event in the history of the world, we have the opportunity through our text to consider the simple, straightforward facts of the first Christmas. What makes Matthew’s account somewhat different from the more familiar account in Luke is that Matthew describes
THE CHRISTMAS STORY FROM JOSEPH’S PERSPECTIVE
And as we work our way through this text we have the chance to get better acquainted with a man we all know, but may not know very well.
Let’s begin with a thumbnail sketch of Joseph. Hard facts are at a premium, but this much we know for sure: He was the son of a man name Jacob and the grandson of a man named Matthan. He could trace his ancestry back to the line of great King David.
The picture we traditionally have of Joseph is that of a wise, mature, protective man who was not at all resentful of all the attention given to his foster son by adoring shepherds and gift-bearing wise men. Generally we think of him as being older, perhaps significantly older, than Mary, who would have been a young woman of approximately 14 to 16 years at the time of these events. A legend about Joseph dating from the 4th century claims that he was a widower with six children who married Mary very late in his life, and that he eventually died at the ripe age of 111. This, of course, is legend and not derived from Scripture, but does add to the idea that Mary and Joseph were not evenly matched in age.
By trade we know he was a carpenter, a skill in which he would eventually train his son Jesus. It would also appear that although Joseph lived in Nazareth, he may have originally been from Bethlehem, because that is where he had to return when the Roman census was taken. Perhaps he went up north to Nazareth to find work. It would also appear that Bethlehem was always near to his heart.
You may recall that when the wise men came, Joseph was directed by God to take his family and flee to Egypt to avoid the murderous jealousy of King Herod. After Herod died and the coast was clear to come back, Joseph’s initial intention was to return to Bethlehem, but because of the new ruler there he instead went back to Nazareth.
The next we hear about Joseph is as the puzzled parent of the 12 year old Jesus in the temple. After that, the Bible is silent about this man. He is noticeably absent at the crucifixion of Christ. Mary was there, and Jesus made provisions for her to be taken care of by His beloved disciple, John – something that would not be necessary if Joseph was present. The common assumption is that Joseph had died by this time.
In the hymn "By All Your Saints Still Striving" in "Saints and Martyrs" section of our hymnal, there is a verse dedicated to Joseph that pretty well summarizes his life and spirit as we know it from Scripture. It reads:
All praise, O God, for Joseph,
The guardian of your Son,
Who saved him from King Herod
When safety there was none.
He taught the trade of builder
When they to Naz’reth came;
And Joseph’s love as father
Blessed God the Father’s name.
In addition to walking us through the Christmas story, our text provides us with some further interesting insights on Joseph. Let’s turn to it now and work our way through it.
This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit. When it says that Mary and Joseph were "pledged to be married," we need to understand that an Old Testament Jewish "betrothal" was far more extensive than our modern day "engagement." To be "betrothed" or "pledged" meant that all the responsibilities of marriage fell upon the couple without some of the accompanying privileges (such as living together and physical intimacy), which would come after the official wedding day. That betrothal and marriage were so close can be seen from the fact that the two terms are used interchangeably. For instance, in the next verse Joseph is referred to as Mary’s husband. This also explains why the breaking of a betrothal called for the official action of a divorce.
We are told that before the betrothal period was over and they officially came together as husband and wife, in that event we refer to as the "Annunciation," the angel Gabriel informed Mary that she would miraculously conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and bear the very Son of God. After that Mary went to visit her relative Elizabeth, who at the time was pregnant (another miracle!) with John the Baptist. Mary stayed three months.
It was no doubt upon her return to Nazareth after this visit that Joseph made the discovery that his betrothed was going to have a baby. Amid the questions this raised in his mind, of one thing he was certain: he was not the father. It would appear that perhaps because of the miracle going on inside of her that Mary was not talking; she simply trusted that God would also explain all things to Joseph. Which He did. But for now, the only conclusion that Joseph could draw is that Mary had been unfaithful to him. This led him to take the next step.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. How do you think Joseph felt upon learning all of this? What emotions do you think he was experiencing? It would seem to be a mixture of sadness, disappointment and heartbreak – and yet compassion for a young woman he obviously cared for. He wanted to do the right thing according to the laws and customs of the day, but he also wanted to deal with Mary in a compassionate way.
Breaking off the relationship seemed to be the only right thing to do. In doing this, he had two options open to him. One was to make this a matter for the courts, which would expose Mary to public disgrace as an apparent adulteress. The other was to quietly issue her a certificate of divorce – still a legal move, but without a lot of publicity. This is what he had in mind to do. until his mind was changed.
But after he had considered this (one translation: "mulled this over in his mind"), an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you will give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." Joseph is now brought into the loop. What Mary may not have told him for fear it would have sounded too incredible, an angel explains. Consequently, Joseph should not be afraid to take Mary home as his wife.
At this point, Joseph’s head had to be spinning – or as much as it could be considering he was in a dream. He learns that his beloved had not been unfaithful to him, but in God’s grace had been chosen to be the instrument through which God would bless the entire human race. All those Old Testament prophecies Joseph had grown up with were now coming to fruition, and he was involved!. His part in all this was to be the husband to the mother of the Lord and to be foster father to none other than the almighty Son of God. Furthermore, his immediate paternal role was to see that this child be given the descriptive name "Jesus," which means: Savior.
That this was no ordinary child is made clear as our text continues. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: "The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means, "God with us." This child will be true man – born of a woman, and yet true God. This child will be the God-man, all part of the Heavenly Father’s plan to save us from the damning consequences of our sin.
As true man, Jesus obeyed all the commands of God’s law in our place. As true God, He did it perfectly. As true man, Jesus suffered the pain and death that we should suffer as sinners. As true God, His perfect life and sacrifice forgave the sins of the world. Jesus Christ was then and continues to be our Immanuel. He is always with us. And, thanks be to His life and work, we will always be with Him; now on earth and eternally in heaven.
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Joseph’s mind was now at rest. He had been given direction. He did exactly what the angel told him to do. No doubt, he was filled with joy and awe and humility – and perhaps even a little bit scared. Because he was going to have a hand in raising God’s very own son. His role was to be the protector and provider for Mary and Jesus.
And as a stipulation that Joseph himself may have set because of what was about to take place, he had no sexual intimacy with Mary until after the birth of this miracle child; a child he named "Jesus."
What qualities do we see in Joseph that we, with God’s help, would do well to cultivate in ourselves? We see a man with a gentle, unassuming spirit, yet a man who is characterized as righteous and just and God-fearing.
We see a man who probably thought he would quietly pass through life, yet was open to the Lord’s leading and humbly and willingly accepted the responsibility to be used as God’s instrument.
We see a man of principle as well as a man of compassion.
We see a man of faith and conviction, as well as a man who translated that faith and those convictions into action.
And finally, we see a man who knew he was a sinner in need of Jesus, the Savior, and a man who rejoiced at the coming of Immanuel.
Joseph’s perspective on the Christmas story is one of admiration, awe and wonderment at the grace and goodness of God. That is also our perspective.
The next time we gather together in church it will be to celebrate the birth of Christ. As we rightfully focus our attention on the Christ-child, perhaps somewhere in our contemplation we might also allow our thoughts to drift toward Joseph, the nearly forgotten figure of Christmas who provides us with a Godly example that, let us pray, we may imitate – and never forget. Amen.