Joseph the forgotten figure of Christmas,
Reading: Matthew chapter 1 verse 18-25.
ill:
• 800,000 words in the English language.
• 300,000 are technical terms.
• Average person knows about 10,000 words;
• And on average uses about 5,000 words.
Words of course play an important part in the Christmas story:
• The cast of characters associated with the story of Jesus’ birth;
• Are often recognisable by their unique speaking parts.
• They all seem to have memorable and dramatic lines.
(eg1). The Angels take centre stage,
• It is the angels that announce the birth of the Jesus.
• It is an angel that appear to Joseph to tell him that what to name the child.
• It is the angels who announce to shepherds saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest’.
• And it is the arch angel Gabriel who makes an unforgettable announcement to Mary.
"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.”
(eg2). The Virgin Mary has a lot to say:
• Mary responds to the news that she is the chosen one to bear the child;
• By offering to God a beautiful hymn of thanksgiving and praise!
• Her song is called the ‘The Magnificant’;
• And if you forgive the play on words, it really is a magnificent song of praise!
• Quote: ‘The Magnificat’ has been described as:
• “The last Old Testament psalm,and the first New Testament hymn”
(eg3). The wise men.
• Speak familiar and well-known words (in Matthew chapter 2 verse 2);
• In their search to find the newborn king, they ask a pertinent question:
"Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him."
(eg4). The shepherds
• These shepherds became the very first evangelists!
• Luke chapter 2 verse 17 tells us:
“When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed…”
• What a great illustration of evangelism.
• Evangelism is not salesmanship ;
• It is not urging people, pressing them, coercing them,
• Overwhelming them, or subduing them.
• Evangelism is telling a message.
• Evangelism is reporting good news.
Quote: Paul Little in his book "How to Give Away Your Faith" defines witnessing:
"Witnessing is that deep-seated conviction that the greatest favour I can do for others is to introduce them to Jesus Christ."
So everyone in the nativity story seems to have a speaking part:
• Everyone that is ….
• Except for one!
• Oddly enough, only Joseph is the only one with no speaking part.
• He is the lone silent member of the cast and so often the forgotten one.
Ill:
• Angels bring heavenly greetings.
• Mary sings a praiseful solo.
• Wise men worship.
• Shepherds preach.
• Joseph…. well he is silent!
• No notable lines are attributed to him. No sound bites. No quotes, only silence.
However:
• While Joseph is the forgotten figure of Christmas,
• He is irreplaceable in the story of Jesus’ birth.
• His importance cannot be overstated.
• Because through Joseph,
• God would entrust into his care the responsibility of caring & raising his son.
Quote:
• In connection with raising up children - Robert Fulghum said:
• “Don’t worry that children never listen to you; worry that they are always watching you”
• It wasn’t just Mary that God chose to be a role model for the child, boy & teenager Jesus!
• He also chose Joseph.
• Quote: Charles R. Swindoll, The Strong Family
• “Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children”
3 thoughts on Joseph:
(1). Joseph’s Dilemma (vs 18)
This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about:
His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph,
Ill:
• A little boy, at a wedding looks at his mom and says,
• "mommy, why does the girl wear white?"
• His mom replies,
• "the bride is in white because she’s happy and this is the happiest day of her life."
• The boys thinks about this, and then says,
• "well then, why is the boy wearing black..."
Note:
• Jewish marriages took place in 3 stages:
• The contractual stage / espousal stage / actual consummation
(a). The contractual stage:
• Young people had little to do with the process as most marriages were pre-arranged.
• This marriage was likely arranged when Joseph and Mary were still small kids!
• A legal contract would be signed with details of the dowry put in writing!
• Maybe cattle or Chickens or land were given as a gift for the daughter in question.
• The two children would therefore grow up knowing who they would marry;
• And in those times and culture they rarely questioned their parents choice.
(b). After the contractual stage was the espousal stage:
• What we would call an engagement period,
• Which normally lasted about a year.
• Now they were allowed to spend time together (with a chaperon)
• And they could start to get to know each other;
• In Matthew chapter 1 they are in that espousal stage;
• They are supposed to spend lots of time together (but never alone!)
(c). That was the espousal stage…next was the actual marriage:
• Ill: If the bride were a virgin,
• Then the wedding took place on Wednesday.
• Ill: If the bride was a widow or a second marriage,
• Then the wedding took place on a Thursday.
