Sermon “The Rights of Joseph and Mary ” Dec 08 2024
The Annunciation
What in the world would you think and more importantly what would you do if you were Mary and had a visit from the angel Gabriel and heard these words?
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
Lk 1: 26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Mary was betrothed to Joseph an event that typically happened according to Jewish custom one year before the marriage) They had not consummated the marriage and would not until after the formal marriage-Mary was a virgin- and never had sex with a man!
29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
Both Joseph and Mary were descendants of King David- The tribe of Judah the Line of Jesse
LET’S PRAY
Just as Isaiah prophesied 700 years earlier in Isa. 7: 14Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.(3)
Did Mary have any rights? Was Mary just suppose to accept carrying someone else’s baby for 9 months and what about Joseph?
What would the world think? What were her options?
If this event happened today-here is what the world thinks!
Here is what the world thinks in 2024: According to a survey by conducted The latest Pew Research Center survey taken this year in March, a 61% majority of U.S. adults say abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 37% think abortion should be illegal in all or most cases. These views are relatively unchanged in the past few years. *1
Should we murder a baby in the womb for any reason? Because it is an unwanted pregnancy or To save the life of a Mother? To alleviate the pain and suffering of a rape victim – regardless of age?
Let’s face it these are difficult issues and we must rely on God’s word!
We might think thou shall not commit murder or maybe we will not meet evil for evil. Maybe we will listen closely to the words from God to the prophet Jeremiah—Jer. 1:5“Before I formed you in the womb I knew[a] you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Psalm 139:13 For You formed my inward parts;You wove me in my mother’s womb.
Psalm 139:16 Your eyes have seen my unformed substance;And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me,When as yet there was not one of them.
Or possibly we may agree with today’s world and argue it is my body, therefore my right to do as I please.
Sorry, but our bodies are not ours 1Cor 6: 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
You have heard me say it before and I am certain you will hear me say it again! If we have received Christ-we have realized that what we deserved was death and we have most certainly buried ourselves in the watery grave. If we have done that we have died to self. WE HAVE NO RIGHTS- A dead body does not demand anything- but rather we have become a strange people living to seek God’s KINGDOM and HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS assured that everything we need will be added to us and nothing happens to us, about which HE is unaware.
The angel tells Mary you are highly favored. Highly favored does NOT mean that Mary was any better of a person than you or me highly favored is from the Greek charis meaning GRACE, the same grace I spoke about in Eph 2 when I preached on Grace. God by grace chose Mary to give birth to His one and only Son-Jesus. Just as the Jews were highly favored to bring forth the Law of the Old Covenant. Just like you and I have been highly favored to receive God’s grace to be saved. That is where Mary was.
What were Mary’s Rights?
1. She could have said: NOPE NO WAY this is my body and I decide about my body NOT GOD and certainly NOT you Gabriel. This is about a woman’s health!
2. Mary in today’s world and probably even then could have had abortion as an option to her situation.
3. I would bet that even in Mary’s day physicians like Luke who wrote this story would know how to get rid of an unwanted pregnancy.
But, What was Mary’s Position?
I am certain Mary was scared to death. History tells us she was young-had never laid with a man and now miraculously she is Pregnant, with God’s only Son. I consider myself to be a mature, faithful Christian, but come on Gabe-you must be kidding me, this sounds unlikely if NOT impossible.
But Mary probably considered Isaiah’s prophecy and said “Why Not ME?”
God’s Grace is free.
I think the answer to Mary’s position is right there in vv 37 & 38
37 For no word from God will ever fail.”
38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
It takes that dying to self to be the Lord’s servant-trusting Him and obeying every command.
The Story of Tim Tebow
For former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, activism against abortion hits particularly close to home.
During a speech at the March for Life on Friday, Tebow shared the deeply personal account of his mother’s decision to refuse to abort him, despite the significant health risks associated with the pregnancy. After struggling to conceive, Tebow said his mother was told her son was a “tumor” that needed to be removed.
“All the doctors said, ‘You need to have an abortion. You need to get rid of him. You need to get rid of him,'” Tebow said. “But she decided that she was gonna trust God [and keep the baby], even when the doctors said it could cost her her life.”
Tebow described having survived despite difficult circumstances. His mother’s placenta was not attached at the time of his birth, limiting the nourishment Tebow could receive from his mother. The doctor who delivered him described Tebow’s survival as “the greatest miracle [he had] ever seen,” Tebow said.
“I’m so grateful my mom gave me a chance at life,” Tebow concluded.
An NFL quarterback-turned-minor-league-baseball player for the New York Mets, Tebow has been a longtime supporter of the anti-abortion cause. The professional athlete has been outspoken in support of his Christian faith, saying that his anti-abortion credentials hold more significance to him than his athletic achievements.
“[Saving babies] really does mean a lot more than winning the Super Bowl,” he said to a crowd at a football-themed banquet hosted by Kansans for Life in Feb. 2020. “One day, when you look back, and people are talking about you, and they say, ‘Oh my gosh, what are you going to be known for?’ Are you going to say Super Bowl or we saved a lot of babies?” *2
Tim’s Mom knew to trust God to keep a baby in the womb that the medical community indicated could lead to her death, was an act of faith, just like Mary’s decision to obey God was an act of faith-that could bring ridicule and shame not only to her but to Joseph her betrothed and to her and his families.
If we have died to self and given up some rights- we must believe Paul’s words in Phil. 1:20 I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.
Most of us are willing to accept God’s grace for our salvation, but ignore the cost of dying to self. If we ever really get it-we will not fear death as obedient Christians- NOT fearing death will help us become more compliant with trusting God and being obedient. To live as Christ-to live as a Christian is to suffer on this earth- but to die AW! that is the gain and the hope of eternity for which we should all be living.
