Year A. 4th Sunday of Advent Matthew 1: 18-24 December 23, 2001
Title: “The truly righteous person is also merciful.”
Matthew tells the story of the origin and naming of Jesus, the Messiah, from Joseph’s perspective. We have precious little reliable information about the events preceding and following the birth of Jesus. While there are many apocryphal stories in circulation, only the material in the first two chapters of Matthew and Luke have been accepted as canonical. They are less concerned with historical detail and accuracy than with theological acuity. In fact, the “Infancy Narratives,” as they are called, are written in a distinct literary style and form called “Midrash.” This type of writing would embellish, ignore, exaggerate or change prosaic facts in order to highlight the supernatural and miraculous. More concerned with mystery than history, Midrash seeks to edify, to teach spiritual truth. Thus, in neither case, that of Matthew 1-2 nor that of Luke 1-2, can we be certain we are dealing with an accurate reporting of the facts, even though both narratives are based on facts. As a result, there is little in these stories that is not disputed by historians, disputed but not disproved. Even though the two accounts differ between themselves, they do not contradict one another. Luke tells the story from Mary’s point of view, while Matthew tells it from Joseph’s. Matthew is concerned to establish Jesus’ legal lineage through Joseph back to David. He also shows that Jesus’ real lineage through Mary, the virgin, goes back to God. Jesus is the Son of David, the very Son of God.
At the end of his work Matthew will stress that Jesus will come again in his final glory, that is, be fully present. His presence now on earth through time, in His Church, is both a continuation and a progressive growth of his earthly presence, a divine presence, God-among-us presence, in the historical Jesus. Matthew takes the same approach to Scripture, that is, God’s presence among us. He sees prophecy as a real but not-yet-full presence of God among us, a presence to be “fulfilled,” at a later date. This text will quote the first instance of that point of view of both history and mystery when he cites Isaiah 7: 14 regarding the virginal conception of Jesus. That partial view of God’s eternal reality, way back when, is fulfilled now in Jesus. In the beginning Matthew 1: 23, the middle chapter 18 verse 20, and at the end chapter 28 verse 20, Matthew makes his point, “God is with us now and always.”
In verse eighteen, this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about, the conception of Jesus took place when Mary and Joseph were betrothed but not living together. In Jewish law, betrothal was much more than our engagement. It lasted about a year, was a binding contract, terminable only by death, which would leave the betrothed a widow or widower, or by divorce, as with a full marriage. The man was already the “husband,” but the woman remained in her father’s house until after the public ceremony. Only then would she move in with her husband and have sexual relations with him. Mary became pregnant before that and Joseph was not the father.
With child through the Holy Spirit, just as the Holy Spirit was the agent of God’s first creation, so will he be the agent here in this new creation, a creation not subject even to the laws of the first creation, that is, human procreation by sexual union.
In verse nineteen, divorce her quietly, in Old Testament law the penalty for unchastity before marriage was stoning to death, but by this time divorce, based on Deuteronomy 24:1, was the ordinary way of dealing with such a situation. While it could be a public trial, Joseph chose a quiet, private divorce before two witnesses. This way he both kept the law, was “righteous,” and showed mercy, to Mary and her family.
In verse twenty, Joseph, son of David, Jesus was not really of Davidic lineage. The virginal conception made that impossible, but Joseph’s naming the child and officially marrying Mary made him, legally at least, a “son of David.” Joseph’s dreams of an ordinary marriage and family were shattered, but God’s dreams for Joseph, Mary, Jesus and all humanity were conveyed to him through a dream with a divine representative interpreting for Joseph what God had in mind. Unlike his ancestor of old, Ahaz, Joseph would accept the “sign,” and allow his decisions and movements to be guided by the light, star? of God’s word.
In verse twenty-one, she will bear a son, the language is similar to Old Testament revelations, especially Isaiah 7: 14, soon to be quoted. Luke 1: 31 has exactly the same language, alluding to Isaiah 7: 14, but it is addressed to Mary. Names, especially divinely revealed names, are full of meaning, often revealed by a word play that need not always correspond to the actual etymology of the name.
Jesus because he will save his people from their sins, “Jesus,” is the Greek form of the Heb “Joshua,” meaning “Yahrewweh saves.” The angel pinpoints the exact nature of that salvation. It will not be one of national liberation or dominance over the other nations, as was the dominant hope of the populace. This savior, this “Messiah,” will save from sins, their own national and personal sins. This notion is entirely consistent with the outlook of the entire book of Isaiah, a verse from which is now to be quoted.
