Scripture: Matthew 1:18-25 and Isaiah 7:10-17
Theme: 4th Advent - Joseph
Matthew shares with us the story of Joseph - a young man who 1. Possessed a Spirit of Compassion 2. Possessed a Spirit of Openness 3. Cultivated a life of Obedience
INTRO:
Grace and peace from God our Father and from Jesus Christ His Son who came to take away the sin of the world!
Remember the last time you or someone you deeply cared about was waiting for the birth of their unborn baby? Remember all the joy and anticipation as you waited week after week after week? Then somewhere around 36 - 40 weeks that little precious child was born. That little person you had waited so long to see, to hold and to be with was right there in front you ready to be held, cuddled and loved.
We all know that there is something special about a baby coming into our world. There is something very holy and sacred about each time the LORD graces our world with the birth of a new little human being. There is a holiness that surrounds each and every birth. There is something that happens that is akin to LORD speaking the worlds into existence.
This fact was especially true as we read about the stories of faith in the Old Testament. Many of the stories that we read about in the book of Genesis had to do with families waiting for the birth of their "promise child". The great mothers of the Old Testament like Sarah, Rebekah and Rachel all experienced some difficulty in bringing a child into the world. Each woman prayed and waited and then waited some more. In the Rachel's case it was even more vexing as her sister Leah was blessed with child after child.
Rachel began to blame everyone and everything for her barrenness. She blamed God, then she blamed Jacob and finally she blamed herself. Her life was so miserable that she wanted to die. Then one day the Bible tells us that the LORD remembered Rachel and allowed her to bear a child. Her days of being barren were over. Rachel was ecstatic as now she would have a promised child of her own.
When her son was born, Rachel gave him a rather unusual name. She did not name him after Jacob, Isaac or even Abraham. She named him Joseph, a name that contains both a praise and plea. Rachel praised the LORD for the birth of her eldest son but she also prayed for more children. The name Joseph means - "Lord, give me one more just like this one."
Rachel looked down on her son and praised the Lord for this little boy. She was so happy that she immediately began to ask the LORD for one more just like him. Now, that is some high praise. Usually, women do not immediately want another baby. More often than not they say that they need some time. They need some time to adjust and to get back into shape. They need some time to rest and get their lives back together. But not Rachel. She is ready to bear another child.
As we read Joseph's stories in the Old Testament we read that he became a very special Spirit filled and anointed man. A man who was known for more than having a coat of many colors and being sold into slavery by his brothers. We read about a man who lived a very holy and sacred life. We read about a man whom the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY used to save His people and all the people in and around Egypt.
However, Mother Rachel wasn't the only mother to name her child Joseph. The Bible shares with us in our Gospel passage this morning that there was another mother who looked down upon her son and called him Joseph. Perhaps, she too was so amazed at having a son that she was both praising and petitioning God for more children. Perhaps, it was her hope that her Joseph would become as great as the Joseph that we find in the stories of Genesis.
This morning, let's take a few moments and look at the life of this Joseph we find in our Gospel Story. For the more you read and meditate on Joseph's story the more you fall in love with Him and the way he learned to walk with the LORD. The more you read his story the more you are challenged to live with what we could call this morning - A Joseph attitude and spirit.
I. Joseph possessed a SPIRIT OF COMPASSION AND SENSITIVITY
How old was Joseph when he and Mary were betrothed? That question has been the point of contention for hundreds of years. Some Bible scholars have conjectured that Joseph could have been as young as twenty while others say that Joseph could have been as old as ninety. Now, that's a wide range. Some have also said that Joseph was unmarried while others say that Joseph was a widower already with a family. The truth is no one knows for sure. But from all the reliable evidence we can garner I believe this morning we can safely surmise that Joseph had never been married and was somewhere between the ages of 20 - 25 years of age.
More than likely Joseph and Mary's marriage was one that had been pre-arranged by both their families years ago. Families back in Joseph's time did not think that young people, especially young males were smart enough to take care of such serious matters. They believed that wiser hearts and minds were needed. In saying that however, we know that their union was as much orchestrated by the LORD as was Rebekah to Isaac. While their parents may have thought that it was their choice we know that the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY ordained that Joseph and Mary would be betrothed and then married.
A Jewish betrothal is something like our modern day engagement only on steroids. Once a couple entered into a betrothal relationship it was both legally and spiritually binding. The betrothal period would last for about a year. During that time the couple would be addressed as husband and wife, however, until the actual day of their marriage day the couple were to practice celibacy.
