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Introduction:
• Generally, Mary the mother of Jesus is the focus of attention normally in a Christmas sermon.
• But there is another individual that is equally important in the Christmas story, and I want to focus on JOSEPH, THE EARTHLY FATHER OF OUR LORD JESUS.
THE FORGOTTEN MAN ABOUT CHRISTMAS.
WHO IS JOSEPH?
Joseph, the husband of Mary, he is a significant figure in the New Testament, known for his role as the earthly father of the Lord Jesus.
The Bible tells:
• His father was Jacob.
• His family hometown was Bethlehem in Judea but he lived in Nazareth in Galilee.
• He is from the royal line of David. The genealogy in Matthew 1 makes that clear.
• He was a carpenter by trade.
• He was a poor man. We know that because when he and Mary presented Jesus in the Temple, they brought a turtledove to sacrifice. Jews only did that when they could not afford a lamb.
• He was a religious man, a devout keeper of the Law,
• How old was Joseph? We do not know the answer for sure, but most writers agree that he was a young man and probably a teenager.
If we said 17 years old, we would probably be about right.
He is “The Forgotten man of Christmas,”
Illus: Joseph makes us think of Christmas when everyone is around the Christmas tree opening up and passing out presents to each other but everyone forgot about Joseph.
• When the SECULAR WORLD talks about Christmas, we hear a great deal about: Santa Claus, reindeer, fruitcakes, Christmas trees, Christmas decorations, mistletoe, presents, and parties.
• When the SPIRITUAL WORLD talks about Christmas, we hear a great deal about the Virgin Mary, the angels, the shepherds and the wise men.
Christmas is a SPIRITUAL CELEBRATION!
When it comes to childbirth, husbands are often overlooked many times.
Illus: How many times have we heard those that promote abortion say, “Abortion is something between a woman and her doctor?”
• Wait a minute!
• What about the father of that child?
The child could not have been created in the womb without him, why should he be replaced by some doctor that had nothing to do with the pregnancy!
In this case in the birth of Jesus, while Joseph is Mary’s husband, he is not the biological father of Jesus so he is hardly mentioned.
Is he significant?
Yes, he is the only man on earth chosen of God to be the earthly father of the Lord Jesus. THAT MAKES HIM VERY SIGNICANT!!!
Joseph is the forgotten hero that we hear very little about.
But I want to say that Joseph had a major role in the life of Christ.
Let’s take a few minutes and look at this man’s life that was honored by God more than any man who has ever lived on the earth to be the earthly father of the Lord Jesus.
HE IS THE FORGOTTEN MAN OF CHISTMAS!!!
Let’s look at the very familiar Christmas story as we celebrate Christmas.
The first thing that stands out of course is --
I. THE PREGNANCY
Look at Matthew 1:18, we read, “Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”
Notice, concerning the birth of Christ we read these words, “Jesus Christ was on this wise.”
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit of God. That makes this birth different from any births that have ever taken place.
That means His birth was not in the ordinary course of nature, or manner in which children are conceived and born
He was born of a VIRGIN!!!
IS THAT SIGNIFICANT?
Absolutely!!!
HOW DO WE KNOW HE WAS BORN OF A VIRGIN?
Because the infallible Word of God tells us He was born of a virgin.
Look at Matthew 1:22-23, we read, “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Today the virgin birth is being attacked on every level.
How!
(1)False translations removed the word Virgin and replace it with the words YOUNG WOMAN.
(2)The virgin birth today is being attacked by false preachers in some of the pulpits today.
Illus: Dr. Odell Belger was having a meal with a man who owns a real estate company in Columbia, S.C. after Christmas. As they were eating this meal together he said, Dr. Belger, something happened in our church yesterday that I cannot believe happened.
He went to one of the large liberal churches downtown.
He said, our preacher stood in the pulpit and said of our Methodist church we no longer believe in the VIRGIN BIRTH OF CHRIST of Christ.
• Listen, every Bible believing Christian should have stood up and walked out of that church or stood up demand he be fired today.
• If he is not fired every Bible believing Christians should have walked out of that church never returned.
You cannot have Christmas without believing in the VIRGIN BIRTH.
Why?
Because if Christ was not born of a Virgin he would have been born with the sin nature that we were born with.
If He is born in sin as we are He cannot be our Savior!!!
He would be as lost as we are!
Illus: A man that cannot swim cannot save a man that cannot swim. All they can do is drown together!!!
Those who attack the virgin birth of Christ are attacking the deity of Christ.
Today we hear people say such things as, “I believe the Bible contains the Word of God, but it is not the Word of God.”
My question to these people is: if it only contains the Word of God:
• Which part is the Word of God and which part is not?
• Who determines which part is the Word of God and which part is not?
The prophecies of the Word of God validate this Bible as the inspired, inerrant Word of God.
