Joseph Series

Scripture

As we approach Christmas this year, I thought that I might have us take a brief look at “The Christmas Family.” Joseph, Mary, and Jesus are the key human persons in the Christmas family.

This past Saturday, Dr. Stephen Clark spoke at our Men’s Breakfast. He spoke about Joseph. It was a marvelous message. I would also like to begin our brief series by looking at Joseph.

So, let’s read about Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25:

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. (Matthew 2:18-25)

Introduction

Leonard Bernstein, the famous conductor of the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, was once asked which instrument was the most difficult to play. He immediately replied, “The second fiddle. I can get plenty of first violinists, but to find someone who can play the second fiddle with enthusiasm—that’s a problem. And if we have no second fiddle, we have no harmony.”

Joseph tends to get lost in the Christmas story because of Mary, Jesus, the angels, the shepherds, the magi, and so many others. But Joseph is a very important character in the Christmas story. He carries out his role so well that he brings a beautiful harmony to the entire Christmas story that we do well to examine.

Lesson

The actions of Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25 teaches us what it means to trust in the Lord.

Let’s use the following outline:?

1. God’s Children Must Temper Justice with Mercy (1:18-19)

2. God Never Forgets Those Who Remember Him (1:20-21)

3. God Is Always at Work in the Lives of His Children (1:22-23)

4. Trusting God Means Obeying God (1:24-25)

I. God’s Children Must Temper Justice with Mercy (1:18-19)

First, God’s children must temper justice with mercy.

Verse 18a says, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph….” Following the custom of the day, Mary may have been as young as twelve or thirteen years old when she became betrothed to Joseph, who could have been an older teenager, perhaps eighteen or nineteen years old.

According to Jewish custom, a betrothal signified much more than an engagement in the modern sense. At that time, a Jewish marriage consisted of two stages, the kiddushin (betrothal) and the huppah (wedding ceremony). The marriage was almost always arranged by the families of the bride and groom, often without consulting them. A contract was made and was sealed by payment of the mohar, the dowry or bride price, which was paid by the groom or his family to the bride’s father. The mohar served to compensate the father for wedding expenses and to provide a type of insurance for the bride in the event the groom became dissatisfied and divorced her. The contract was considered binding as soon as it was made, and the man and woman were considered legally married, even though the wedding ceremony (huppah) and consummation often did not occur until as much as a year later. The betrothal period served as a time of probation and testing of fidelity to ensure that the bride was not carrying anyone else’s child. During that period the bride and groom usually had little, if any, social contact with each other.

So Mary was in the betrothal stage of her marriage. She was betrothed to Joseph, but had not yet had the wedding ceremony. Verse 18b goes on to say, “…before they came together she was found to be with child….” Before Mary and Joseph had the wedding ceremony (huppah), Mary was discovered to be pregnant.

We know from Luke’s Gospel that earlier, perhaps soon after Mary and Joseph were betrothed, the angel Gabriel visited Mary and told her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:30-31)