The history books are full of stories of gifted persons whose talents were overlooked by a procession of people until someone believed in them. To name a few: Einstein was four years old before he could speak and seven before he could read. Einstein became one of the greatest physicists who ever lived. Isaac Newton did poorly in grade school. Newton, like Einstein was one of the smartest people of his day as a scientist. A newspaper fired Walt Disney because he had "no good ideas." Leo Tolstoy flunked out of college. It was later on that he wrote the literature classic that we know as War And Peace. I could go on and on, but you get the idea. All of these people succeeded because they were willing to take a risk, invest themselves, and apply their God-given talents.
This morning's reading from Matthew's gospel tells us the story of another such person. "Well, of course!" you say, "Jesus was like that! Jesus overcame the odds. Jesus suffered before he succeeded!" And indeed he did. But this morning's scripture passage isn't so much about Jesus as it is about Jesus' earthly father, Joseph. As we know from our study a few weeks ago, and as we clearly see again today, this is a man who took risks and applied his God-given gifts in order to follow the will of God for the sake of Christ Jesus. And we have to remember that at this time Jesus is still a dependent and vulnerable baby. But to fully appreciate all that Joseph overcame, we need to look first at another player in this morning's passage, King Herod.
Sometimes, it seems, history favors the poor rulers and leaders. Somehow the span of time and the ever-changing legends and tales end up casting a favorable light on those who were not so favorable in their life. While the legacy of some rulers benefits from the span of time, this is not true of King Herod. He was nasty in his rule, and he's not viewed anymore favorably today than he was over 2,000 years ago; probably because he was such a dictatorial and vicious ruler. Herod's rule began as an appointed governor. He was successful in that position, and the Romans came to favor him, thus promoting him to King; a position which he held until his death, over 30 years later.
Though called Herod the Great, his building projects and peace-keeping efforts were often overshadowed by his insanely suspicious character. You see, if Herod suspected anyone as a rival to his power, that person was eliminated immediately. He thought nothing of killing his own family members, including his wife, his mother, and two of his sons. As his power had increased, so had his paranoia. So late in Herod's life, when his suspicions were high and the Israelites were anxious to be out from under his murderous rule, Jesus was born. We know what that means, but Herod certainly didn't. Jesus wasn't even on Herod's radar screen at the time of his birth, he was just a poor kid born in a stable; that's not newsworthy, especially not to someone who has a kingdom to rule. But then the Magi show up. They are some sort of noblemen themselves, so it doesn't take long for word to get to Herod that some Wise Men are asking about the birthplace of the king of the Jews.
Herod's suspicious instincts kick into play, he wants to get his hands on this baby, and the plotting begins. First, he conscripts the help of the Magi; claiming he wishes to worship this newborn king. Herod instructs the Wise Men to bring him news of the precise whereabouts of this baby being called the king of the Jews. It's not too surprising that he quickly follows that command with one to his soldiers to slaughter all the boys under two years of age in Bethlehem and its vicinity. And Herod might have succeeded in his plot if not for God, and a humble carpenter named Joseph.
As you remember, Joseph was a quiet man. In all of Scripture, he never says a single word. Though he was from the line of King David, he was not royalty. He was not rich, and he had no significant amount of power. He was just a laborer, a hard-working carpenter, strong and silent, diligent and trustworthy. And though he was no mighty warrior or great ruler, he has earned his place in history, as we learned a few weeks ago, because his role in the birth and upbringing of Jesus was invaluable. Joseph was a righteous and compassionate man who followed the will of God. We saw that a few weeks ago when Joseph went against custom and took the pregnant Mary as his wife. But we also see the strong faith of Joseph today, at this moment when Joseph dropped everything, fled from his home, his livelihood, and his family; all for the sake of keeping his son safe. And because of what Joseph did, Jesus lived.
Shortly after the visit from the Magi, we are told, Joseph has a dream in which an angel of the Lord appeared with a warning about Herod's murderous intentions and a command to escape to Egypt with Jesus and Mary. Matthew tells us that Joseph "got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt." Just like that. He didn't question the dream, he didn't question God. He didn't try to hide somewhere else. He just got up with Jesus and Mary and left.
I can't help but think that there must've have been some element of fear. That was a long journey, and there were certainly many dangers: robbers, disease, and fatigue to name a few. Then you add to those complications a possibly nagging wife, angry about having to make such a journey with a young child, and the fact that they were returning to the land where their ancestors had once been enslaved. I'm sure it's not a far stretch to think that Joseph wasn't all too thrilled about this command from the angel. But those things didn't stop him. He had a command from God and he obeyed it.
Would we have the courage to act as Joseph did? Would we be able to leave our jobs and our homes and flee to a foreign land at a moment's notice? It's scary to admit it, but sometimes God's call in our life is just about that extreme. And when we put other priorities first, when we set conditions on God's call, then really we are no better than that horrible, selfish King Herod.
A few years ago, I went on a mission trip to Pascagoula, Mississippi. As you can guess, we were there to aid families affected by Katrina. During the week that we were there, I had the opportunity to get to know a couple from California. Now unlike most of the mission workers on the Gulf Coast at that time, people who came on short-term trips, volunteering some of their time for Katrina relief, this couple had moved to Pascagoula. Though retired and settled nicely into their California home, after Katrina hit, they felt unsettled. Within a few weeks, they discerned that God was calling them to help the people on the Gulf Coast. They quickly sold everything they had, and I mean E-V-E-R-Y-T-H-I-N-G. They bought an RV and put the rest of the money in savings. Then they got in the RV and started driving toward the Gulf Coast. They didn't know exactly where they were going, they just knew they needed to be there. And only one month after the storm hit, they found themselves in Pascagoula helping to restore the livelihood of the people there who lost so much. They parked their RV in a church parking lot and used their savings to support themselves and buy needed supplies for the people they were helping. When I asked the couple what they planned to do next, they replied that they didn't know, that they would stay on the coast until the work was done, and then see where God would send them next.
Like Joseph, that couple obeyed God's call in their lives. And because of their faith and willingness to follow God's command, Christ lived in them and was revealed to many on the Gulf Coast in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. And God calls us to follow too. God desires that we would open ourselves in such a way that through us, Christ might live, that through us Christ's work in this world might continue despite all the “Herods,” all the challenges and roadblocks we face.
So here's where that leaves us: Because of Herod, Jesus might never have lived to fulfill God's saving purposes for his life. But because of Joseph, he did. As we begin this New Year, with Christmas quickly becoming only a memory, we have to consider how we can shape our lives like Joseph's. We have to submit ourselves in obedience to God. We have to trust God's call on our lives, wherever that may take us. And we have to have faith that God will work through us for the good of the world. We have to be the people who ensure that Christ's life, though vulnerable in the face of worldly threats, will continue. And that through Christ, God's kingdom will indeed come on earth as it is in heaven.
