Title: A RIGHTEOUS MAN AT WORK
Focus: Joseph is an example of a righteous man who spurs us on to do the right thing.
Function: To encourage the people to learn from Joseph and do what is right.
Text: Matthew 1:18-25
Joseph is a man of few words. He does not talk much, so it seems. I can’t think of one scripture text that has recorded a saying of Joseph. Joseph is not a talker; he is a doer, a man of action.
When I observe Joseph in action, I like what I see. He dreams; he ponders; he weighs evidence; he considers options. And he is ready to act. When he gets divine instruction from an angel of the Lord, he does not question, nor does he drag his feet. He acts; he obeys; and he bows before mystery.
In short, Joseph is an inspiration, a model for us to follow. As followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, we do well to take our cues from Joseph. For the Scriptures portray Joseph as a righteous man at work.
Take note, for example of the passage, and ask yourself, ‘what is its focus?’ ‘What is this passage in Matthew 1:18-25 all about?’
The spotlight or focus of this passage seems to be mainly on Joseph. We learn, for example, some things about Joseph’s relationship with Mary, the mother of Jesus. Scripture tells us that “…Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph….” In other words, Joseph and Mary had plans for a life together as husband and wife.
In those days, when a Jewish couple were pledged to be married, their relationship was very binding, much more so than a modern-day engagement in the USA, for example. The pledge to be married (or the betrothal) could be broken only by a legal act called “divorce.” During the engagement period or betrothal, a couple could not have sexual relationships. For it was clearly understood from God’s law that sexual intercourse belongs to marriage--after the engagement period has ended with a wedding ceremony.
But even though Joseph is engaged to be married, Joseph is already referred to as Mary’s “husband.” (Note vs. 19 for example). Joseph’s relationship with Mary, then, was one of betrothal—of one who is bound to Mary, as a husband is bound to his wife and the wife to her husband.
We also observe Joseph’s relationship with the house or family of King David. Joseph has a distinguished, famous family tree. Joseph has royal blood running through his veins, so to speak. He is from the lineage of Israel’s most famous king. King David! The angel of the Lord speaks to Joseph in a dream and he says: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife….”
It is important to pick up on Joseph’s family tree, for even though Jesus is NOT a physical descendant of King David, Jesus is a legal descendant by virtue of his legal father, called Joseph. Joseph connects the dots between King David and the newborn King called “Jesus,” born in Bethlehem!
Who is this
Joseph? Why, he is pledged to be married to Mary, and he is a legal descendant,
a son of David. But there is one more thing we must observe about Joseph’s
relationships: Joseph is a righteous man.
In vs. 19 we read that, “Because Joseph her husband was a
righteous man and did not want to expose (Mary) to public disgrace, he had in
mind to divorce her quietly.”
Now, a righteous man is not just a man who “keeps his nose clean,” that is, who stays out of trouble.” A righteous man in Matthew’s day is not a mere “do-gooder”—someone who does not drink, smoke, or swear. No, a righteous man is someone who delights in the law or Word of God. A righteous man takes God’s Word seriously; a righteous man is one who obeys and acts upon God’s Word. Joseph is a righteous man.
And that leads us to Joseph’s dilemma with Mary’s unexpected pregnancy. Joseph and Mary have not been together as husband and wife; they have not consummated their relationship with the act of marriage. Yet, Mary is expecting a child. Now Joseph is no fool. You don’t get pregnant from drinking water; You don’t get pregnant from just looking at a man. Therefore, Mary must have been with another man.
Can you imagine the conversation between Mary and Joseph? Can you imagine the bewilderment in Joseph’s eyes when Mary tells him about the angel of the Lord announcing to her that she “would be with child,” and that the child is conceived within her by the Holy Spirit? Can you imagine Joseph’s conflicted spirit pondering Mary’s words?
On the one hand, Joseph wants to believe her so badly, because he loves Mary, he truly does; but Joseph is not a fool; he knows that it takes a man and woman to conceive a child. And so, no doubt, he also feels betrayed, robbed of something that belonged to him by virtue of their pledge to be married.
