Series: Christmas 2011, Advent
Message: Joseph’s “Just” Love
Topics: Love, Christmas, Advent, Joseph, Anger, Hurt, Justice, Grace, Bible, Marriage
Text: Matthew 1:18-20, Isaiah 42:1-6
Date: Dec. 18, 2011
Pastor: David McBeath
(Credid: In this sermon I rework part of a 1st person sermon on Joseph by Hadley Robinson.)
REVIEW/PREVIEW
Last week we learned about how to have the Great Joy the Angel told the shepherds about during the 1st Christmas. This week we are going to talk about Joseph’s “Just” Love.
I want to begin my message a little differently this morning. I want you to put yourselves in Joseph’s shoes as we think about the birth of Jesus this Christmas season. To help us do this, I have invited Joseph to share a little about his experience. So without further ado due, here is Joseph:
JOSEPH
Hi my name is Joseph. It’s strange but people have told me I look a lot like your pastor Dave! He’s not even Jewish!
Anyway, times in Nazareth were good for me and the reason Nazareth was so good for me is because it was there I met Mary. She was about 15-and-a-half when we were introduced by our parents. She was a wonderful girl and a beautiful woman. Before long we were betrothed. A Betrothal was sort of like your engagement, except that it was much more serious and usually lasted a year or even more.
Our engagement or betrothal was a period in which I came to love Mary even more than I had before. She was a wonderful combination of girl and woman. There were times when she laughed and her eyes danced with joy. (Let me see here: they kind of remind me of this young lady’s eyes. Beautiful, I tell you.) Anyway, it was wonderful to be with her.
Not only was Mary beautiful but she was as solid as the pillars at the temple as well. She was thoughtful. She pondered the Torah (our Bible) and how it applied to life. Not only that, she could really express her faith in song. She was a Magnificent song writer. (I guess that is why your Bible’s label her song about Jesus the Magnificat.) Our engagement was a period in which I dreamed. I dreamed about the house I could build for her, the children we would have, and the life we would build together.
It’s strange, isn’t it, how quickly, almost overnight, dreams can turn to nightmares and your best plans can be shattered. I noticed Mary had become quiet and withdrawn. When I asked her what was wrong, she told me she just couldn’t talk about it.
I had to go up to Capernaum to do some work, and while I was away, I wondered about her silence. I wondered if I had done something to offend her or if her family had been displeased with me. By the time I came back to Nazareth, I was beside myself! And, I told Mary not to shut me out of her life. I asked what was wrong. …But, was completely unprepared for her answer. She looked at me and said, "I’m pregnant." She began to weep.
Pregnant!! Of all the things that had been in my mind, that one had never occurred to me. Pregnant!!!! I had not been with her!!
If not me, who? Uuu! That thought repulsed me. How could it have happened? How could it have happened without my knowing or without her parents knowing? We had love. We had trust. We had plans and dreams. ….Why? I needed to ask questions, but I was afraid to hear the answers.
When she did answer me, it was like a slap in the face. She told me an angel had appeared to her and told her, a 16-year-old girl living in a fifth-rate little village, that she was going to be the mother of Israel’s Messiah. …Then she told me something else. She told me she was still a virgin, that the Spirit of God had come upon her and planted a baby in her womb.
God planted a baby in her womb? Did she think I was stupid? Her answer was an insult! I was furious!!! It was one thing for her to betray our love, but another thing to treat me like a fool by telling me a story that bordered on blasphemy. I could not believe it. I wanted to lash out. I wanted to hurt her as she was hurting me. I cannot begin to tell you how Angry I was!
Wouldn’t you be hurt and angry as well?
TEXT
Back to me as your pastor, what have people done to hurt you and make you angry? How did you react? How should we react? Please turn to Matthew 1:18-20. And let’s see what the passage says about Joseph and how he dealt with his Anger. Follow along as I read:
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. 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. 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.
Look at verse 20. It says after he [Joseph] had considered this. The Greek Word for considered can also be translated Anger or fuming with Anger. It is the same word used in Matthew 2:6 to describe King Herod’s Rage that the Wise Men did not return to tell him where baby Jesus was born. So this phrase could be translated, “after he had fumed with anger” then the Angel told him what Mary said was true. Have you ever stopped to consider how Mad, Hurt, and Angry Joseph must have been? What did he do with that anger? We will find out in a moment.
