Joseph’s Christmas Story Matt 1:24
Notes
Transcript
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
If you could go back in time and see yourself when you finished high school there would be much that would go through your head.
Another person who had many dreams, expectations, and hopes before getting married was Joseph in the Christmas story. Joseph was living in a very different context than we do, however, as a young man betrothed, engaged but not yet married to his bride, he surely had some hopes and plans. And it was in the midst of this daydreaming that his life, his future, and his faith would be tested.
First, we start with Joseph’s introduction to us … and he is receiving bad news. Joseph’s Christmas story didn’t start with good news but with what appeared to be really bad news.
1. Joseph’s bad news
We don’t know exactly how Joseph found out that his fiancée was pregnant, but we can imagine the difficult conversations he must have had with Mary. Matthew summarizes all of this awkwardness with the simple phrase “she was found”. How was it discovered? At this point, Joseph had not had an encounter with the angel. The only thing Joseph had was the rumors and the word of Mary, who was young and whom Joseph likely hardly knew which is very different for us today.
You might say how did Joseph hardly know Mary? The custom of those days was not the same as today, often marriages were arranged between the parents. When everything was set up between the families, the couple would be engaged for a year and during the time between engagement and marriage, the couple would spend little to no time together at all. Even in Jewish Orthodox culture today you will not see a man or woman who is single being alone with someone unless it is your brother or sister.
Considering this context imagine the shock when Mary told him that she was pregnant. Could you imagine the family tensions in all of this?
We live in a world where infidelity is high, and the idea of purity and self-restraint is abnormal to the world. However, that is not the world Joseph and Mary lived in. It was a world where people carefully followed God’s command of purity. It was a context where the marriage bed was held in honor. There was great shame, dishonor, and severe consequences for when the marriage bed was defiled.
Joseph and Mary had not been intimate. So, when it was found that Mary was pregnant it is likely that Joseph was shocked and stunned by this bad news. On top of that, he was dealing with his parents' ideas and opinions on what should be done, and Mary's parents also likely were talking to Joseph and had their opinions and ideas as to what should be done.
We tend to imagine Mary telling Joseph privately. However, it is unlikely that Mary told Joseph alone, she had to tell him while the parents were there with them.
Can you imagine the pressure and awkwardness of the moment? And then Mary not only said that she was pregnant, but that the baby was conceived by the Holy Spirit. It is unlikely that her parents or Joseph's parents believed Mary, but she is holding to her story even with the social pressure around her.
Can you imagine what Joseph might have said to Mary at that time in front of the family?
Mary, are you serious? How could you do this to me? How could you have done this to your family and my family? What do you mean you are still a virgin? That’s impossible! Who did this to you? Where is he?
We read the Nativity account every year at Christmas. We are so accustomed to this story that we often miss the raw emotions that must have been going on in the first century. We read it like it is a fairy tale, we put up cute nativity scenes, we set up all the little animals and the wise men, the angels and the shepherds and the sheep. But we forget that the Christmas account of Jesus' birth was in this real world with real people, with real emotions.
One of the real people was Joseph, at that time Joseph didn’t have two thousand years of history or hindsight. Even though, the child inside his fiancée’s womb was the Son of God, that this child was going to save people from their sins and renew and restore the world. Joseph had no idea and no way of even imagining this could be true …
At that time Joseph was in shock and this was his worst nightmare. Joseph felt betrayed, alone, and stuck. Not to mention, left with “egg on his face”. While he can deny being the father, most would just nod their heads and say, well, we’ll know when the baby arrives and see who he looks like and then we’ll know …. No one really believed him. He was “marked” for life and the reality that he would even find another respectful wife was slim.
Put yourself in his shoes, or sandals. He hadn’t seen any angels. He was just faithfully living his life, working as a carpenter, doing his best to build a life for his future family. He trusted Mary to be faithful and devout and had pledged his life to her. And yet, it seemed she had betrayed him.
Matthew says in 1:20 that he “considered these things.” Joseph had some serious thinking to do. We don’t know how long God waited between Gabriel’s visit to Mary and the subsequent visit to Joseph. Was it weeks? Was it days? We know he likely didn’t get any sleep in this time of uncertainty and confusion upon discovery of her being with child. We can imagine Joseph’s restless nights, pacing, and heartbroken as he considered these things.
Joseph had only two choices. In those days, if a betrothed bride was found to have committed adultery, there were two options. The plan of action most men would have taken is quite drastic. This was probably what all his friends and his parents were very likely encouraging him to do.
The most common option, the option that would remove the shame from Joseph, was for him to publicly shame her by bringing her before the religious authorities, then the result would be that Mary's parents would have to return the dowry to Joseph and Mary could be stoned to death for adultery.
The alternative would be to divorce her privately. He would still face embarrassment in his community and would face questions from his peers and family about what went wrong, he would likely lose the dowry he gave to Mary’s parents, but he’d also be obeying his conscience and doing what was best for Mary.