In verves twenty-two, all this took place to fulfill, this is Matthew’s and the Church’s whole outlook on prophecy and Scripture in general, the Old Testament in particular. What was revealed by God in the past and written down contained a truth for that present time and a larger truth for all future time. The written word is no dead letter, no mere historical record of past events, but a revelation, if only in nugget form, of future truth, intended to be interpreted in the light of new circumstances. The new interpretation cannot be inconsistent with the original message in its original setting, but neither can it be limited to it. Matthew quotes the Old Testament ten times to show how God’s will for his people is continuous and consistent throughout history, ever growing and moving in the direction of ultimate fulfillment, partially fulfilled in the near future and subsequently completely fulfilled in the distant future. The Parousia of Christ is the ultimate paradigm for Matthew.
In verse twenty three virgin, Matthew follows the LXX, which uses “virgin,” a reasonable but stronger translation of the Hebrew `almah, “young maiden of marriageable age,” a word that implies virginity but does not require it. The old prophecy speaks of a more than ordinary conception. Originally, it referred to one of Ahaz’s wives bearing his son Hezekiah to guarantee the future of the Davidic dynasty. Matthew sees is fully fulfilled in the conception of Jesus to ensure the future of the human race.
Emmanuel: Matthew subtly changes the Old Testament from “you, singular, will call” to “they will call.” He means that the Church will call Jesus “God with us.” This is an abbreviation of the covenant promise, “I will be your God and you will be my people and I will dwell with you.” Jesus is God’s present delivery on that past promise. Jesus, Yahweh’s salvation from sin, is God, since only God can do that.
In verse twenty-five, no relations with her until, the text says “until,” implying that Joseph has relations with Mary “after.” Not so says the Catholic Church which argues, in Hebrew and Greek “until,” need not mean that there was a change in the situation after Jesus’ birth. True, the New Testament says absolutely nothing about the perpetual virginity of Mary. It neither affirms it nor denies it. It is not concerned about it. The concern here of Matthew is Joseph, not Mary, and his placing Jesus in the Davidic line by adoption. The protestant churches hold a different view being negative on Mariology.
Sermon
Jesus was adopted, yet he was raised by his natural mother. Children adopted or raised in “blended,” families can identify with Jesus and he with them. They have something very special in common.
Joseph thought Mary cheated on him, had every right to divorce her, but did not, even today with our modern view on sex many men have a problem with a women who has a child by another man. He listened to the Lord, blended justice with mercy and came out of it giving Mary a second chance, if you will. Ironically and in fact, he was the beneficiary of his own mercy more than Mary was. Spouses and lovers who have unfaithful partners have a lot in common with Joseph and Mary.
Mary was innocent though. Everybody falsely accused of wrongdoing, but especially sexual wrongdoing, has a lot in common with Mary. She would understand.
Joseph thought of divorcing Mary. What couple has not thought of that? How did Joseph and Mary work out their problems? They both listened to God’s Word. What a novel idea! They were more concerned about God’s dreams for them and others than they were about their own dreams for themselves. Couples have something to learn about Joseph and Mary’s form of “biblical marriage counseling.”
Mary could have been stoned to death, a rather awful form of capital punishment. Who would ever have thought that condemned criminals facing death would have a point of identification with Mary!? She was not stoned, of course, but she knew when she said “Yes,” that that was a possibility, at least. She was no isolated and insulated maiden, naive in the ways of her world. There was a big price tag on her “Yes,” one that was never really forgotten. Throughout Jesus’ ministry there were intimations that he was illegitimate and even this story does not put that rumor to rest. Both Jesus and Mary knew what it meant to have people whispering behind their backs- and all their lives through.
So, this lovely story is not so “lovely,” or “charming,” after all. Underneath it there are the same ugly circumstances that people and their families have faced for centuries. Jesus and his family were no exception in that regard. Many a pastor including this author can relate to people stabbing them in the back or saying nasty things behind their backs.
