INTRODUCTION
When you own something of great value you want to make sure it is kept in trustworthy hands. You want your money to be with a bank you can trust. If you own stock, you want the stock to be in a trustworthy company. As any owners of Enron stock recently learned; It’s risky to be the stockholder in a company whose leadership you can’t trust. What if you are God and you want to redeem the human race and in fact to redeem all of creation? To do so, You plan to send the second member of the Godhead into the world, the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The event of Jesus Christ coming into the world is what we celebrate every Christmas. But remember, when God came into the world, he came as a baby. A baby who had to be fed, and had to be burped, and had to be changed, and had to be nurtured and had to be raised from childhood, through adolescence, to adulthood. So who, in all of the world, would have the monumental honor and the unique task of parenting the Son of God. Jesus Christ was left in the hands of someone God could trust.
In his infinite wisdom God chose a young engaged couple named Joseph and Mary. Much has been written and much has been said about Mary. But this morning I want to focus on the adopted father of the Son of God, Joseph. I believe Almighty God chose Joseph because he was a man who the Lord knew He could trust. Through his life we can learn how to become a person God can trust. The Scripture tells us very little about Joseph but it tells us enough to see why he was considered trustworthy. This morning let’s read God’s Word beginning in Matthew chapter 1, verse 18.
TEXT
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins." 22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us." 24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
BODY
When Almighty God, the creator and possessors of all things, came to earth, He left the riches of Heaven to become a man. More than anyone who ever lived, Jesus realized that earth was not His real home. He was simply a pilgrim, a sojourner, on the great mission of redemption. He didn’t come to acquire financial fortunes, luxurious mansions, or earthly empires. In fact, it seems he possessed little but with it He accomplished the greatest work. So much of what he used to fulfil His Heavenly Father’s purpose, he accomplished with items that He borrowed.
He borrowed the stable he was born in
He borrowed the manger he was laid in
He borrowed a boat from which he preached to the crowds
He borrowed a boy’s lunch with which He fed the 5,000
He borrowed the donkey on which he rode into Jerusalem
He borrowed the tomb in he was buried
In fact, he even borrowed the father who raised Him.
Joseph was a borrowed father.
Look at verse 18. Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. This is an amazingly brief explanation for such a miraculous event. Maybe because the miracle of Christmas is beyond human comprehension. A young virgin girl supernaturally conceived a child by the power of the Holy Spirit. The girl’s name was Mary. She was not the daughter of an affluent Jerusalem socialite but was a simple peasant girl from a village in Galilee. God had come to her and invited her to become the human instrument through which He would bring His Son into the world. Mary was quick to trust God and submit to His will (Luke 1:26-38, 45). At the time she was betrothed to Joseph, a carpenter in Nazareth. In Jewish customs betrothal was similar to being engaged but was much more significant. There were actually two stages to the Hebrew marriage. First there was the betrothal and then the marriage. Typically the couples families would arrange the marriage. A contract was made and sealed by the payment of a dowry, paid by the groom or the groom’s family for the bride. The dowry was compensation to the father for wedding expenses and insurance for the bride in case the groom later divorced her. The contract was immediately binding and the couple was considered legally married, thought it may be a year later before the ceremony and consummation of the marriage. It was a time of probation and a testing of the couple’s fidelity. Infidelity during the betrothal period was considered adultery. In the Jewish law the penalty for adultery was stoning (Lev 20:10; Deut. 21:23-24; Ezek 16:38,40; John 8:5). Although at this point in Jewish history stoning was not normally enforced, it was grounds for breaking off the betrothal and if by the bride, a returning of the dowry.
This Jewish custom demonstrates the high value God places on sexual purity, abstinence, and fidelity. The verse says that the miracle of incarnation occurred before Joseph and Mary had come together. Joseph and Mary had no sexual intimacy prior to Jesus being born. In our day, they would be a very rare couple indeed. How many couples today in our society stay sexually pure through their dating and engagement period? I’m not certain but it appears to me that kind of couple is on the endangered species list. Many would call them old fashion, or puritanical, or just plain naive. God calls them sexually pure. That kind of sexual purity is what the Lord expects of every Christian couple.
I was told about a teenage boy and his grandfather who went fishing one day. While fishing, the old man starts talking about how times have changed. The young fellow picks up on this and starts talking about the various problems and sexually transmitted diseases going around. The teen says, "Grandpa, they didn’t have a whole lot of problems with all these diseases when you were young did they?" Grandpa replies, "Nope." The teen says, "Well, what did you guys use for safe sex?" Grandpa replies, "A wedding ring."
God’s ways work. What He asks us to do, He asks us to do for our own protection. Believe me Joseph had the same kind of sexual desires that every young man experiences but he had made a decision to live a life of sexual purity. I believe God chose Joseph for the honor of being the foster father of the Son of God because he was a man of sexual purity and would teach his son to be pure. The first lesson Joseph teaches us is to keep yourself sexually pure.