Furthermore, the only way the relationship could be dissolved was through a legal and spiritual divorce. If for example, the prospective groom was to die for some reason during the betrothal period the young woman would be considered a widow. She would have been legally called at that time "a virgin who is a widow". While that may not make a great deal of sense to us today it shows exactly how binding and serious the betrothal covenant was at the time of Jesus.
It was during this betrothal period that the angel Gabriel comes to Mary and reveals to her that she had been chosen by the LORD God Almighty to carry the Messiah, the Savior of the World. While Mary's pregnancy was praised and adored in heaven it was not so on earth. On earth, Mary's pregnancy was scandalous to say the least. To be found to be with child during the betrothal period meant one of two negative things. One, that the betrothed couple had no self-control or that the prospective bride had been unfaithful. While the first one brought shame upon the couple and their families, the second one could bring about the death penalty. Any betrothed or married woman carrying an illegitimate child faced either a quick divorce with humiliation or a public trial which most certainty would lead to the death penalty by public stoning.
Now, we have caught up with our story. Joseph has discovered that Mary is pregnant. He has been so careful to honor her innocence and yet here she is carry a baby that he knows in his heart is not his child. He had been busy doing all he could do to prepare a home and prepare for the wedding and now everything was ruined. What in the world is going on? I am sure he felt abandoned, mistreated, deceived, confused and a hundred other emotions. How could Mary do this to him? How could Mary do this to them? Now, what should he do with her? What would we have done with her if we had been Joseph this morning? What would we think if we were her mother or father?
Let's notice what Joseph does. He does not call out her parents nor shame Mary. He does not call for the elders of Nazareth to gather together so that Mary and her family will have to face a trial and be condemned. He does not sue for a breach of the betrothal covenant/contract. He does not begin an investigation to identify the father of the child.
Instead, Joseph reaches out and attempts to rescue Mary (and the baby) while staying true to his convictions. He cannot acknowledge that the child is his for that would be a lie. He doesn't want to harm or injury Mary or the unborn child. At the same time though he knows he can't go through with the marriage. From everything he knows at this point, Mary doesn't really love him. If she did, then she wouldn't be pregnant.
So, he sets forth the plans to divorce her quietly. He will let others think what they may but he will not be unfaithful to His Lord, to his faith or to Mary. While she may have been unfaithful to him he will not retaliate any more than he must. He cannot lie and say the baby is his so he decides to compassionately with a great deal of sensitivity divorce Mary discreetly and quietly. Joseph chooses the pathway of compassion and sensitivity.
His compassion and sensitivity speak to us today. There are times we may have to do unpleasant things like file papers for a separation, for a divorce or even take someone to a court of law. None of us want to do any of those things this morning. However, at times our hands are tied. It's a part of the brokenness of our world.
But we don't have to do it in a spirit of anger, malice or revenge. We don't have to go out of our way to make enemies. We can do our best to find the most compassionate and most sensitive way possible. We can travel the road of compassion and sensitivity. We can still seek justice but in a way that brings the least harm. That is what we see from our friend Joseph. Joseph's love for both Mary and the baby (even though it was not his baby) caused him to find the most compassionate and loving answer he could. His love for God spilled over in the way he treated others even those he thought had betrayed and wounded him the deepest.
II. Second, we see that Joseph possessed a SPIRIT OF OPENNESS
We all know what happens when life hits you right in the gut. When life trips up your plans and you find yourself in the middle of a life storm. You quickly lose our appetite. You can't seem to concentrate and you can't sleep. You lay down to rest but your mind begins to dwell on everything and you find yourself tossing and turning all night long. No doubt, that was Joseph's life for a while. The Bible doesn't tell us how long he had to live that way but I am sure if we could have looked in on him night after night we would have seen him pacing the floors, thinking and crying out to the LORD asking what he should do with Mary and her baby.
And then we read verses 20ff. We read how the LORD sent one of His holy angels to speak to Joseph in a dream. Listen again to the angel's words - "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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." (verses 20b - 21 ESV)
We join with Joseph in crying out Hallelujah and Praise the LORD! His Mary had not been unfaithful. She had not been unfaithful to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, to her parents or to him as her betrothed. Instead, she had been highly favored by the LORD. His Mary was like Sarah, Deborah, Hannah and Esther. The Lord had chosen her to do great things. In obedience she had surrendered her body, her mind and her soul over to the LORD. She had given the LORD her future, her reputation and even her very own life. His Mary was God's Chosen Vessel.