Ill:
• A Jewish wedding, 2,000 years ago;
• Was very different to our modern day British wedding:
• The father of the bride would take his daughter on his arm,
• And with the wedding party in tow,
• They would parade through the streets of the village;
• So that EVERYONE could come out and congratulate the bride.
• Finally the wedding party would arrive at the home of the groom.
• And the wedding actually took place in the front door of the grooms house.
• It was no short ceremony……. in fact the festivities lasted for days.
• It was a time of great celebration.
Now bear that in mind!
• You did not have a quiet marriage;
• You did not elope to Gretna Green or an Israeli equivalent!
• If your marriage was not a village, a community event;
• Then it must be questionable, it meant you were hiding a shameful secret!
• It was either village celebration or village scandal and no in-between!
So in Matthew chapter 1 Joseph & Mary are espoused, but not married:
• So Joseph must have been stunned when he found out Mary was pregnant!
• He could not say it was his, because that would be a lie.
• And if people found out Mary was pregnant by another;
• Then she could be accused of unfaithfulness, and possibly could even be stoned!
• And if they told the truth, who would believe them;
• We all know people don’t see angels.
Remember:
• At first (verses 18-19) Joseph did not even believe Mary;
• He did not know what had happened:
• We know because we are reading with hindsight;
• Mary already knew all the facts, because the angel told her.
• But Joseph was still in ignorance ,
• He will not learn the facts until his dream in verses 20-21.
Ill:
• For Joseph, Mary had been the woman of all women;
• To him she was the Lilly among thorns.
• And now he was having to treat her like she was a poisonous weed!
• The thought of it must have been driving him mad!
So this was Joseph’s dilemma!
• His dilemma was between the law and love.
• Being true to Mary who he loved and yet being true to the Law of God.
• Joseph was a righteous man (vs 19),
• He always tried to put God first, so he decides to be true to The Law!
• The Law said that if Mary was found to have been unfaithful,
• She was to be stoned!
• But under Roman law the Jews were not allowed to stone anyone.
• Therefore Joseph takes the only action he is allowed to take,
• He will divorce her.
Ill:
• He could have done it publicly and shamed Mary & her family;
• In doing so he would have kept in tact his reputation!
• His good standing with his contemporises!
• Instead Joseph decides to be faithful to both the Law of God;
• And to Mary his childhood sweetheart.
• Despite the fact she has broken his heart;
• He will divorce her privately to spare her public humiliation.
Application:
• Joseph was a righteous man:
• The word “righteous” plainly means “move in a straight line”.
• Used with reference to morality, “righteous” means “living or acting in the right way”.
• Joseph not only embraced the letter of the Law;
• But also the spirit of the Law!
• That is a good example to follow!
(2). Joseph’s Dream (vs 20-22):
“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, [e] because he will save his people from their sins."
22 All this took place to fulfil 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" [f] (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”
• In our time and culture;
• Dreams do not play an important role.
• i.e. Most of us relate our dreams to too much cheese before we went to bed;
• i.e. Or a busy mind going over a thousand thoughts as we lay head on pillow!
In Bible days (before the cannon of scripture was complete) dreams were important:
• They were one of many ways God chose to speak to people.
• And we have numourus examples throughout our Bibles.
• Notice: verse 20 says; “After he considered this”;
• We do not know how much time Joseph spent thinking (hours, days, weeks etc).
• Yet I can imagine Joseph in that time of contemplation saying to God;
• “Give me a sign, show me what to do”.
• I wonder if the words of Isaiah the prophet came into his mind at all:
• (Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14):
“Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”
• What we do know;
• What we do know is that the angel appears and whispered into his ear 2 secrets:
(1). The cause of Mary’s conception (vs 20b)
"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”.
• What Joseph heard was an incredible, mind blowing truth:
• It was a miracle, just as the OT had prophesied!
• He had read about miracles often enough in the synagogue;
• But now he was expiring one.
• A baby would be born who would incredibly be older than both his mother and Father?
• “Whose origins are from old, from ancient times” (Micah chapter 5 verse 2).
(2). The character of the child within her was revealed to Joseph:
• Verse 21: this is ‘Jesus’, the promised ‘Saviour’.
• Jesus is the human name given to the Son of God.
• A reminder that he will be 100% human;
• Not some sort of super angelic being, but one of us!
• His body would take nine months to form in the womb (same as yours did).
• He was a defenceless, helpless, dependent baby (same as you were) real human being.
• Verse 23: this is ‘Emmanuel’, the promised Messiah, ‘God with us!’
• Idea here is he is 100% deity!
