December 22, 2019 Matthew 1:18-25
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.
Jesus Changes Everything
When someone is contemplating marriage, they ought to make sure that they know the person they are marrying. Imagine, for instance, that a man married a woman who didn’t tell him that she had a child from a previous relationship. Or imagine if the spouse pretended that he was financially well off, when he really wasn’t. Such things are deceitful. They call into question the whole marriage when vows are made on false or deceptive pretenses.
There’s a story in the Old Testament about Ruth and Boaz. A field came up for sale, but the only way it could be bought according to Old Testament law was if the person who bought it also married Ruth. They were up front with the deal as they should have been. So when one guy was offered the field and found out he had to marry Ruth he said, “No thanks.”
But sometimes life throws curveballs after the deal that are in no way a product of deception. Someone could come down with cancer. Someone could lose a job. These weren’t planned. They just happened. It’s a part of life, but it’s all baked into the cake of marriage, and you’re called on to stick with it, not just give up.
Just look at what happened with Joseph. When we was engaged to Mary I’m sure he didn’t think that it was going to include a flight to Egypt under the dead of night or being the provider and protector to God’s Son: the Messiah of the world. There were plenty of curveballs. He didn’t know marriage would bring these things, but he had no choice in the matter but to deal with it.
But PRIOR to the public vow, Joseph wanted out of the engagement. When Mary came back from visiting Elizabeth she would have been about three or more months pregnant. Joseph must have noticed. He must have thought to himself that Mary had been unfaithful with Joseph while she was visiting Elizabeth. The Bible doesn’t say that he even spoke with Mary about this. I can’t imagine the look on Joseph’s face. Was it anger? Sadness? Disappointment? Did he walk out of the house and slam the door? The Bible doesn’t say. I find it interesting that the LORD let him go through this disappointment and anger. He gave him time to fester on it and convince himself to divorce her quietly, so as not to make a big scene of it.
Perhaps Joseph, then, would have even seemed the villain in the public eye for seemingly leaving her on her own after she was already pregnant. It seems that the Jewish culture back in Jesus’ day seemed to think they could just hand a woman a paper of divorce for all kinds of reasons. It wouldn’t have been as shameful on Mary, even though, in Joseph’s mind, she would have deserved it. Maybe Mary could have stayed at home with her parents, but that wouldn’t have been an easy situation for her either. Here’s the bottom line. Joseph wasn’t filled with vengeance. He didn’t want to publicly shame her. He loved her. But he also decided that he just couldn’t stay with her if she was unfaithful even before they had been married. That was a deal breaker.
It reminds me of decisions that people have to make with marriage today more than ever. People have baggage that comes with them. Sometimes they have children from other relationships. Sometimes they have a troubled family background. It’s no small thing for someone to say, “I do” to the point of death. That makes the decision all the more difficult, because they know the sacrifice that will be involved.
Joseph plays an important role in the Christmas story, although he doesn’t really get a lot of the glory. There aren’t any church bodies worshiping him that I know of or praying to statues of him. He doesn’t say a word in the Bible. But he’s important. Jesus needed a protector, someone to step in and take care of Him and Mary. Mary’s reputation would also be at stake. It would be good for Jesus to have a faithful and honorable man in His household to provide for them. Joseph was the man that God chose for the job. His reaction to this situation shows a thoughtful and faithful man, not one who would fly off the handle or be filled with a self righteous indignation.
Joseph first of all had to be convinced to change his mind about Mary. Mary couldn’t just tell him, “Oh, don’t worry Joseph. I wasn’t messing around. This is God’s child within me. I’m having a virgin birth. I’m going to be famous, you wait and see.” It would have been considered blasphemy. She couldn’t be her own witness. And realistically she couldn’t have even told him that she had a vision from an angel either. It’s not everyday that stuff like this happens. This wasn’t a once in a lifetime thing. This was a once in eternity thing. So God sent an angel to Joseph too. Joseph needed a divine intervention (like we all do in some senses)!
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.”
It’s interesting, isn’t it, how the angel refers to Joseph? Son of David? What’s he trying to say to David with this title? You come from royal blood. You are one of David’s offspring.
Remember who David was. David was king of Israel. David was the one through whom the Messiah - the Savior of the world - would come. David was from Bethlehem, and Micah had prophesied,
“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins are from of old,
from ancient times.” (5:2)
David was also a man of faith. He was a sinner too. Yet he believed that the Messiah was coming to save him.
So by calling Joseph, “Son of David,” the angel was reminding Joseph of who he was - he was an offspring of David, who was also waiting for the Messiah to come. Now, by adoption, Joseph would be able to legally make Jesus a part of that royal line. Now, more importantly, Joseph would be able to raise the Messiah. He would be able to hold the Messiah. He would be able to pray with the Messiah. He would be able to have a part in the raising of the Messiah. The One that he would raise would end up saving him and the WORLD from their sins.