HURT & ANGER
First, let me ask, how many of you have ever been hurt and angry? I was thinking about angry people and that got me thinking about sporting events and was reminded of this story.
Baseball Mom
At one point during a game, the baseball coach said to one of his young players, "Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?" The little boy nodded in the affirmative. "Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as a team?" The little boy nodded yes. "So," the coach continued, "when a strike is called, or you’re out at first, you don’t argue or curse or attack the umpire. Do you understand all that?" Again the little boy nodded. "Good," said the coach. "Now go over there and explain it to your mother. …I’m sure we’ve all seen a few moms or dads like this at our children’s sporting events.
We have all been hurt and deal with some form of Anger, because we are all human! We’ve all been in some sort of relationship where we’ve been hurt.
I would venture to say there are individuals here this morning that are dealing with infidelity in their marriages. Are you angry? Are you furious? It’s OK if you are—Joseph was too! But what are you going to do with your hurt and anger?
Maybe it’s been awhile 5 or 10 years since the infidelity, but the hurt and anger still raises its ugly head from time to time? What do you do with it when it does?
Or maybe you were in serious relationship: You were hurt! You felt used! When the significant other traded you in for another model that they thought was funnier, or better looking, or more fun to be with. What do you do with that Anger and hurt?
Maybe it’s a parent or an adult child you feel has turned their back on you! You gave your life to them—and they hardly acknowledge you?
Maybe you have an alcoholic mom or dad and you are angry that you lost a childhood’s worth of memories with that parent because of their addiction. What do you do with the Anger and Hurt? Let’s look at how Joseph handled his anger. Maybe he can show us the way forward this morning.
RIGHTEOUS MAN
Notice verse 19. It says Joseph was a righteous man. This simply means he did what was right. So, evidently he would be a good example to follow.
One other thing I’d like you to realize about Matthew’s observation is this: Joseph had a good reputation. He was known for doing what was right. Now, Imagine what this “incident” would do to his reputation. His girlfriend is pregnant. What would his friends think? What would his priest think? Or, the members of his synagogue? His reputation could be ruined!
How do you feel when someone says something about you are does something to you that could ruin your reputation? How do you react? What do you want?
Most people want justice to be served. They want things made right! Their name restored! The perpetrator taken care of!
JUST MAN
Matthew says Joseph was a righteous man. The KJV and ESV translate this phrase Joseph was a Just man. This simply means Joseph’s actions were just. It means justice prevailed in the way Joseph handled his anger. [Again, more evidence demonstrating we need to follow Joseph’s example when it comes to our hurt and anger.]
Martin Luther King Quote
Now, if Joseph did what was right and his actions were just, we need to understand what it means to act justly and pursue justice, if we are going learn how to do what is right with our anger. Martin Luther King once said: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” I think that is very true!
So what is justice and how do channel our anger into causing justice to be served?
TYPICAL UNDERSTANDING OF JUSTICE
Generally there are two understandings of what Justice is all about. The first is Retributive Justice or Revenge. Many times when people have been hurt by another and become angry and say they want justice, what they are saying is that they want Revenge. Revenge is Retributive Justice.
Toby Keith Courtesy of Red, White, & Blue
How many of you like country music? Raise your hand if you do. I remember right after 9/11 Toby Keith wrote a song that I loved called “Courtesy of the Red, White, &Blue.” The chorus went like this:
Oh, justice will be served and the battle will rage:
This big dog will fight when you rattle his cage.
An’ you’ll be sorry that you messed with the U.S. of A.
’Cos we’ll put a boot in your ass, it’s the American way
The justice Toby sings about is revenge. If you sucker punch me, watch out. All heck is going to break loose. I’ll get you back. This is retributive justice.
*Political Disclaimer: this is not an endorsement or non-endorsement for the US war with Iraq: there are a lot of complex issues involved in that discussion. This is simply a comment on this song!*
Café Karma
This week I was at my usual haunt, Café Karma, working on my sermon and I overheard a young mom who was very angry. She had made a mistake and had a child out of wedlock. But she trying hard to show her Dad she had changed. It sounded like she was doing all the right things. But she was angry! Angry about how her Dad turned his back on her, constantly put her down, and refused to have a meaningful relationship with her. I didn’t seem as though her anger was going to a good place. I couldn’t hear her for sure, but it sounded like she was dreaming about a way to get even. It made me wonder what she would do with that anger. It seemed as if she wanted retributive justice. Revenge!