Matthew tells us that Joseph was righteous, and he tells us this before Joseph was told of Jesus’ supernatural birth. He was righteous because he was both committed to following the law—divorcing an unfaithful spouse—and doing it in the most selfless, compassionate way. We don’t know much about Joseph, but we do know this: he was a faithful follower of God who would do right when it cost him the most. He would be, then, a faithful steward of the Son of God.
There is much to stop and commend, even in this seeming footnote to the Christmas story. Joseph didn’t decide out of immediate anger. He wasn’t irrational and unstable. For a young man who had just seen his life turn upside down, he demonstrated remarkable grace and dignity. He took time and assessed the situation and, seeing the humanity of Mary, made the choice that would be best for her. Joseph didn’t just do what everyone else did, or follow what others were telling Him. Joseph was righteous because he listened and obeyed God even when he was deeply hurt.
The question for us is this, will you be willing to follow God even when it costs you? Are you willing to lose your reputation for the sake of Christ? Joseph’s life was never the same after he decided to do the right thing and the most loving thing, he was looked down on by everyone in his community, but he chose to follow God. We know about Joseph, but what about you?...
Back to Joseph’s Christmas story
2. Joseph, son of David
We know this wasn’t the end of the story for Joseph. We know that Joseph didn’t divorce Mary quietly because God sent an angel to Joseph. Thinking of the nativity story do you remember how the angel addressed Joseph? If you need help you can turn Matthew 1:20…
it says “Joseph, son of David”
God didn’t pick just any first-century Jewish man to steward the life of His beloved Son. He picked a faithful son of David. The only other person in the New Testament to be referred to as a son of David is Jesus. This title came with authority, it reminded Joseph of his royal lineage and prepared him for the task ahead. No one else in the New Testament apart from Jesus is called the son of David, except for Joseph. This man that scripture doesn’t tell us much about, and he himself was a man of few words in Scripture, is called the son of David.
It doesn’t mean that Joseph was perfect, he still needed a savior the same way you and I need Jesus. But, this emphasizes Joseph’s righteousness, those around him just saw him as a poor carpenter, but in God’s sight, he was the son of David. At that moment, it was a reminder for Joseph of his true identity, not how the world saw him, but how God was seeing him. God was preparing Joseph for the great task ahead by reminding him of his identity.
Then the angel assured Joseph that the baby in Mary’s womb was not the fruit of sin but was conceived miraculously by the Holy Spirit. She had been chosen by God as the mother of Jesus. We don’t know how this made Joseph feel. We don’t know if he recalled the Scriptures read in the synagogue and the words of the prophet that described the future Messiah coming from a young virgin (Isa. 7), but just in case, the angel reminded him of the Scripture. Perhaps this reality overwhelmed him and caused him to worship God. Perhaps it left him speechless. Perhaps he was in a stupor. Regardless of his immediate response, we see how Joseph responded in obedience.
Christmas time is not the hustle and bustle time of the year, with food preparation, party preparation, and gift-buying craziness that we know today. Rather it is a time to stop, bow down, and adore our God who took on flesh for our sake. Christmas is no Christmas without Christ, for that matter life is no life without Christ.
This is why Matthew opens with such a bold claim that this son of a carpenter from Nazareth was no ordinary man, but was a king, in the line of David, a fulfillment of God’s promise. Jesus had to be born from a virgin because He had to be free from the inherited curse of sin. As the new Adam, He would fulfill what the first Adam could not do. What’s more, He’d defeat the sin and death that corrupts the human race. In the Incarnation we see Jesus being fully God and fully man, but without the inherited sin from Adam.
SLIDE
David Platt explains:
“In the virgin birth, Jesus did not inherit a sinful nature, nor did He inherit the guilt that all other humans inherit from Adam.… Jesus’ birth was a partial interruption in the line that came from Adam. A new Adam has come on the scene, a man who would not succumb to sin. In contrast to the first Adam, in Matthew, a man is born who would save from sin.” David Platt
Back to the Nativity story. The angel reminded Joseph that this was no ordinary birth and that his role would not be that of an ordinary father. And yet in telling Joseph to name the baby “Jesus,” he was reminding Joseph of his stewardship. It was the father who named the children in those days and, by naming him, Joseph would essentially adopt Jesus. Unlike other earthly fathers, he would not be able to pick a name of his choosing, but Joseph would be assigned a leadership role in naming the future Son of God. Joseph, son of Adam, would steward this baby who would fulfill what the first Adam could not fulfill.
It is interesting how the angel talked to Joseph. First, he called him “son of David” reminding Joseph of his identity, telling the scared Joseph that he belonged to the people of God. Then second, the angel reasons from Scripture that what was happening was to fulfill Scripture.