So this was much more than a charity case for an unfaithful woman. This was a divine mission from God to take care of the mother of the Messiah and more importantly, God in the flesh, Immanuel. With this revelation from God the angel changed everything. Little did Joseph know what this mission would entail. It would entail sacrifice of time and of money. Their lives would be in danger from Herod. They would have to flee to another country. The child would make them fugitives and enemies of the Satanic forces from hell. This was a dangerous mission. It was a sacrificial mission. Yet it was also a mission filled with privilege, for Joseph would have the privilege of being able to hold God. Simeon, with just one moment of holding Jesus in his arms, was ready to die in joy. How much more joy would Joseph have in helping to raise a perfect child, in helping to feed and raise God Himself!
Joseph didn’t ask for any of this. He didn’t want any of this. It was a scary thing to think about, raising the Messiah of the world! If this child is going to save the world, and Satan wanted Him dead, then Joseph had the responsibility to protect this child! But what did the angel say to him? Do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife. Don’t be afraid? I’d be terrified! But remember, this was an angel, a powerful angel who had appeared to Joseph. Those angels would be with Joseph throughout his life. They would warn Joseph to leave from Bethlehem, keeping ahead of Herod. They would protect Joseph on the way to Egypt. God would provide. Joseph wasn’t in it alone.
You’re not in this life alone either. Life always throws challenges at you too. You have your own sinful and fearful nature to deal with. Satan wants to attack you too. But God is with you too. The same God who came in the flesh to sacrifice Himself on the cross for you, comes in the Supper. He gives you His forgiveness. He promises you His protection. Life throws plenty of curve balls at us. There are many times we are faced with scary situations. We too want to give up and divorce ourselves from the situation. But God is still with us. And we too have the privilege to hold Jesus in our hands and in our hearts through the Word and sacrament. We know that through our fears and our failures, we have Jesus and His forgiveness. We too, through faith and through baptism, are God’s royal children. We need not fear because we have Jesus. Jesus changes everything.
It’s an interesting thing to think about in marriage too. I suppose Mary could have tried to hide her pregnancy from Joseph. Maybe she did for a while. But sooner or later, he found out. That was a good thing. He had to know what he was getting into. This wasn’t going to be any normal marriage. And I wish our young people getting married would be more upfront about Jesus before they get too deep in the waters. If He is the heart and focus of your life, if He is intertwined with the bosom of your soul, why even try to hide Him? Shouldn’t you put Him out front, and let the person you are interested see what a game changer He is? If that significant other is not willing to bring Jesus into the deal, then the deal should be off. Why go any deeper? But that’s not the main point of this text, just an interesting sidelight.
If I were Joseph I would have had all kinds of questions. Why me? Are you sure you want to take this risk? Surely there have to be more resourceful men with more money than a carpenter? Someone with more power? Are you sure you want to risk the Savior of the world, the Jesus, with ME as his stepfather? But God chose Joseph, in spite of the weaknesses, in spite of the risk, to do just that. And I’m sure that Joseph made mistakes. I’m sure that Joseph had his fears. But if he would only take time to contemplate what the angel said . . . think about it! What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 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. God chose to come down here and walk and talk among us. God chose to become this weak little baby. Why? He must love us! He must want us in heaven. He has become weak and powerless, so that He could suffer and die for us! Joseph could have reasoned, “If this boy is going to save his people from their sins, well then, I am one of His people too. My salvation is not going to be based on how good of a father I am, but on this little boy right here!” When Joseph would see the patience and strength and love of that boy, he would see first hand what a loving God and Savior he too had. And that would make all of the sacrifice and all of the homelessness and danger worth it.
So here is the miracle of Advent. No words of Joseph. No questions. Just action. 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. Through these simple words, the angel completely changed Joseph’s heart and mind. He went from someone who was going to divorce Mary to someone who would dedicate himself to her and to Jesus. God worked faith in his heart, and that changed Joseph’s life, when Joseph understood who that baby in Mary’s womb was.
That baby was His Savior. That baby has come to save your life too. There’s so much to be afraid of - so much death in the world - so much darkness - so many threats to our faith. We are being called hateful and being painted as bigots and closed minded fools. There are so many other things to cling to in this world. It is easy to be fearful and what to run away. But listen to the angels from on high - hear them sing about Jesus!
Look at what Jesus did for Joseph and Mary! Jesus changes the worst of situations into hopeful situations. He changes you from looking like a filthy adulterer into His precious bride. He calls you His beloved and holy child when you are a baptized believer in Jesus. You too are a son of David through faith in Jesus. Jesus changes everything. He changes how I look at life and death. He changes how I look at myself and the world around me. He calls for sacrifice me to hold onto Him and confess Him in a world of darkness and unbelief. But He’s worth every bit of it, because with Him I have full forgiveness. With Him in my arms I have hope. Christmas is special because Jesus changes everything for you and me. We get to hold Jesus in the arms of faith. It is a dangerous thing to do in this world, but it’s worth every second of it. This is what Christmas is all about. Are you ready? I know I am - only when I see Jesus. Amen.