Don’t misunderstand me dying is disconcerting because of the loved ones we leave behind. We think they need us, but who they need is the Lord God Almighty and us and they must trust HIM!
The matter of desiring an abortion because of one’s inability to control their sexual desires and some women reporting having had 9 or more abortions is one thing and much different than a rape victim or a troubled pregnancy in which case the Mother’s life may be in danger.
I think like Tim Tebow’s Mother and Mary the choices we make in our lives depends on our level of faith, obedience and trust in our perfect God to work all things for the benefit of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. (Rm 8:28)
Confirmation
I am sure Tim Tebow’s Mom was confirmed that she had made the right decision by the outcome and Tim’s continued commitment to rescuing those trapped in human trafficking and his strong active faith in God. But, I believe even if she passed in the process-because she trusted God for the outcome -she would have heard these words: in Mt. 25:21“... ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Mary’s Confirmation
So in Luke 41-45 Mary goes and visits Elizabeth who is 6 months pregnant with John The Baptist and John leaps for joy in Elizabeth’s womb
39At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea, 40 where she entered Zechariah’s home and greeted Elizabeth. 41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”
Mary’s Song about the God Mary served
LK 1:46 And Mary sang
“My soul glorifies the Lord
47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
48for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant.
From now on all generations will call me blessed,
49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—holy is his name.
50 His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation.
51He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.
52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble.
I suppose the questions from Mary’s story and Tim Tebow’s Mothers story is:
How much trust and faith is in our tank-and does it go to the point of death-even death on a cross?
How obedient are we to the Lord?
This is a tough message and I can safely say that most of us need to grow in our faith to trust like these two women, but we can do it and we understand to die is gain-everything between life and death is simply an opportunity to bring honor and glory to our God!
1 Jn 4:16...God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. And v 18 18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (perfect means mature or complete-)
BUT HEY WHAT ABOUT JOSEPH DID He have some rights too?
Mt.1:18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet 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.
There were two schools of thought on divorce during Joseph and Mary’s time.
The one school headed by the Rabbi Shammai (Shaw Ma e) the other by Rabbi Hillel. Hillel expanded the reasons for which a man could divorce his wife. Both schools recognized the 5 reasons cited for divorce under the Law Infertility-Unfaithfulness-Abandonment in Neglect of food, clothing, or love. But Hillel basically added that a man could divorce a wife for any reason.The Hillelites were in practice instituting a new, “no fault” divorce and advocated that if a wife merely“spoiled his dish” (meal), a man could divorce her. “Any matter” meant any ground whatsoever. 4* e.g. If you asked your wife for an over easy egg and the yoke was hard when she set in front of you-then you had grounds for a Hillel style divorce.(5)
* If you would like to read more on this topic let me know and I will email you a copy of my master’s thesis on the subject of Biblical marriage, Divorce and Re-marriage. A Study of Covenant Marriage and Divorce and the Family Minister’s Role
V 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.
Joseph under the Law had the right to divorce Mary in the betrothal period, because he and everyone else would assume she had committed an act of unfaithfulness and committed adultery.
To seek a divorce through a Hillel judge would have allowed Joseph to divorce her quietly without labeling her an adulterer. This would have been an act of kindness toward Mary.
Certainly Joseph had a legal right, but God sent an angel!
MT.1 :18 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet 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,[f] 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 conceive and 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. 25But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
SO JOSEPH OBEYED THE LORD and SET ASIDE HIS RIGHTS UNDER THE LAW
Joseph died to self and brought honor, glory and praise to God.
In Contrast In the garden of Eden, Adam and Eve chose their own will over the will of their creator. God said, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” (Genesis 2:16-17). Their actions have affected all future generations.
Conclusion Mary and Joseph are certainly 2 great examples of obedience to God
Christians I believe the rights we have are the rights God has given US and I do believe they are inalienable. Yet in Christ it is necessary to die to self and set our rights aside.
But This is NOT the message of the culture around us or the world we live in. Their Mantra is:
“Know your rights.”
“Demand your rights.
“Enjoy your rights.”
But consider Jesus. Philippians 2:6-8 tells us
“Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal’s death on a cross” (New Living Translation).
In Gethsemane on the night before His crucifixion That is what Jesus was communicating to the Father when He prayed “Not my will” he was saying “not my rights” but your will Father!
Jesus did not demand his rights. He did not hold on to what was fair, but became three unspeakably unfair things for us.
First, although even the skies could not contain him, he became nothing. “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17, New International Version). Yet he allowed himself to be made microscopic in a virgin’s womb, to be made a servant, to be made nothing so that we could become children of God.
Second, although he owned everything, he became poor. “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich” (2 Corinthians (8:9). He laid aside everything that was rightfully his so that we who are rightfully beggars could become princes and princesses, children of the King.
Third, although he was pure, he became sin. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). He was made sin in order to become our salvation.
And because he humbled himself, “Therefore God has exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
THE INVITATION
(1) https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2022/06/13/about-six-in-ten-americans-say-abortion-should-be-legal-in-all-or-most-cases-2/
latest Pew Research Center
(2) https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/1901159/tim-tebow-tells-march-for-life-the-story-about-his-mother-ignoring-advice-to-get-an-abortion/
(3) All Scripture cited from https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%208&version=NIV
(4) https://theeffect.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Jesus-on-Divorce.pdf
(5) A Study of Covenant Marriage and Divorce and the Family Minister’s Role by Joe Bedy Kentucky Christian College 2004
(6) Sandy Mayle is a freelance writer who lives in Erie, Pennsylvania.the Christian Standard
