Matthew 1:18-19 NASB
18 Now the birth of Jesus the [a]Messiah was as follows: when His mother Mary had been [b]betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, since he was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her, planned to [c]send her away secretly.
Luke 1:56 The Message
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for three months and then went back to her own home.
Matthew 1:18-19 The Message
18-19 The birth of Jesus took place like this. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. Before they came to the marriage bed, Joseph discovered she was pregnant. (It was by the Holy Spirit, but he didn’t know that.) Joseph, chagrined but noble, determined to take care of things quietly so Mary would not be disgraced.
Forgive me, but I’m going to park here for a few minutes. So, the picture above is of my mom and dad on their wedding day. That’s them holding hands. That’s my grandmother standing back against the wall. That’s my dad’s oldest sister standing next to my mom. Oh, and that is Rev. O.T. Arnold, the pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Austin, Texas, who officiated the wedding. That’s the church we grew up in. My cousin, Rev. Roy Jones currently serves as the pastor. But my parents were married at my grandmother’s home. Hmm?
One day, when I was about nine years old, I was looking through my parent’s scrapbooks. I was looking at pictures like the one above. In my exploration, I came across my parent’s marriage certificate. The wedding date was November XX, 195X. As I’m kinda just sitting there, staring at the certificate, I have this kind of unfolding realization that I was born one month and one day later… exactly. So, as this all begins to dawn on me, I go find my mom and our conversation goes something like, “Mom! I was born one month and one day after you and dad got married?!” With a little bit of a smirk and a little bit of a scowl on her face, my mother responded, “And!?” The half smirk said, (You figured it out!) The half scowl said, (“You little red S.O. Blank…!”) In essence, “Ok, now go get you some bizness!”. I smile at the memory because in that moment I grew up a little bit and the world wasn’t so perfect anymore.
One more thing. I was born three months early, so the young bride you see in the photo above (my mom) is about five months pregnant. She doesn’t look like it, does she? But I would guess that all of the individuals pictured above knew it. Hmm? Did I mention that my parents weren’t married at our home church, right down the street, but at my grandparent’s house? Hmmm?
This is similar to the unfolding reality that is occurring with young Joseph in Matthew 1:18-19 above. A brief overview of the circumstances surrounding the birth of our Savior, Jesus reminds us that the archangel Gabriel, God’s messenger angel informs Mary that she will be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and conceive a son, the Messiah, the Son of God. Upon receiving this news, she leaves Nazareth and travels south about one hundred miles to somewhere near Jerusalem. She stays with her cousin Elizabeth, who is pregnant, the (soon to be) mother of John the Baptist for three months, then returns home.
Upon her return, Joseph, to whom Mary is betrothed, sets out to complete their engagement period with the final marriage ceremony. However, there is a “But”. In Jewish culture, the normal betrothal, or engagement period lasts one full year. During that year, the bride-to-be stays home and learns the particulars of being a good wife while the groom-to-be goes to the plot of land he will receive as an inheritance from his father and, under the guidance of his father, begins building the home that he and his bride will live in. We see a simile of the betrothal process reflected in Jesus’ words of comfort to His disciples in John fourteen.
John 14:1-3 NASB
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; [a]believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many [b]rooms; if that were not so, [c]I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I am coming again and will take you to Myself, so that where I am, there you also will be.
But, after three months of being physically separated from his betrothed, Joseph discovers that Mary is pregnant. How? When? Why? Who? So many questions. No immediate answers. How did Joseph find out? Again, I don’t have an answer, and the bible doesn’t offer one. Here’s what I do know. As I stated above, in the Jewish culture, the engagement period lasts one year. Upon Mary’s return, Joseph discovers this untimely pregnancy. Whether Mary shared the news with him in secret or whether the mothers of the bride and groom uncovered the secret and brought it to Joseph’s attention (Mary probably doesn’t ‘look’ pregnant yet, see the picture above), Joseph began to ponder his options. You see, according to custom, being betrothed to marry was as binding as being married. To end a betrothal required a Writ of Divorce, just as was required for marriage. So then, Joseph appears to be going the extra mile for Mary and ‘divorce’ her before the consummation of the marriage. In doing so, he is exercising his option to ‘divorce’ her because in some way he has become dissatisfied with her. He would be fully within his rights to do so.