This morning, I wish we could have watched Joseph after he received this dream. We would see all his frustration, all of his misunderstanding and all of his confusion suddenly wiped away. I wish we had a video of Joseph going to see Mary after the dream. I can imagine him holding her hands and kneeling down in humility and awe before her. I can imagine him now wondering why the LORD has allowed him to be with such a holy and sacred woman. Inside his betrothed was the long awaited Messiah. No human being, not even Moses himself would ever be as close to the Lord God Almighty as his Mary.
I love the way the Holy Spirit shows us how He gently works with us humans. To help both Mary and Joseph the Holy Spirit told each one of them what to name the baby. That way when the shared the news with each other it was one more sign that they both had heard from the LORD. It was one more sign that God used to tell them both that they were on the right path and He was pleased with the both of them.
Now, as much of a love story as we today try our best to read into all of this it was not easy for either one of them. For now, Joseph must take on the shame that others would forever place on him. Joseph enjoyed the reputation of being a just and upright man. A man who was above impropriety and a man who was known to have tremendous self-control. He would have to put all of that on the back burner. In accepting Mary as his wife he was opening the doors for all those around him to accuse him and Mary of having very little self-control. People would be forever whispering about how Joseph and Mary appeared to be the perfect couple but they had shamed their families and themselves. Added to all of that there would be no public wedding. For couples like Joseph and Mary had to forgo that type of celebration and find a priest who would privately marry them.
All of this took place because Joseph was open to the leading of the LORD. Like his namesake in the Old Testament, Joseph allowed the LORD to speak to him in many different ways including dreams and visions. Job 33:14 -16 reminds us that God speaks many times to us through dreams, visions and other means that we are not always ready to receive them. But that was not the case in our story here with Joseph. Joseph was open to hearing from the LORD in any way possible.
This passage does cause us to pause and wonder why the LORD did not send Gabriel down to talk to Joseph the same way He did to Mary and to Zacharias. Why didn't God reveal His plan that way instead of through a dream? Why didn't God send an angel into his workshop one afternoon? That's something that the Bible doesn't share with us. For Mary, the Lord used a direct encounter with a holy angel. For Joseph, the Lord used a series of dreams and visions.
The key is that both of them were open to the leadings of the LORD. I believe today that God desires to speak to each and every one of us. When we think about it, it only makes sense. Why else would the LORD create us, make a way for us to be saved and fill us with His Holy Spirit if He didn't want to talk to us? I whole heartedly believe today that the LORD desires to speak to us through His Word, through direct encounters, through dreams and visions and through nature and other people. I believe the question this morning is not whether or not God wants to speak to us the question is will we be open to receive God's message?
In Isaiah chapter 7 we have this interesting story that happened between the LORD, the Prophet Isaiah and King Ahaz of Judah. It all happened during a time when the kingdom of Judah was being threatened by a coalition of its neighbors (Syria and Israel). War was imminent and Judah's defeat was all but assured. It was simply too weak to defend itself against such powerful foes. The Bible tells us in Isaiah 7:2 that the people were shaking "as the trees of the forest shake before the wind". Everyone in Judah was afraid for their very lives because they knew that the kingdom of Judah would soon be destroyed.
Everyone that is except the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY and the Prophet Isaiah. The LORD sent Isaiah to tell King Ahaz not to worry. The Lord would fight for Judah. He would not allow the coalition to destroy Judah. To assure King Ahaz the LORD sent word that the king could ask the LORD for a sign - " be it as deep as Sheol or high as heaven." ( verse 10 ESV). Think about that for a moment. The LORD wanted King Ahaz to ask for a sign - any sign - and He would do it. Can you imagine all the possibilities?
However, King Ahaz didn't receive God's words nor did he ask for a sign. He wanted nothing to do with the Prophet Isaiah. Instead of asking for a sign, we read how the king closed off his heart, mind and soul to the LORD. Thankfully, the LORD went ahead and saved the kingdom of Judah but King Ahaz missed being a part of one of the great miracles of God's salvation. He missed it because he was not open.
