Matthew 1:18-25

Out of the Ashes

Every year, I unwrap the characters of my nativity set and create the scene we want to center our Christmas celebration upon.  Joseph is there, looking down on Mary and baby Jesus with serene concern.  Joseph in Matthew 1:18-25 is an engaged man full of action as he becomes father to God himself.  One afternoon all of my sons were pointing at each other and our Joseph’s arm was broken off in his fall to the floor.  I took a picture of my fallen Joseph and asked this question on social media, “How will Joseph with a broken arm be able to hold baby Jesus?”  Joseph that we encounter in Matthew is broken with disappointment and fear but he still steps forward in radical obedience.  

He must have been so disappointed. Joseph was at the precipice of a decision that would determine the course of his life. We know that Joseph, son of David, was engaged to Mary and legally bound to this commitment within the bounds of his community. Joseph and Mary stood before witnesses and promised to start their lives together. When Joseph finds out that Mary is pregnant, his hurt is almost palpable in Matthew 1:18-25. Joseph could legally expose Mary’s pregnancy in the town square, humiliate her family and free himself of this fallen woman. Although Joseph would not stay with Mary at any cost, he decides to “dismiss her quietly” (vs. 19 NRSV). News that proclaims Mary’s unfaithfulness does not provoke Joseph to revenge and we know he still cares for her. The Holy Spirit present when Mary became pregnant shone through Joseph in the face of great disappointment. Joseph chooses to act softly and close this chapter in his life. He drifts off to sleep and is visited by the divine.

The angel of the Lord comes to Joseph in a dream and disrupts his plans. The angel of the Lord is specific with Joseph and gives instructions. 1)Take Mary as your wife because the Holy Spirit conceived the baby and 2) Name him Jesus because he will save people from their sins. Matthew is proving his case that this baby Jesus is Jesus the Messiah and fulfills all prophecy. Joseph is named by the angel as “son of David” (vs. 20 NRSV) which is one of the prophecies about Messiah. The ordinary name Joseph is told to give the baby directly links to Joshua who led God’s people to the promised land. All of these names are nothing compared to the name in Isaiah 7:14: Emmanuel-God with Us. Matthew purposely connects Joseph’s name to the Messiah’s line of genealogy and then Joseph receives the name Jesus from the angel of the Lord. The names are not accidental and focus completely on God’s full interaction with his creation. The angel of the Lord’s real news is that God’s promise of Messiah is the baby in Mary’s womb.

Emmanuel-God with us. The gut punch Joseph must have felt before he fell asleep faded as he heard the angel say “Do not be afraid”. All the angels that appear before the incarnation begin their messages with “Do not be afraid” and it’s a message we must take within our hearts. When God is speaking, fear cannot stand up in the presence of the Holy Spirit. The angel asks Joseph to commit social suicide and take Mary’s disgrace upon himself. Joseph needs to remember this dream and the specifics of God’s message so that his actions are rooted in the call of God. God’s presence beside Joseph in this moment foreshadows how Joseph’s life will have no place for fear. Do not be afraid to follow God and be the father of the Messiah.

Joseph chose to obey (vs24-25). He could have heard the angel and decided to go with the plan he thought out in Matthew 1:19. He risked his future and his reputation to step out on faith and obey. We want to glorify the people involved in the incarnation because we set up static characters in our nativities. Joseph was not a passive participant in Jesus’ birth but followed God’s instructions without argument. He did not have to understand the fine points of what was going to happen but placed his fear and disappointment in the hands of God.

God’s intention was to save the world with a normal named Messiah. Joseph’s intention was to take one step of obedience at a time. Out of the ashes of disappointment came God’s plan to save the world. After the Joseph in my nativity was broken, I received an unexpected package in the mail. One of my friends sent me a Joseph from the same nativity set in perfect health that had not encountered my three boys. She said she was floored by my question of how Joseph was going to hold baby Jesus without all of his arms. Tears flowed down my face because someone had taken a great deal of time to care for me. God’s plan is an unexpected solution that shows the intentionality of the God we serve. God uses ordinary men like Joseph to do the most extraordinary thing-obey their creator. Jesus came as a helpless baby, to fulfill the prophecies of Messiah and to walk the earth with His creation. Emmanuel: God with Us.