Deuteronomy 24:1 NASB
1 “When a man takes a wife and marries her, and it happens, if she finds no favor in his eyes because he has found some indecency in her, that he writes her a certificate of divorce, puts it in her hand, and [a]sends her away from his house,
Matthew 19:7-8a NASB
7 They *said to Him, “Why, then, did Moses command to give her a certificate of divorce and send her away?” 8a He *said to them, “Because of your hardness of heart Moses permitted you to [e]divorce your wives…
What’s notable is Joseph’s continuing commitment to and obvious affection for Mary. He makes a choice to put her away privately, rather than publicly. To divorce her publically would be to bring her before the elders of the village and plead his case against her, exposing her to the shame and humiliation of the moment. It could also lead to her eventual death by stoning. According to Jewish custom, an alternative option was to present her a writ of divorce in the sight of two witnesses. That is all that was required. No-fuss. No-muss. The reason it was so simple was that Judaism, in Jesus’ day, was decidedly patriarchal favoring the whims of the man over the needs of the women. Women were regarded as property, not as partners. The same still holds true today in the Middle East (and a lot of other places, including America).
Matthew 1:20-21 NASB
20 But when he had thought this over, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for [d]the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a Son; and you shall name Him Jesus, for [e]He will save His people from their sins.”
From Malachi to Matthew, for four hundred years, the bible is silent. But, in this moment in time surrounding the birth of Christ, things begin to move in the Spirit. Zacharias and Elizabeth, both past child-rearing age, are visited by Gabriel, the Herald of God, who announces that they will have a child. A young virgin, Mary is visited by that same angel and learns that she will be the mother of the Messiah. And then there is Joseph. Joseph receives the first of several angelic visitations.
Breaking up is hard to do. In the emotional darkness that engulfed Joseph, as he struggles toward the decision to divorce the love of his life, Mary, he too receives a visit from an angel of the Lord, presumably Gabriel. The angel brings news that is both wondrous and relieving. “Do not be afraid…”. These are the most wonderful words a believer can hear from on high. To the faithful, the directive to “Fear not” from a messenger of God, from the Word of God, or from Jesus Himself, is music to the ears, a soothing balm to the troubled soul. Joseph is immediately … encouraged. The angel goes on to explain that Mary has not been unfaithful, Joseph’s love for her had not been misplaced. And then the angel, in his next words, both informs Joseph’s and gives him a charge. Suddenly, Joseph, a man found faithful and just in the eyes of men, has been found so in the eyes of Heaven. He and his bride to be will have the awesome responsibility of being the parents of the Messiah. In just a very few moments, Joseph transitions from a very weighty personal decision concerning the girl he loves to, now carrying the weight of eternity on his shoulders. He has been called. Called by God.
Matthew 1:22-23 NASB
22 Now all this [f]took place so that what was spoken by the Lord through [g]the prophet would be fulfilled: 23 “Behold, the virgin will [h]conceive and give birth to a Son, and they shall name Him [i]Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.”
Matthew takes a moment in his narrative to explain to his readers that in this moment, the fulfillment of prophecy was unfolding. Be reminded that his mission was to prove in the ears and hearts of his listeners that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah. He brings to their remembrance the words of Isaiah, the prophet to King Ahaz, some seven hundred years prior to the time of Jesus’ birth.
Isaiah 7:14 NASB
14 Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the [k]virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him [l]Immanuel.
Joseph Steps Up and Mans up…
Matthew 1:24-25 NASB
24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 [j]but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he named Him Jesus.
That’s right. Joseph goes into ‘full-grown man’ mode. He steps all the way up and embraces the call of God on his life. He accepts God’s Heavenly assignment. He steps all the way up and takes Mary as his bride. He steps all the way up and takes his bride with him on a one hundred mile journey to Jerusalem, maybe because he simply will not entrust the care of Mary and her unborn child to anyone other than himself. Joseph steps up and puts up with what had to the gossip surrounding the fact that before their scheduled wedding, his betrothed gave birth.
We live in a time when families get blended in many different ways. Many are the couples who are making a relationship work, even though one or both parties bring children into the relationships from previous relationships. While that is not Joseph and Mary’s exact situation, it is similar, in that a conscious decision must be made to take responsibility for those children who are a part of the mix. Yes. It takes a man to love someone else’s child as though he or she were his own. Yes. Joseph stepped up.
There’s more good news to share as I close this lesson. I mentioned earlier that today’s text recorded the first of several visits by angels. But not Joseph only. The shepherds saw a heavenly gathering of angels that defies the imagination. The wise men (Magi) followed a star, a sign in the heavens. Then there was Simeon, then Anna, the prophetess. Then John the Baptist. Then Jesus. Suddenly Heaven began to speak regularly. The promised revival and restoration had begun. It didn’t stop there. On the Day of Pentecost, after the Resurrection, the Holy Ghost descended from God to His Church. He came bearing gifts. God has not stopped communicating and blessing his people in wondrous and supernatural ways since the time of ….. Joseph.
Selah,
wb
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