Where the holy family was an exception is their listening to God’s Word. That got them through and beyond and above any and all crises. Which is true of those pastors who listen to God’s Word rather than individual members of their congregation or their Bishop; they serve God not man. They did not need a degree in theology to know God was always present in their lives and ready and willing to act in their best interests. They felt it. They lived it. And they knew their ancestors did not always do so. They were part of the faithful remnant of whom the prophets spoke, so that when God spoke, they could and would recognize his voice. Their own voice, own will, own plans, own dreams, did not displace God’s. And thank God! Because of them, their fidelity, we have Jesus and because of Jesus we have salvation from our sins. Maybe not yet salvation from everybody else’s sins, so we still have to suffer the injustice, which come from sin. However, we are saved from our own. We are no longer compelled or condemned to sin. And we are no longer infallibly certain that we know anybody else’s sins. Joseph might have had good reason to believe Mary had sinned, but he was wrong nonetheless. And he had a lot more evidence to go on that we usually do when we unjustly accuse another of a sin that we ourselves are probably guilty of or were guilty of in the past. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
There is one more level of interpretation. Whatever else the holy family is and was, they stand for the Church. What they did they did by God’s power, but not alone. They had each other and leaned on each other, supported each other, reminded each other of God’s Word and his dreams. Though each one at some point had to stand “alone,” alone only in the human sense, they received the strength to do that by sitting together, eating together, praying together, playing together. That is Church. Jesus must have experienced much of what he wanted his people to be and become in his own family life, a family with little dysfunction and a lot of love.
The truly righteous person is also merciful.
Listening to and for God’s word in any situation reveals possible interpretations and actions otherwise missed.
The word of God, revealed centuries ago, can shed light on the meaning of current events.
In Baptism everyone is conceived by the Holy Spirit, but Jesus was brought into his physical being by God’s Spirit, not by human conception.
Following God’s dreams, instead of our own, assures us that his dreams will come true, whereas our own might simply be wishful thinking.
The “Domestic Church,” The family can rightly be called the “domestic church.” The Christian family is a microcosm of the worldwide church. It is a community like the church, a community in miniature, if you will, a community with Christ as its head. As a Christian community it “enfleshes” the word of God, just like Jesus did and does, because it makes visible the invisible presence of God by the love it expresses to its members, among it s members, and to its neighbors by loving them and to the wider world. It is, therefore, a sacramental community, brought into being by their common Sacrament of Baptism the reason why its infants are baptized, even before knowing it in the Lutheran Church, by a couple united by the Sacrament of Marriage in the Catholic Church, and strengthened and sustained by the common Sacrament of Confirmation, nourished by the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and reconciled with one another by the Sacrament of Penance in the Catholic Church and conflict resolution in the Lutheran Church. In other words, Christ is the center of its life and the world, yet-to-be-redeemed, its perimeter. While its goal is to be a perfect reflection of Christ’s love, its reality is always less than that. Despite the grace of God, the family, like individual Christians, must live in a very imperfect world and the evil in the world finds its way into the family circle. Most, if not all families, suffer from the same dysfunctions as any non-Christian family, only it has the advantage of the divine remedy, Christ, at the ready. It can rid itself of inherited sin, of trans-generational dysfunction, by enfleshing the word of God. Over time it can provide an environment of growth by progressively purifying its spiritual “genes” and its “traditional” ways of living with the power of God’s grace. It can show the world that families do not have to be dysfunctional and it can send ‘apostles,” into the world, fortified with love, after being “schooled,” by Christ and his Word and shown by living example how to live as a Christian in an non-Christian world. The “holy family,” is presented in Matthew and Luke as the model for the domestic church. That family did not suffer from their own, familial, dysfunctions, but they did, nonetheless, suffer from the dysfunctions of other families and the wider world. If Joseph had not been so open to God’s interpretation of the realities he had to suffer, he would have made a “worldly” decision about Mary’s pre-marital pregnancy. Instead, he reversed course under the light of God’s Word, accepting God’s dreams rather than his own dreams for a “normal” family, and, in doing so, provided others with a different “model” for handling such situations. If Mary had not been so open to God, for whom nothing is impossible, she would have dismissed God’s Word as a fanciful flight of her own imagination. She would have given more weight to what the neighbors would say “Sure, Mary, it was God’s Spirit that impregnated you. Right. And refused the “honor.” If Jesus, as a human being, had not grown up in an environment where God’s Word reigned supreme, he would not have had all those years of preparation for his public ministry. He would have spent his time fighting dysfunction rather that advancing in age and grace and wisdom before God and man. The “holy family,” was not the storybook family some might make it out to be, a product of their own imagination rather than of God’s dreams come true. The “holy family,” knew firsthand the threat of divorce, the fear of discovery of the family secrets, the challenges of adoption and blended families, the suspicion of infidelity, the insinuations, subtle and expressed, of neighbors, and the insidious forces of family discord and disunity. As such this family serves as a model for all families for overcoming the power of evil. Amen.