How this birth took place makes it the most unique birth to ever occur. It tells us He was born of a VIRGIN.
Also something else makes this birth UNIQUE this is the most planned pregnancy that has ever occurred.
Illus: Dr. Belger had a couple attend his church who were both pushing their 50’s. They had several children who were young adults in their 20’s in their own home.
But they also had a little one around five years of age. As he was visiting with them, he could not help but wonder if perhaps the little one belonged to one of their married children.
But this family, knowing that he was probably wondering about the little one, introduced the child as, “Our little mistake!”
In other words, they did not PLAN on having any more children, BUT THEY DID!
Illus: Did you hear about the woman who asked her doctor if she should have a baby after 35? The doctor said, “No, 35 children is enough for any woman!”
Illus: Did you hear about the man, who said to another man,
• “Did you know that a woman is having a baby every minute?”
• The other man said, “Someone ought to make her stop!”
In this Christmas story, we hear a great deal about Mary’s pregnancy, but you do not hear much about Jesus earthly Father---Joseph.
HE IS THE FORGOTTEN MAN OF CHRISTMAS!!!
Perhaps one reason we do not hear much about Joseph is because he is like a lot of men during this time of pregnancy figures that the best thing he can do is FIND A CORNER AND SET DOWN AND JUST KEEP QUIET!
Illus: That is like when you attend a wedding, no one pays any attention to the Groom, HE DID NOT EVEN HAVE TO BOTHER TO PUT ON A PAIR OF SHOES, NO ONE IS PAYING ANY ATTENTION TO HIM, all the focus is on the Bride!!!
During this pregnancy there may be a lot he would like to say, but the wise husband has learned to keep it to himself.
He just silently observing his wife is getting bigger and bigger and wondering how much bigger she is going to get.
He had better not look at her and say …
• "Are your ankles supposed to look like that? They look like stovepipes!"
• "Man! That rose tattoo on your hip is the size of a baby elephant!"
So the wise husband just silently observes and keeps his mouth closed through this whole process.
But this was the most planed PREGNANCY that has ever occurred.
Many children that are born are by accident, but the BIRTH OF CHRIST IS THE MOST PLANNED BIRTH THAT HAS EVER TAKEN PLACE.
God planned who:
(1) The Mother would be…
(2) The Father would be…
(3) The place where it would be…
(4) The time when it would be…
(5) Who would be there when it took place...?
This was the most plan BIRTH that ever existed.
But Joseph was THE FORGOTTEN MAN OF CHRISTMAS!!!
We have looked at A PREGNANCY, but we need to look at-
II. A PROBLEM
This was a problem for two individual…
1) A problem for Joseph
2) A problem for Mary
This pregnancy had some PROBLEMS that no other PREGNANCY has ever had.
Look at two of the problems:
(1)Joseph Problem
Look at Matthew 1:19, we read, “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.”
Now Mary turns up pregnant. Joseph only knows one thing for sure. He’s not the father.
What words describe a man at a time like this? Anger … Confusion … Frustration … Embarrassment … Shame … Rage … Disappointment.
We can only speculate…
• What did he say to her?
• What did she say to him?
• Did she tell him about the angel Gabriel? If she did, can you blame him for not believing her?
Illus: Did he say to her, “Mary how could you? You were pledged to me. We were going to get married. I was going to build a little house for us in Nazareth. Mary, Mary, how could you do this? Why, Mary, why? I kept myself for you. Why couldn’t you keep yourself for me?”
“THAT’S NOT MY BABY” and you know it is not mine baby!!!
Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. You’re a teenager in love and suddenly your girlfriend turns up pregnant.
What do you do?
Illus: If you’re a typical American teenager, you give her $200 to go get an abortion. It’s easy, it’s quick, it’s cheap, and just like that, and you can make the problem go away.
A half-million teenage girls take that option every year. It’s the preferred solution for what people call an “unwanted pregnancy.”
Thankfully, Joseph and Mary didn’t have that option.
Now let me illustrate how a Jewish engagement was different then and engagement today.
There were four stages for engagement…
1. Arrangement: In ancient Jewish communities, marriages were often arranged by parents or matchmakers.
The groom’s family would propose to the bride’s family, and negotiations would take place regarding the terms of the marriage, including dowry, responsibilities, and obligations.
2. Betrothal Ceremony: Once the agreement was reached, the Erusin ceremony would take place.
During this ceremony, the groom would give the bride an item of value, often a ring or a piece of silver, as a symbol of their engagement.
This act represented the union of the bride to him.
This meant he had all the responsibilities to go out and make money and a house to support them, but none of the benefits of an actual marriage.
3. Waiting Period: After the Erusin ceremony, there was a waiting period, typically lasting about a year. During this time, the couple would often prepare for their future life together, and in some cases, they might be allowed to spend time together under the supervision of family members, but crucially were not wed.