You know, we can try to reassure ourselves that dreaming about revenge is somehow ok, but Prov. 24:29 tells us: “Do not say, ‘I’ll do to him as he has done to me; I’ll pay that man back for what he did.’”
How do we handle our hurt and anger? According to this vers we can rule out retributive justice. Joseph didn’t try to get even with his fiancée Mary for what she had done to him. Joseph did what was right and put her away privately. He was more concerned with doing things God’s way than Getting Revenge.
How about you? Do you dream of hurting the person that hurt you? Don’t do it! Don’t’ think like that. The apostle Paul writes in Rom. 12:19: “Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” Do things God’s way like Joseph did. Don’t seek revenge or retributive justice.
Justice: Equal Application of the Law
The second type of justice most people think of has to do with the equal application of the law. This is what most Americans think of when they hear the word justice.
Superman and The Justice League
When I think of this type of Justice, Superman comes to mind. Anyone remember his saying: “Truth, Justice, and the American Way!” I also think of the old super-hero cartoon series I would watch on Saturday morning. It was called the justice league. The mission of these superheroes was to make sure justice was served. At the heart of each episode was their struggle to make each villain be subject to the laws everyone else had to follow. The members of the Justice League wanted to ensure the equal application of the law to all parties.
This sounds right and good doesn’t it? This has to be the type of Justice Joseph ensured took place!
Joseph and Equal Application Justice
This certainly seems like the answer for Joseph. He doesn’t have to take revenge on Mary. He just has to let the equal application of the law run its course. I mean Israel’s law was put into place to keep men and women from hurting their spouse or significant other the way Joseph had been hurt by Marry. Here is the Law Joseph certainly followed. It is found in Deuteronomy 22:20-21.
If, however, the charge is true and no proof of the girl’s virginity can be found, she shall be brought to the door of her father’s house and there the men of her town shall stone her to death. She has done a disgraceful thing in Israel by being promiscuous while still in her father’s house. You must purge the evil from among you.
Joseph could have had Mary stoned by following the Law and insisting on its equal application: what we call justice in the United States. It would have solved his problems. His name and reputation would have been restored. People would have known the child was not his and Mary would have go what she deserved without him acting to get revenge!
But Joseph doesn’t do this. He doesn’t follow God’s Law. And you know what’s strange? Matthew says Joseph is right our just for not following God’s Law. Look at Matthew 1:19. It says, “Because Joseph was a righteous or just man, he put her away privately” to have the baby and not be stoned. And get this: Joseph made this decision before the angel told him, what Mary said was true. So evidently, equal application of the law is not God’s Definition of Justice, at least right now! Evidently Joseph knew this! Because, Matthew calls him just and righteous man for not insisting the law be followed.
GOD’S IDEA OF JUSTICE (IS. 42:1-6)
So what is God’s idea of Justice? What did Joseph know that we may not? Let’s look at Isaiah 42:1-6 and find out. Go ahead and turn to this passage.
In book of Isaiah we find 4 songs that poetically prophecy and point to coming “Suffering Servant” that God will send to save the world. These songs are prophesies pointing to Jesus and the justice he will bring to earth. Read the whole passage when you get time this week. I am going to focus on verse 3 which reads: "A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;"
In this verse we see that God’s Justice administered thru Jesus is neither Retributive nor Equal Application of the Law (At least not yet. At the end of this age, when Christ returns, it will be. But for now, it’s not.) Let me highlight the imagery so you can see this.
Bruised Reed
Let’s begin with the image of a bruised reed. Take a look at these pictures. They are pictures of structures and houses that are built with reeds in the Middle East. In Jesus’ day reeds were used to build houses and boats. Smaller reeds were dipped in ink and used for pens. But if a reed was damaged or bruised it could not be used for any of these purposes and would have to be broken and burned for cooking and heating. This passage is saying that the coming Suffering Servant (Jesus) would not come to break and burn the “damaged” sinful people of this world. Why? In order to bring Justice!
Smoldering Wick
Moving to the image of the smoldering wick, take a look at these pictures. You see a picture of a candle with smoldering wick. You also see a picture of a clay lamp. Now imagine the smoldering wick in the clay lamp, because I couldn’t find a picture like that.