This apparent detail might seem insignificant but it is not insignificant. It tells us two things about the man who would be Jesus’ earthly guardian. Joseph knew who he was, and he was committed to Scripture. This is no small detail. This is how the Bible appeals to us, followers of Jesus today. Know who you are as an adopted son or daughter of God, know what the Bible says, and be committed to Him.
Christmas is a time to remember our identity. Who we are. Because Christ came to live and die and rise again so that we could have life in Him, through Him. Therefore, don’t just enjoy the gifts, the cookies, and the lights of the season, but remember who you are as an adopted son, adopted daughter of the King of the Universe, that you are loved, you are precious, and your life matters to God. That is why we can rejoice, and have hope, joy, and peace this Christmas, because of Christ.
Joseph knew who he was, and what we see in Joseph is what you would expect from a devout follower of God who is committed to the Scriptures. Joseph immediately obeyed. Matthew 1:24 says 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
3. Joseph immediately obeyed
Joseph obeyed immediately to a tough call of obedience from God. Remember all that it would cost him … both in reputation and financially.
“Joseph’s obedience to God cost him the right to value his own reputation. Many Christians today, probably much older than Joseph and claiming the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives, have yet to learn his lesson.” Craig Keener
Ouch, this is powerful, it is a call to each of us today as well. We might be willing to sacrifice financially, but reputation. Even though we don’t live in a shame-honor culture, we still value our reputation, and what others think of us quite highly. The question for us is, where do we value our own reputation over obedience to God?
That is when we need to look to Joseph. Because Joseph could bear the shame of answering God’s call, we too can bear the shame that sometimes comes with being a Christian because Jesus bore our shame. We can live as outcasts in a world dominated by the devil because Jesus was the ultimate outcast.
Joseph was a man of few words. We don’t know much about him at all. But we do know he was a man of simple faithfulness. He did the next right thing in front of him. So much of following God is asking, “What is the next right move?” Often we try to understand the whole picture, while God’s demand of us is to be obedient in each little step.
And let’s consider, for a moment, what Joseph was signing up for. This was no easy assignment. In marrying Mary, he would be subject to endless scrutiny. If you think he reacted strangely, at first, to Mary’s conception by the Holy Spirit, how well do you think others in his immediate circle would react? Unlike Joseph, they would not have the benefit of an angelic visit. They’d either have to take his word or they’d reject him.
In listening to the voice of God, Joseph was giving up his reputation. Tim Keller writes about the significance of Joseph marrying his pregnant wife in this society:
“Everybody in that shame-and-honor society will know that this child was not born nine or ten months after they got married; they will know she was already pregnant. That would mean either Joseph and Mary had sex before marriage or she was unfaithful to him, and as a result, they are going to be shamed, socially excluded, and rejected. They are going to be second-class citizens forever” Tim Keller
By saying yes to God, Joseph was saying no to everything he had worked for, his reputation in the community. It’s easy for us to glance over this and not give it another thought as we read this part of Matthew’s gospel this Christmas, but we should pause and consider how significant this decision was.
Remember that Joseph was the only other person, except for Jesus to be called a son of David?
Joseph would be an outcast among his own people. He would bear the shame for sins he didn’t commit. And yet it only foreshadows the shame that this baby would one day bear on behalf of Joseph and Mary and all who know Jesus. This is why Jesus would later sweat drops of blood in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus would literally become sin for His people, so much so that the Father, who cannot abide sin, turned His face away from His own Son. He was, to quote Isaiah, “despised and rejected by men” (Isa. 53:3).
We learn later in Matthew that once Herod heard of the birth of Jesus and sought to kill Him, Joseph was commanded by God to take the young infant and his wife Mary and leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt. Again, we tend to pass over this detail as we read Scripture. But let’s imagine the difficulty of travel in those days: the added expenses, and the breaking of ties with family and friends.
And yet when the angel appeared to Joseph in another dream, Joseph didn’t hesitate. He, again, immediately obeyed the voice of God and went to Egypt.
Joseph’s Legacy
Ultimately, we don’t know really what happens to Joseph after he is mentioned one last time in that visit by Jesus to the temple at the age of twelve. He doesn’t show up again in the Scriptures, and there is reason to believe that perhaps he met an untimely death.
In every other passage of Scripture where Jesus’ family is featured, it’s only Mary and Jesus’ siblings who are mentioned. Given that he was likely older than Mary and life expectancy for a first-century peasant Jew was not great, it could be that losing His father was Jesus’ first instance of human suffering.
And so, this is Joseph’s Christmas story. Barely mentioned in Scripture, forgotten mostly in church history, but remembered by God as a faithful servant … A Son of David. And for most of us, this can be our legacy as well if we are willing, like Joseph, to say yes to God.
This Christmas: Are we willing to say yes to God, even when it will cost us our own reputation? Are we going to remember who we are in Christ? Are we going to be like Joseph and immediately obey God? even when life is chaotic because we choose to follow Jesus? Are you willing to be an obscure figure to the world, but remember by God?