#Joseph — Advent — Founded on the Bible

Matthew 1:18-25

This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her fiancé, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

This is the fifth of nine blogs of our Advent series and today we will focus on Joseph, the husband of Mary and the stepfather of Jesus.The question we will ask today is, what should we do when the unexpected happens?

The Ancient Hebrew Marriage Ritual

In Biblical times, there were 3 stages to a marriage (1). The father would consult his daughter about a suitor who was interested in marriage. If the daughter accepted the proposal, stage one of marriage would be initiated. The father and the groom would sign a legal contract (ketubah) (1). Once the contract is signed, the couple is considered legally married. Stage two would be the consummation of the marriage, on a day set by the father and the groom. This could happen several years after the ketubah was signed (1). Stage three was the celebration (1).

Joseph was legally bound to Mary in the first stage of marriage, before the consummation had taken place. The only way to break covenant was through an official divorce.

Joseph’s reaction

The Bible doesn’t say how Joseph found out that Mary became pregnant. Obviously, he couldn’t wrap his mind around the situation. He was not the father of the baby and Mary claimed to be impregnated by the Holy Spirit. He did not want to be involved in the situation. The only way to break covenant was through an official divorce.

What kind of man was Joseph?
The King James (Matt 1:19) described Joseph as “righteous” meaning he observed God’s divine laws (2). Also, the KJV (Matt 1:19) reads that “he did not want to make an example of her” (3). According to the Law of Moses, women were to be stoned for infidelity. Joseph wanted to protect Mary from the Law and decided to divorce her without public humiliation. He didn’t lash out in anger or act out of revenge. Joseph was heartbroken for himself, for Mary, for their lost future, for her family, and for her baby.

God’s destiny for Joseph

Finally, when Joseph’s mind was quieted down and he fell asleep, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream.

Matthew 1:20-23

As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God is with us.””

Joseph embraced God’s destiny for his life

Matthew 1: 24-25

When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Joseph always followed God’s instructions. He registered Mary and himself in the town of Bethlehem and delivered the baby (Luke 2:1-7). He had the baby circumcised according to the Law of Moses (Luke 2:22-25). He protected Mary and the baby from Herod by hiding in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-23). He brought his family back to Nazareth and raised Jesus (Luke 2:39-40). He searched for Jesus when he went missing at the age of 12 (Luke 2: 41-51).

How successful was Joseph?

When Jesus was twelve years old, His parents lost track of Him (Luke 2). He ended up in the Temple with the priests discussing the Word of God. Relieved to find Him, Jesus made it clear to His parents that He had to go about His Father’s business. Jesus’ transition from a loving relationship with His earthly father, to having a loving relationship with His Heavenly Father was an easy one because Joseph modeled an excellent example.

Also, do you remember the story of the prostitute who was thrown at Jesus’ feet by the Pharisees (John 8)? Do you remember Jesus’ reaction? Sounds a lot like Joseph’s, doesn’t it!

Joseph’s reaction to the unexpected is a great model for us to follow

All Joseph wanted to do was to marry a nice Jewish girl, attend synagogue, live in a great neighborhood, raise a kosher family, afford a yearly vacation, and live comfortably in his twilight years. But, he had a much greater calling.

Mary needed a godly husband and Jesus needed a godly earthly father. Jesus understood the love of His Heavenly Father because of the example Joseph modeled. Joseph acted in love, submitted to God, followed His will, and holds a very prominent place in history.

Let’s pray:

Father,

Joseph was following Your will and then something unexpected happened. But, he did not lash out or seek revenge. Joseph submitted to You and followed Your will. As I follow Your will and then something unexpected should occur, help me to first not lash out or seek revenge. Give me the grace to submit to You, follow Your will for my life, and to do it well. I trust You and thank You for it, in Jesus name, Amen.

References:

http://bible.ca/marriage/ancient-jewish-three-stage-weddings-and-marriage-customs-ceremony-in-the-bible.htm

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1342&t=KJV

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G1165&t=KJV