Why Joseph?
This week's message gives us time to think about Joseph's devotion to Mary and his unwavering trust in and obedience to God. It is easy to write Joseph off in the story of Jesus's birth because, after all, Mary is the one chosen to carry the Son of God in her womb. After reading this, I believe Joseph was an integral piece of the puzzle to help Mary usher in the Light of the World.
How God Uses Ordinary People to
Accomplish Extraordinary Things
The goal of many young people today is to someday be “famous.” Celebrity endorsements influence the popularity of breakfast cereal, sportswear, and even the election of our highest officials in the land. In Joseph’s day, men did not desire prestige, but rather a good reputation. Joseph’s decision to stand by Mary and for God was not an easy choice to make. We learn through his story that when we trust and obey God, He mysteriously unfolds His plan and purpose for us and, in this case, for the whole world.
He is sometimes referred to as “the forgotten man of Christmas”—Joseph—the man who was chosen to be the adoptive father of our Lord, the one who would protect the infancy of the Savior of the world. “In the Word of God, Joseph stands silent. He is spoken to, he is spoken about, but not a single syllable crosses his lips. He is viewed by many people as just a bit player, an extra, in the Christmas drama.”
You should know that in Jewish culture, unlike our own, the groom was the focus of the wedding. Joseph must have looked forward to the celebration and the simple life that would follow, of taking Mary into his household, of having children. The carpenter was fashioning a “well-constructed life.”
Even though they were engaged, there had been no physical union. Yet here is Mary with child. But how do you explain that? It is probable that even her parents neither understood nor accepted her story. But according to Matthew 1:18, the betrothal agreement had been signed, dowry gifts had been given, and friends and relatives knew of the couple’s espousal. And then Joseph discovers Mary’s going to have a baby!
Matthew 1:19 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.” Joseph desired to shield Mary from public shame and had decided to quietly divorce her.
Maybe he concluded that Mary had committed adultery. But she was a godly woman and would have never violated her purity and their engagement. Maybe she had been raped. But she would have told him so. A third option was that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah, just as she had said. Joseph was a devout man, a Hebrew. And surely he pondered the fact that the Messiah was to be born of the house of David. So, what could he do?
Not to divorce Mary might represent failure to uphold the spirit of the law. (Deuteronomy 22:23-24. 2 Slides) But to dismiss her publicly was unthinkable. He did not consider her guilty. He was
in a position of not being able to condemn her or fully justify her pregnancy. So he decided to secretly divorce her. God had made a special vessel of this noble Hebrew woman. And not wanting to interfere with God’s mysterious purposes, he would set Mary aside. To be obedient to God, Joseph was willing to give up the woman he so dearly loved.
Then Joseph had a dream. In Matthew 1:20, we read, “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.’” What relief these words must have been to Joseph!
The Lord further instructed Joseph that the Child’s name would be Jesus, for He would save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21); and as verse 25 states, Joseph “called His name
Jesus,” showing his obedience to God.
Matthew 1:24-25 says, “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”
How God Uses Ordinary People to
Accomplish Extraordinary Things
The goal of many young people today is to someday be “famous.” Celebrity endorsements influence the popularity of breakfast cereal, sportswear, and even the election of our highest officials in the land. In Joseph’s day, men did not desire prestige, but rather a good reputation. Joseph’s decision to stand by Mary and for God was not an easy choice to make. We learn through his story that when we trust and obey God, He mysteriously unfolds His plan and purpose for us and, in this case, for the whole world.
He is sometimes referred to as “the forgotten man of Christmas”—Joseph—the man who was chosen to be the adoptive father of our Lord, the one who would protect the infancy of the Savior of the world. “In the Word of God, Joseph stands silent. He is spoken to, he is spoken about, but not a single syllable crosses his lips. He is viewed by many people as just a bit player, an extra, in the Christmas drama.”
You should know that in Jewish culture, unlike our own, the groom was the focus of the wedding. Joseph must have looked forward to the celebration and the simple life that would follow, of taking Mary into his household, of having children. The carpenter was fashioning a “well-constructed life.”
Even though they were engaged, there had been no physical union. Yet here is Mary with child. But how do you explain that? It is probable that even her parents neither understood nor accepted her story. But according to Matthew 1:18, the betrothal agreement had been signed, dowry gifts had been given, and friends and relatives knew of the couple’s espousal. And then Joseph discovers Mary’s going to have a baby!
Matthew 1:19 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.” Joseph desired to shield Mary from public shame and had decided to quietly divorce her.
Maybe he concluded that Mary had committed adultery. But she was a godly woman and would have never violated her purity and their engagement. Maybe she had been raped. But she would have told him so. A third option was that Mary had been chosen by God to be the mother of the Messiah, just as she had said. Joseph was a devout man, a Hebrew. And surely he pondered the fact that the Messiah was to be born of the house of David. So, what could he do?
Not to divorce Mary might represent failure to uphold the spirit of the law. (Deuteronomy 22:23-24. 2 Slides) But to dismiss her publicly was unthinkable. He did not consider her guilty. He was
in a position of not being able to condemn her or fully justify her pregnancy. So he decided to secretly divorce her. God had made a special vessel of this noble Hebrew woman. And not wanting to interfere with God’s mysterious purposes, he would set Mary aside. To be obedient to God, Joseph was willing to give up the woman he so dearly loved.
Then Joseph had a dream. In Matthew 1:20, we read, “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.’” What relief these words must have been to Joseph!
The Lord further instructed Joseph that the Child’s name would be Jesus, for He would save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21); and as verse 25 states, Joseph “called His name
Jesus,” showing his obedience to God.
Matthew 1:24-25 says, “Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus.”
Recent
Archive
2024
2023
April
October
November
2022
June
September
October
November
No Comments