God’s Reassurance to Joseph
Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Introduction
Do you realize how incredibly
scandalous the Christmas story is? A betrothed but as yet unwed mother. A
suspicious fiancée. A vision of an angel. Divine revelation in a dream. A baby
conceived without a human father. A pregnancy initiated by God. A child
described as the Son of God, one who would save His people from their sins. Who
could believe it?
We sanitize the event. No barn was
ever as clean as the nativity scenes depict it. It stinks. It is dark and damp.
There is no unearthly glow, no halo, no beatific vision. The reality was very
different than the scene most of us have pictured in our minds or seen
represented in various ways. It would have been gritty, cold, and frightening.
We imagine the scene as serene and
joyous. Joyous, certainly, but not at first. Nine months of questions and
anxiety, apart from the physical and emotional stress and strain that is a part
of every pregnancy. How did we get here? What is God doing? What lies ahead for
us and for this child?
Discussion
The angel Gabriel’s announcement from
heaven would certainly have been a mixed blessing. When Mary heard what he had
to say, she was confused. “How can this be,” she asked, “since I am a virgin?”
(Luke 1:34) As confusing as the news was to Mary, it would have been even
harder for Joseph. He was not with Mary when Gabriel appeared, so he received
the information secondhand. The Scripture says he, understandably, assumed the
worst. “And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to
shame, resolved to divorce her quietly” (Matt. 1:19). How could he do
otherwise? What would you think? Your fiancée is pregnant but assures you, “This
is a miracle, an act of God. I have been faithful to you.” Really? What man,
even a man of great faith, could easily believe it? The Lord sent an angel to
speak to Joseph in a dream and reassure him of his betrothed’s purity and of
God’s plan for this child. If the Lord had not intervened to counteract
Joseph’s original plan, Mary might have had to raise the Savior as a single
mom.
Joseph wanted to do what was right. He
was a righteous man. But the implications of this pregnancy were not
insignificant. It would have serious repercussions in their family and social
circles. They lived in a small community, and it would be impossible to hide. Undoubtedly
they would have been viewed as sinners and shunned. When they traveled to
Bethlehem for the census, they did not go back to Nazareth for several years.
Why relocate to Bethlehem? Because it would have been hard to stay at home.
The Lord’s will put a heavy burden
on this godly couple. What a way to begin your marriage! How stressful must it
have been? How difficult to be married to someone but not be allowed to touch
them? That’s right. After being reassured by an angel of the Lord in a dream,
Joseph “took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son”
(Matt. 1:24b-25). They did not enjoy the conjugal benefits of marriage, but
they certainly experienced all of its responsibilities, and more. If we think
of Christmas solely in terms of the sweet, sanitized, serene portrayal of the
Nativity scene, we do not have a biblical or realistic picture of it at all.
Interpretation
The contents of Scripture can be
broadly summarized as consisting of three categories: facts to believe,
commands to obey, and promises to claim. This is simplistic, obviously, but it
is sufficient for our present purpose. When we look at verses 20 and 21 of our
text, we find two commands and three facts given. First command: “Do not fear
to take Mary as your wife.” Now here is the fact which supports it: “for that
which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.” Here is the next fact to
believe: “She will bear a son.” No doubt about that. Even though she is a
virgin, God has both given her conception and is in control of the outcome of
the pregnancy. There will be no surprises. Mary will not miscarry, and she will
not have a girl. Now the next command: “You shall call His name Jesus.” Not
Joseph like His adopted father. Not Heli like his maternal grandfather (Luke
3:23). He was to be named Jesus, and it was Joseph’s responsibility to see to
it. Now the final fact which supports the second command: “for He will save His
people from their sins.” He will do what? Save people. Which people? His
people. From what will He save them? Their sins. Not His sins. He will not
partake of their depravity. But He will rescue them from the iniquity which has
estranged them from God.
Bible facts support and empower obedience
to Bible commands. Divine revelation is the ground of our faith. Joseph did not
take Mary as his wife because he trusted her or loved her, though undoubtedly
both were true. He took Mary as his wife, despite her incomprehensible
condition, because God revealed the pregnancy was from Him and because the
Sovereign Lord commanded Joseph’s obedience. The facts of Scripture do more
than just reveal information. They invite us to responsible, trusting
commitment. They call us to participate in the spiritual reality that may be
unseen or incomprehensible from a material or physical standpoint. They cast a
divine light on what is real and drive away the shadows of our temporal
experience and human reason. ‘What you think you see is not what is real, Joseph.
What you think you know is not what is going on. You and Mary have been chosen,
and this Child is from God. The Lord is coming to save you, and it is your
responsibility to care for the woman who will bear Him.’
Application
What do we learn here? The
theological truths of Christmas are obvious and have been frequently explained
and affirmed. But is there something else we should also take from this text,
some way in which Joseph’s experience can inform and aid our own?
First,
do not fear to suffer and sacrifice. The Lord’s plan for Joseph and Mary’s
life was costly and inconvenient. “Do not fear to take Mary” suggests there was
something to fear, the rejection of family, the derision of community, the
boycott of co-workers and customers. Serving God involves taking risks and
paying a price. Following Jesus demands that we deny ourselves, take up the
cross daily, and then follow Him (Luke 9:23). Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote:
Cheap grace is the preaching of
forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline,
Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap
grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without
Jesus Christ, living and incarnate.
Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.
Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.[1]
Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.
Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock.
Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son: "ye were bought at a price," and what has cost God much cannot be cheap for us. Above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us. Costly grace is the Incarnation of God.[1]
Bonhoeffer
knew something about the cost of following Jesus. But Joseph and Mary knew far
more. They knew that obeying God meant embracing the scandal of God’s grace in
their lives. It meant doing what was right, what God had commanded, even though
few if any of their family or friends could understand it. It meant setting
aside their plans, their hopes, their dreams to submit to God’s greater plan
for the salvation of His people. They had a job to do, a role to play. It was
grace that brought them to it, and it was grace that would bring them through
it. The apostle Paul said, in words that could have easily been addressed to
Joseph and Mary, “It has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you
should not only believe in Him but also suffer for His sake” (Php. 1:29).
Following Jesus is hard; never let anyone tell you otherwise. It will cost you
and cause you periodic pain, loss, and dis-ease. If it does not, perhaps it is
not the true God you are serving at all, but only a god made in your own image.
Second,
believe in the unseen God who is doing the impossible. Mary’s story was
impossible to believe. That is why the Lord gave to Joseph the reassurance and
faith he needed to believe it. It was not enough for Joseph to forgive his
betrothed and marry her. He had to believe her. He had to believe the story. He
had to believe the baby Jesus was really God’s Son. What was happening could
not be understood on human or physical terms. It could only be grasped by
divine revelation and the faith God provides.
Serving God requires us to see the
unseen by faith. It is in trusting the unseen God as a living reality that we
find strength to seek His will each day. The Hebrews writer said, “[Moses] considered
the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was
looking to the reward. By faith he left Egypt, not being afraid of the anger of
the king, for he endured as seeing him who is invisible” (Heb. 11:26-27). We
have to trust that what God says is actually true. That is partly what it means
to walk by faith and not by sight. We may not understand it. We may struggle to
believe it. But we must embrace it. That is what Joseph did, and God supplied
the faith and strength he needed. God is doing the impossible, just as He did
in the Incarnation. Jesus died to save His people, and He is coming back again
to claim them. Believe it, embrace it, and live in the light of it.
Third,
embrace the scandal of living by God’s grace. Joseph had work to do and a role
to play. He was to take care of Mary and give her and the Child a home. He was
to name the baby Jesus. The Lord expected Joseph to take ownership of the
situation, not sit idly on the sidelines. Serving God involves identifying with
His word and work. It is not easy to be a Christian, but it is much easier than
being Mary’s husband! We are called to boldly live out the confession of our
faith, living transformed lives without regret or shame. The apostle Paul admonishes
us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of
your mind” (Rom. 12:2a). Peter speaks to the same thing when he says:
Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and
exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your
soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak
against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the
day of visitation. (1Pet. 2:11-12)
Participate in God’s plan. Be obedient.
It will not be easy. People will talk. They will say things that are not true.
They will mock you. They will hate you. Some will even try to hurt you. But do
not be like them. Do not be afraid of them. Trust God, and take your stand with
Him, even if it seems to bring shame. Grace empowers obedient living. We cannot
remain spectators and expected to be counted among the people whom Jesus saves.
Fourth
and finally, anticipate the greater work God has done and is doing. Why should
Joseph get involved? Why should he ruin his life, damage his relationships,
disrupt his career? Jesus would save people anyway. Let Mary deal with it
alone. But that was not God’s plan, and, thank God, that was not the way Joseph
thought about it. Joseph was to become part of something much greater than
himself, much greater than his career or ambitions or wildest dreams. He was
not to be the Savior. Joseph is not the hero of this story. Jesus is. But
Joseph had the privilege of participating in the greatest story ever told. He
became a part of God’s plan to redeem the world.
Christians, we are called to participate
in the same plan. Not in the same way, of course, as Joseph and Mary did. But
it is the same plan, nevertheless. Jesus came to save His people, and now we
participate as we exalt Him as King and share the good news of salvation with
others. I cannot save anyone, but Jesus can and has. I will not be the hero of
this story, and neither will you. Jesus is the hero. But we can be faithful
where we are, faithful in the responsibilities He has given us, faithful to
serve and to share whenever, wherever, and however He has called us to. Are we
showing the world the love and grace of Jesus Christ? Do they see God’s Son in
us? Is He living and at work among us? Or are we too busy living our lives to
be truly involved in His? When Jesus comes again, will He find us waiting,
working, and watching?
Conclusion
The Christmas story is not as serene or
sanitary as we often imagine it to be. But amid the gritty reality of fear,
doubt, anxiety, and sacrifice lie lessons for every one of us who call Jesus
our Savior and Lord. We too are called to faithfulness in the face of the truly
Faithful One who was born and lived and died and rose to redeem and save His own
people. May the Lord grant us such grace to believe His word, trust His
promises, submit to His commands, suffer with the Son, and to see Him and be
received by Him in His glory. O Lord, come!
[1] Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, The Cost of Discipleship
(Touchstone: New York, 1995), 44-45, emp. in original.