This morning, we should never follow the ways of King Ahaz. Instead, we should emulate the spirit of Joseph and be open to the LORD. We should allow the LORD to speak to us in any manner of His choosing. If the LORD chooses to send us an angel then so be it. If the LORD seeks to speak to us through His Word we are to read with open and receptive hearts, minds and souls. If the LORD seeks to speak to us through dreams and visions then we are to be open and receptive. If the LORD seeks to speak to us through nature or other fellow disciples then we are to be receptive. I think you get what I am trying to say. Just be open to obey and receive any of God's ways no matter how they come. We will miss out on a great deal that the LORD wants to show us if we close our hearts, minds and soul to Him. We will miss out on miracles, blessings and anointings if we close ourselves off to the LORD.
III. Finally, we see that Joseph cultivated a SPIRIT OF OBEDIENCE
This morning, Joseph has one more great thing to show us. Already, he has revealed to us that we need to have both a Spirit of Compassion and a Spirit of Openness. Alongside of those, Joseph shows us that we must also have a Spirit of Obedience. We must put God's plans into action. Whatever God tells us to do we must then follow up with complete trust and obedience.
To be obedient to the LORD, Joseph had to let his whole life get turned upside down. After obeying God's directions in that dream Joseph's life was never the same. But as he allowed his life to be more and more turned upside down by the LORD, the more he grew closer to the LORD, to Mary and to the baby Jesus.
The Bible tells us that Joseph and his family were on the move a great deal those first few years of their marriage. They first moved to Bethlehem where they stayed for around two years. Then they moved to Egypt where they stayed for a few more years. Finally, they moved back to Nazareth and settled down. For a period of time Joseph found himself a wanted man (by King Herod).
It was during this time that Joseph found himself in the center of some of the greatest miracles and favor of all time:
+ He watched as the shepherds came down from the fields around Bethlehem to see Mary and her new born child. He listened to their stories of how the angels appeared to them telling them where the child would be born.
+He was there at the Temple when Simeon came over and took up the baby Jesus and shared that Jesus would be a light to the Gentiles and salvation to the people of Israel.
+ He was there when Anna came up to them telling them that she had been waiting for the birth of Jesus for many years and that he would bring redemption to God's people.
+Later on Joseph found himself welcoming the wise men into his home as they presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus. He listened as they shared the story of seeing the star and being led to where the future King of Israel would be born.
+He watched as Jesus at the tender age of 12 year old boy dazzle all those around the Temple with his spiritual insights and knowledge.
Only Joseph knows this morning all the other wonderful things and events that he was able to enjoy because of his obedience to the LORD. We don't have a great deal about all the years that Jesus grew up both in Egypt and in Nazareth but we can surmise that there were many more events like those we have alluded to this morning.
It doesn't mean that all of Joseph's days were easy and light. After all, Luke shares with us the story of the flight into Egypt and the horrible story of the massacre of those innocent children around Bethlehem. Matthew shares with us the fear of King Herod and of his son Archelaus. Luke shares the terror that Joseph along with Mary experienced when they realized that they had left Jesus behind in Jerusalem.
But overall, the mysteries and the majesties Joseph experienced must have been wonderful. In Luke 1:38 we read where Mary spoke these words back to the angel Gabriel - "...let it be to me according to your word."
Although, we don't have the same words recorded by Joseph all we have to do is to watch his actions of obedience to know that he shared the same spirit of consecration and obedience. We don't read about Joseph hesitating or debating with God. All we read about is when the LORD said go then Joseph put on his sandals and went. Joseph cultivated a spirit of obedience.
This morning, we can learn a great deal from this man Joseph. He teaches us the importance of:
+Being compassionate and sensitive
+Being open and being receptive to the LORD
+Cultivating a life of complete obedience
I wonder this morning as we come to a close if we could join in with Mary and I believe with Joseph in saying those words to the LORD - "LET IT BE UNTO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD". I wonder if we would allow the LORD to work through our lives the way He sought to work through the lives of these two young people.
This morning, as we prepare to receive the Lord's Supper - are we able to bow our heads and say to the LORD - LET IT BE IN MY LIFE ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD -
+Let me become a person led by a compassionate and sensitive heart, mind and soul
+Let me become a person who is open to all of your leadings no matter what they may entail
+Cultivate within me a spirit of complete surrender and obedience
I believe we can and we are doing that right now. I believe as we receive the cup and the bread this morning we do so seeking to possess the same spirit as St. Joseph -
+A Spirit of Compassion
+A Spirit of Openness
+A Spirit of Obedience
Let us pray.
This the message of God for the People of God