In Jesus’ day small clay lamps fueled by olive oil were used to light homes. The wicks in this type of lamp hung from a spout at the side of the lamp, as you can see. When the oil would run low, the wick would begin to smolder. As it smoldered and burned there was a danger that the wick might burn in two, fall and cause a fire. In order to prevent a fire people would snuff out the flame. According to this passage Jesus the suffering servant was not coming to extinguish the flame of broken sinful people who were almost out of fuel. This was not how he would bring justice to the world.
According to Matthew, Joseph (the step-father of Jesus) demonstrated this kind of righteousness this kind of justice. According to New Testament Scholar and Missionary to the Middle East Ken Bailey:
Joseph looked beyond the penalties of the law in order to reach out with tenderness to a young woman who was no doubt bruised and exhausted. Perhaps he saw Mary as a dimly burning wick. This prophetic definition of justice required a compassionate concern for the weak, the downtrodden and the outcasts in their need.
You see, Joseph knew the Bible that was available to him. He had a deep understanding of it. If he just had a surface understanding, he may have followed the law of Deuteronomy and had Mary stoned. Without Joseph’s deep biblical knowledge and prophetic understanding of justice, Jesus may never have been born.
God’s Just Love
The picture of Jesus as the suffering servant in Isaiah is the heart of the Christmas story. It is
a picture of God’s “Just” Love. God loves this world and the people in it so much that he sent his son, Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary to suffer and die on a cross for the broken, bruised, tired, and angry people of our world. His body was broken so God wouldn’t have to break our reeds (our lives) and burn us in the fire for our sin. His life was quenched and extinguished so ours don’t have to be. We deserve to be broken, burned and extinguished because of our sins. But God has set aside his anger for a time being!
THREE THINGS WE CAN LEARN
So what can we learn God and Joseph’s “Just” love? How can we follow Joseph’s example
when we have been hurt and are angry? Quickly, there are three things we must do:
Turned Anger to Grace
First, follow Joseph’s example and allow God to turn your anger to grace. The only way you can do this is by accepting God’s grace. Grace is simply something you don’t deserve. God is angry about sin. But he has put aside his anger for sinful, bruised and broken people like me and you. Place your faith in Jesus who was broken and extinguished for you and your sin, so you don’t have to be.
Once you’ve done this, allow God’s grace to turn your anger into grace. Think about why you are angry, the spouse who cheated on you emotionally or physically, the mom or dad that turned their back on you, the friend that turned on you, the church that judged you, the alcoholic parent that wasn’t there for you. As you think about the hurt and anger they have caused you, understand this: They are bruised reeds and smoldering wicks—just like you. Many times their sins against you are just a manifestation of the hurt they’ve experienced in their past and the anger they hold inside as a result. I think Joseph realized this. Allow your anger to be turned to grace like Joseph did.
Know the Bible
The second thing we learn from Joseph’s example that can help us thru our hurt and anger is this: Know Your Bible! Understand it! Get beyond a surface knowledge. Like I said a moment ago, Jesus would have never been born if Joseph only had a surface understanding of the Bible. Joseph knew his Bible inside and out! He allowed God’s word to indwell him and he lived out what he knew to be true! I want to encourage you to take up my challenge and read thru the entire Bible in the year 2012. Get the guide our church will be going thru! Know the Bible and live out what you know to be true! Don’t let a surface understanding Scripture keep you in the chains of legalism.
Be Counter-cultural
Finally, from Joseph’s example, we learn to be counter-cultural. Ken Baily says that Joseph “possessed the boldness, daring, courage, and strength of character to stand up against his entire community and take Mary as his wife. He did this in spite of forces that wanted her stoned.”
Do you have the boldness and courage to do this? Will you stand up to legalistic church members who want to condemn sinners instead of demonstrating God’s love, justice and grace? Will you listen to the friend that says you need to get even and get revenge or will you tell them no! Will you stand up to the family members who tell you to divorce the no good so and so?
See the person that hurt you with God’s Just Love like Joseph saw Mary. It goes against our nature to do so, to let people who have hurt us off the hook. The world doesn’t do this. It is counter-cultural. Like a magnet we are repelled by the idea of grace, but also attracted to it. We like grace when we receive, but we are repelled by the idea of giving it. Be counter-cultural and give grace to those who have hurt you. It will be hard, but you can do it.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, what do learn from Joseph? It is this:
In difficult, hurtful situations follow Joseph’s countercultural example and demonstrate “just” love, by knowing God’s word well enough to allow it to teach you to turn your anger into grace.