• ill: John put it this way; “He pitched his tent and lived among us”.
• Emphasis in the name is he is with US! He is on our side!
• We don’t serve a God that is far away, watching us at a distance;
• No, He’s not at a distance, He’s ‘Emmanuel’—‘God with us!’
• When I couldn’t go where He was, He came to me!
• And He took on flesh, and was made in the likeness of men:
(We’ve seen Joseph’s Dilemma, Joseph’s Dream:)
(3). Joseph’s Decision (vs 24-25):
“When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.”
Note: the key word: “did”;
• “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him”.
• Instant obedience as soon as he woke up!
• Joseph’s decision was to be faithful to the will of God;
• To do what God told him to do!
• This was not a light decision to make;
• Just think about it!
• It meant that both Mary and himself would lose their reputations;
• It meant them having to bear the responsibility and shame of a child out of wedlock!
Ill:
• Joseph who was described in verse 19 as a “righteous man”;
• Would from now on be considered an unrighteous man,
• A sinner, and a disgrace to his own family!
• From now on they lived under a cloud of public shame,
• As though they were guilty of immorality,
• Yet Joseph accepted the responsibility of caring for Mary;
• A woman thought to have been a fornicator,
• And rearing a child thought to be illegitimate!
Joseph’s decision was to do what was right no matter the cost:
• He was prepared to do God’s will even in the face of criticism,
• He was prepared to do God’s will even if it meant being misunderstood or falsely judged!
Quote: The Wycliffe Handbook of Preaching & Preachers, W. Wiersbe, p. 185
• During the early days of the Salvation Army,
• William Booth and his associates were bitterly attacked in the press;
• By religious leaders and government leaders alike.
• Whenever his son, Bramwell, showed Booth a newspaper attack,
• The General would reply,
• “Bramwell, fifty years hence it will matter very little indeed how these people treated us;
• It will matter a great deal how we dealt with the work of God.”
Joseph was a man concerned with doing God’s will:
• And nothing greater can be said of you and I;
• Than when we are doing the will of God!
• If we’re honest, we all struggle with God’s will for us;
• But it is the greatest thing that God wants us to do for him – is simply to obey!
Quote:
“The greatest thing you can do for God s the very next thing he asks you to do!”
• Salvation.
• Baptism.
• Church commitment (not a social club – the body of Christ!)
• Prayer.
• Bible Study.
• Evangelism.
• Holiness.
• Giving.
• Forgiving.
And finally:
• Joseph of the wood and nails never appears again in the gospels after the age of 12;
• His last mention is in Luke chapter 2 verses 41-51.
• Many believed he died while Jesus was a teenager;
• He was certainly dead when Jesus was crucified;
• Ill: That is why at the cross Jesus gave Mary to John to look after!
• With the Father dead it was up to the oldest son to take care of the mother.
So Joseph fades from the gospel when Jesus is aged 12:
• At aged twelve every Jewish boy has his Bar Mitzvah;
• Which means ‘able to do good deeds’.
• When a Jewish boy reaches this age he becomes responsible for his own behaviour;
• Up to twelve the parents are punished for any wrong behaviour.
• When a Jewish boy reaches twelve he is considered a man;
• At that point he becomes a partner with his father in whatever trade or profession his father has.
• And although it would appear that Jesus took on the trade of carpenter;
• We know that he was now taking on his heavenly Father’s true business;
Note: The first recorded words of Jesus are in the temple (Luke chapter 4 verses 41-51);
• Mary & Joseph have been looking for him;
• They find him and ask him what has he been doing?
• His reply; “Didn’t you know that I was in my Father’s house (or business)”
• Mary in that passage refers to Joseph as “Your Father”.
• But at aged twelve Jesus knew within himself who his real Father was.
• Then amazingly for the next eighteen years until he started his public ministry.
• He humbly submitted himself to Joseph and Mary;
• Knowing that this was the will of his heavenly Father!
Quote: Behold a little child,
Behold a little child,
laid in a manger bed;
The wintry blasts blow wild
around His infant head;
But who is this so lowly laid?
’Tis He by Whom the worlds were made.
The hands that all things made
An earthly craft pursue;
Where Joseph plies his trade,
There Jesus labours too,
That weary men in him may rest,
And faithful toil through Him be blest.
Christ, Master carpenter,
We come rough-hewn to Thee;
At last, through wood and nails,
Thou mad’st us whole and free.
In this Thy world remake us, planned
To truer beauty of Thine hand.