What is this conflicted Joseph to do?
More than that! What is a righteous man to do in light of God’s Word? Joseph knows what the law of God says: (Deut. 23:22) “If a man happens to meet in a town a virgin pledged to be married and he sleeps with her, you shall take both of them to the gate of that town and stone them to death….” Now Mary may be unwilling to tell Joseph the name of her lover and therefore “blame” the Holy Spirit for her pregnancy, but it’s clear from the letter of God’s law that stoning is in order for Mary. What must a righteous man like Joseph do in this case?
Joseph loves Mary; conflicted by the news of her pregnancy and by her explanation, Joseph does the “righteous” thing. He decides to spare her life. Mercy and love move Joseph to spare Mary from disgrace in the community, so he decides to divorce her quietly.
Here we have an important example to follow: when the letter of God’s law conflicts with the spirit of the law—the spirit of loving God and our neighbor, we do well to act by the spirit of the law.
For example, I grew up with stories in the Netherlands of Christians during WW II sheltering Jews in their homes. These Christians knew the Law of God: “You shall not bear false witness.” In other words, don’t lie. But when the Germans came knocking on their doors, and asked them if there were any Jews hidden in their homes, they would not blink an eye and say: “No Jews here!” They lied. They went against the letter of God’s law. Why? Because they acted like Joseph, a righteous man. They understood that the spirit of God’s law, the spirit of love is the tune that runs through God’s Word and brings delight to His heart. Love is the fulfillment of God’s law. And the love of God hums through his Word.
So Joseph
does the right thing: he decides to be merciful and divorce Mary quietly. But
God has something else in mind. God sent an angel to Joseph. And the angel of
the Lord appears to him in a dream saying: “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. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the
name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Now the mystery deepens. Now we need insight. Consider, for example,
· God’s Purposes and Joseph’s Obedience: Joseph’s best intentions for Mary, based on acting as a righteous man, are not in line with God’s intentions. Through the pregnancy of Mary, God is working out his purposes for all the world. God is sending his Son. And the Son of God needs a legal father who is a descendent from the house of King David. By moving Joseph to obey the instructions of the angel who appeared in a dream, God secured the connection between His Son, Jesus, and the house of King David.
You see, it was to David that God had made this promise: “When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom…Your house and your kingdom will endure forever before me; your throne will be established forever.” (II Samuel 7:12-16) This is why God comes to Joseph in a dream and moves him to take Mary as his wife. And this is why God gives Joseph the charge to name the child “Jesus” because the child is destined to “save his people from their sins.”
It is God’s promise and God’s purposes that are at stake in this drama between Joseph and Mary. Matthew makes this also very clear when he says in vs. 22 “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us.’” God’s purposes and Joseph’s obedience open the door for Mary to deliver her child, and for the child to have a secure home and a legal family tree going back to King David. More than that! Joseph’s obedience is the engine that unfolds God’s plan of rescuing the world from sin and death.
As the mystery of Jesus’ birth and Joseph’s obedience to the angel’s instructions deepen, consider also:
· Jesus’ Divinity: Woven throughout the story is Matthew’s mysterious contention that Jesus is “one of a kind,” not only human, born of Mary, but also divine. The child is divinely conceived (vs.18) “…but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.” (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.” (vs. 23) “’The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’—which means, ‘God with us.’” The child called “Jesus” is God in the flesh; he is born of a woman, and therefore truly human; he is also truly divine.
All of this hits Joseph like a ton of bricks. He acted, however, as a righteous man. And thus he is for us today an example of a righteous person who spurs us on to do the right thing as followers of Jesus.
Perhaps you
find it difficult to believe in a miraculous conception. Perhaps you have
refused until now to bow your knees before the mystery of God working out his
purposes in our lives and world. Learn from Joseph. Do what he did. Embrace the
child. Give him a home in your heart. Let the Son of God enter your sphere of
influence, the very core of your being. And discover anew what the Bible means
when it says that Jesus is the One who “saves his people from their
sins.”
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.