4. Wedding Ceremony: At the end of the waiting period, the second part of the marriage process, Nissuin (Marriage), would take place. This involved the Chuppah (wedding canopy) ceremony, after which there would be music and merriment before they began their married life together.
But during this engagement period during this process they were LEGALLY MARRIED, BUT NO INTIMACY UNTIL A YEAR LATER WHEN THEY HAD THE MARRIAGE CEREMONY.
Let me explain it this way…
Illus: Years ago Dr. Odell Belger tells how his son came to him at the age 10 and wanted to talk to him about him and the little girl that he played who also was ten and they wanted to get married.
Needless to say he was caught off guard but he could tell his little son was serious.
So he said to his son, well, let us talk about this…ok?
How do you plan to support her in marriage?
The son said, Well, I am going to go through the neighborhood and collect coke bottles and she plan to do the same thing and sell them.
The son could see on the expressing on his dads face that he was concern about them wanting to get married.
He said, “Dad, don’t worry I will still live with you and Mom and she will still live with her parents until we get grown and then we start to live together and live in the same house together like you and mom!”
This story kind of explains the Jewish engagement, they became legally married during the engagement and when they got grown that had a marriage ceremony.
Joseph and Mary was legally engage when she became pregnant
• Joseph’s dilemma was of a different variety. He was an observant Jew and under the Law he had the right to divorce Mary for unfaithfulness.
• In fact, the Law forbade him to marry her under those circumstances.
Here is the greatness of Joseph. HE LOVED HER EVEN THOUGH HE THOUGHT SHE HAD BEEN UNFAITHFUL TO HIM. HIS LOVE COVERED HER SHAME.
Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man (that means he wanted to do what was right in the eyes of God) and did not want to expose her to public disgrace (that means that he although he thought she had been unfaithful, he still didn’t want to humiliate her).
Don’t forget according to Jewish law in their engagement they were legally married.
In those days, a man could get a divorce in two ways:
1) First, he could get a public divorce by going before a judge at the gate of the city. That would mean that the whole town would know about Mary’s shame.
2) Second, he could get a private divorce by giving her the papers in the presence of two witnesses.
It is entirely to Joseph’s credit that he chose to do it privately and thus spare Mary the humiliation of a public divorcement
It was not until later that the angel of the Lord told Joseph what Mary said was true.
Look at Matthew 1:20-23, we read, “But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
But he had no union with her until she had given birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
Every step he takes testifies to his greatness:
1. By marrying her quickly he broke all Jewish custom, but he protected Mary’s reputation. She was pregnant and he wasn’t the father but he married her anyway.
2. By keeping her a virgin until Jesus was born, he protected the miracle of Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit against slander by unbelievers.
3. By naming the baby he exercised a father’s prerogative and thus officially took him into his family as his own legal son.
We give more attention to Mary and rightly so. But Joseph deserves his credit, too.
He is a model of the man of faith, struggling with his doubts, persuaded to believe what God has said and ultimately acting in obedience to God.
In these days of confusion, Joseph is a wonderful model of what a godly man looks like:
• He was tough when he could have been weak.
• He was tender when he could have been harsh.
• He was thoughtful when he could have been hasty.
• He was trusting when he could have doubted.
• He was temperate when he could have indulged himself.
Conclusion:
As I close, I need to mention one more thing. The Word of God tells us Joseph was a JUST MAN.
Let me give you a good illustration what the word “JUST” means!!!
Let me illustrate…
• Illus: It seems that there was a man in England who put his Rolls-Royce on a boat and went across to the continent to go on a holiday.
• While he was driving around Europe, something happened to the motor of his car. He cabled the Rolls-Royce people back in England and asked, "I'm having trouble with my car; what do you suggest I do?"
• Well, the Rolls-Royce people flew a mechanic over! The mechanic repaired the car and flew back to England and left the man to continue his holiday.
• As you can imagine, the fellow was wondering, "How much is this going to cost me?"
• So, when he got back to England, he wrote the people a letter at Rolls Royce and asked how much he owed them?
• He received a letter from the office that read: "Dear Sir: There is no record anywhere in our files that anything ever went wrong with a Rolls-Royce."
To make the point of BEING A JUST man there is no record of the scriptures that there were any wrong doings in Joseph life. HE WAS A JUST MAN!!!
But I want to close by telling you that JESUS IS THE REASON FOR THE SEASON!
Look at all the many prophecies that tell us:
• HOW HE WOULD COME
• HOW HE WOULD LIVE
• HOW HE WOULD DIE
He fulfilled every one of them.
Listen, if almost every prophesy in this Bible has been fulfilled, and then what would make you think that the few remaining concerning the Second Coming will not be fulfilled?
We have looked at:
I. The PREGNANCY
II. The PROBLEMS