Verse 19 says, “Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” Although Mary and Joseph were only betrothed, the term husband is used because that is what he was already considered. They are totally 100% committed to each other. Now think about it. You and your fiancée are planning to be married soon. You’ve kept yourself sexually for after marriage. You have been loyal and faithful and you are confident she has been too. You love her, you trust her, and you can’t wait to spend the rest of your life with her. Then she comes to you and tells you that she’s pregnant. She’s pregnant and you know you’re not the father. Wow, talk about a low blow, talk about a dagger in the heart, talk about news that rocks your world. That’s it. Put yourself in Joseph’s place. Who wouldn’t feel like a fool, who wouldn’t feel betrayed, and who wouldn’t be angry. The natural tendency would be for you to want to hurt her, like she hurt you. You’d certainly want to know who the father was. When you did ask her, to add insult to injury, she tells you the most ridiculous and absurd story you’ve ever heard. “There was no other man, it was a miracle from God. I’m having God’s baby.” What kind of fool does she think I am? Is she delusional? Has she lost her mind?
Though some of these thoughts may have crossed his mind, there is no record that Joseph responded in this way. The Bible calls him a “just” man. He did what was just. Some translations say “a righteous man.” He was a man who did what was right. What was the just think? What was the right thing? Joseph didn’t react. He didn’t respond based on his angry emotions. Instead he made a righteous decision. If she has been with another man, if she loves another man, I shouldn’t marry her. Love can not be coerced or demanded. Trust has been violated. In my mind the relationship has been severed but if I announce it to the town, she will be completely shamed and humiliated. I love and respect her too much to let that happen. So even if it costs me my dowry, I’ll break it off secretly. According to Deuteronomy 24:1 a husband had the right to divorce his wife if he found some uncleanness in her. Apparently he was going to do this without specifying what the uncleanness was.
Joseph made his decision based on what was right. He dealt justly but with love and mercy. It seemed that Mary had deeply wounded him but he would consider her needs above his own pain and he would do what was right. He also wasn’t overly concerned about his reputation and what people may think of him. I believe one of the reasons God chose Joseph to raise his son was because Joseph was a righteous man who would do what was right and who would teach His Son to be a righteous man who would also do what was right. A right example is worth more than a hundred lessons on righteousness. Joseph was a righteous example for Jesus. The second lesson we learn from Joseph is to live a righteous life. You do it by daily making right decisions.
Verse 20 says, “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” The angel calls Joseph, son of David, because despite his common job as a carpenter in his genealogy Joseph was actually of the royal Davidic line.
Verse 21, “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Jesus is a form of the Hebrew name Joshua and its basic meaning is “Jehovah will save.” Many other Jewish boys were also named Joshua. Their name testified of the Lord’s salvation, but Jesus would actually be the Lord’s salvation.
Verses 22 and 23, “So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ‘Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,’ which is translated, ‘God with us.’” Jesus is never called the son of Joseph. He could not have been born of a man and still been the savior of the world. There had to be one human parent to allow for his humanity but He was sinless humanity because His father was God. Because of that many rabbis believed the Messiah would have an unusual birth. Some said, “the Messiah is to have no earthly father” and the birth of Messiah shall be like the dew of the Lord, as drops upon the grass without the action of man.” In this verse the angel is quoting from a prophecy in Isaiah 7:14 where Isaiah said God would give the sign of a virgin born Son. Jesus was the ultimate fulfillment of this promise. He wasn’t just another baby, not just another human being, He was God in human flesh, Immanuel, God with us.
Verse 24 says, “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife.” Joseph chose to believe the unbelievable and to do the unthinkable. To obey God would be to defy human logic. It would go against all of the plans he had already made. But God didn’t have to speak twice. As incredible as this word was, Joseph didn’t ask God to confirm it with a fleece or a sign. It doesn’t appear that he even questioned the dream. Joseph knew he had heard from God, he believed God, and he obeyed God. That is why God could trust him to be the earthly father of Jesus Christ. If God told Him to do something he would trust God and obey God. Joseph would impart this same attribute to Jesus.
We have a more certain word from God than the dream Joseph based his faith on. Instead of a subjective dream we have the objective Word of God in the Bible. What is it God is telling you to do? Does it defy human logic? Do you question the wisdom of it? Does it mess up all of your own plans? Are you willing to be like Joseph and simply believe Him and act on His Word? The third challenge we receive from Joseph’s life is to trust and obey God’s Word.
Verse 25 says that Joseph, “did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.”
Not only did Joseph control his sexual desires prior to his marriage to Mary, but he continued to control them until after Jesus was born. Why? They’re married, now it’s legal. Yes, but doing so may have raised some doubt to the miraculous nature of the birth and Joseph wouldn’t even consider it. He placed God’s glory above his own desires. Because Joseph was willing to sacrifice his desires for God’s glory, God could trust Him to be the adopted father of the Son of God. The fourth lesson we learn from Joseph is to sacrifice our own desires for God’s glory. Martin Luther said, “a religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing, is worth nothing.” Following Christ often times means setting aside our own desires for the purpose of God’s glory.
CONCLUSION
Joseph was a man who God could entrust with His only begotten Son. He could trust Joseph because he was a man who kept himself sexually pure, lived a righteous life, trusted and obeyed God’s Word, and sacrificed his own desires for God’s glory. When you examine the life of Jesus you find He was sexually pure, lived a righteous life, trusted and obeyed His Father’s Word and who sacrificed his own desires and even His own life for God’s glory. I challenge you to follow His example and become a person God can trust. Let’s pray together.
