Joseph
December
22/2013 Matthew1:18-26
I
have been thinking a lot lately about my family – I have been having questions
like who I am and where I come from – I am pretty sure that this has a lot to
do with Christmas coming closer – my family’s is gathering in a few days, and
it will includes my sisters family, my sons and daughters – and my son’s
partner and daughter all at my father’s house on Boxing Day and also now includes
my father’s new partner who is now sharing his home. It is going to be a different dynamic this
year and I need to figure out where I fit into this new family structure that
is being created, as partners change and babies are born and the family shifts
to make room for the new members. The
changing dynamic has made me nostalgic.
The
who am I question was answered a bit when I picked up my family up my family
history book – I am Heather, daughter of Beatrice, daughter of Pearl, daughter
of Emma. My cousin Laurie created this
family history in 2008 and she gathered up all the stories and created a family
tree of begats for five generations –We are two families the Craig’s and the Phillips’
that have been joined in marriage two ways where my grandmother’s brother
married my Grandfather’s sister – The history my cousin compiled began with my
great grandparents – then my grandparents, my mom’s generation, my generation,
my children’s generation and their children’s generation – it is really quite
remarkable how many people are included in this book –I would bet over 1000
people what with the children’s children -children and we are all related to my
great grandparents through only five generations – which makes Matthews genealogy
of Jesus incredible – 42 generations of begats recorded by Matthew to firmly
place Jesus in a long history that connects him to David and Ruth and Judah and
Abraham too all of these people are part of Joseph’s lineage. And then think of
how many cousins and aunt and uncles and relatives that are part of this mix as
well – all of this to begin to answer the question about who Jesus is.
For
that’s what Matthew is doing in the first couple of chapters of his
gospel. He is introducing Jesus, and
making sure that the people who are hearing this story for the first time hear
it with the understanding that Jesus is part of a plan – part of God’s plan for
the world – for Jesus did not come into the world disconnected from the history
of his people – Jesus came into this world as a human being with parents and
grandparents and great grandparents just like I did.
And
Jesus is placed in his history as the son of Joseph – yes – Jesus is placed in
history connected to a long line of great and wonderful men and a couple of
woman, whom have been remembered as significant people –through Joseph the man
who in the next verse will be pointed out that he is not the biological father
of Jesus and yet it is to his lineage that gives Jesus credibility as the long
awaited messiah – the one that comes from the line of King David and then
farther back to Abraham.
But this lineage is
important to Matthew because it points out to the people that Jesus is answered
prayer – the reader is to understand right up front that Jesus is the Messiah –
the one that the people of Israel have been waiting for – and here is his
parentage to prove it. And so begins the
names of Jesus ancestors – David Lose writes: “ Names we recognize, and names we’ve forgotten. Names of people who did great deeds and some who did dastardly ones, and many who did a bit of each. It’s quite a motley crew, these ancestors of Jesus. But maybe that’s part of the point. That Jesus really is human. Not an angel, not a demi-god, not descended from perfect stock. But human. For God choose in the Incarnation to become truly human, mortal, vulnerable. Why? Because that is exactly what we are – human, mortal, vulnerable, and in need of salvation
It’s hard for us to imagine, this co-mingling of divine and human which isn’t, actually, a co-mingling at all, but rather is two natures indivisible in one person. Actually, make that not just hard to understand but nigh on impossible. Little wonder church leaders in the first years of Christianity argued for more than two centuries about all this and in the end decided it was best to consider it a mystery!
Mystery, indeed, that God would care enough about folks like those in Matthew’s genealogy…or the folks who have been reading it ever since…to take on our lot and our life.”[1]
God cares enough about us to come into the world – as a baby and live life here on earth with all of its challenges and issues with all of its pains and sorrows, with all of its joys and beauty - just like we do.
Human people living in the human story yet with a difference for the human people in this story are part of a larger plan that God has concerning the world. Joseph is the first character that we get introduced to in the story – he is a simple man, a carpenter who lives in Galilee – when we meet him over half his life has already passed – and he is about to be married – to Mary – but before the actual ceremony has taken place Mary becomes pregnant. In Joseph’s world and in Josephs culture there are only two options for a situation such as this.
David Lose: “For all intents and purposes, then, Mary and Joseph were married but had not yet moved in with each other or consummated their union. Hence the turmoil created by discovering that Mary was pregnant. It could, as far as Joseph was concerned, mean only one thing: that his espoused wife had been unfaithful. And this is why Matthew describes Joseph as a righteous man -- he lives according to the law. And so, wanting out of what he believes is an unfaithful union, he has two options -- public stoning or divorce. He opts for the latter course, not wishing, as Matthew describes, to expose her to public disgrace and, presumably, punishment.
Some contend that the jury is still out on whether Joseph actually was a righteous man, as they believe he should have explored other options, that he did not need to dismiss her, that such an action would have condemned Mary to poverty, if not death. I don’t know enough about first-century customs and possibilities to offer a helpful judgment. But for just a moment, I’d invite us to tarry at this point of the story, and imagine the great distress that fell upon Joseph (and Mary if he made his intentions known to her).
We’re not used to this. We’re accustomed to thinking about the beauty and wonder of the birth of Jesus, and that’s appropriate. But let’s not forget the distress, sense of betrayal, disappointment, and a host of other emotions that Joseph must have experienced, or the fear and hurt that Mary would likely have also felt as they sorted out their divinely complex relationship.
Why might that be helpful? Because Mary and Joseph aren’t merely characters from a stained-glass window, but flesh and blood people. And the more we can imagine them as people like us -- with ups and downs to their relationships, for instance -- the more we might imagine ourselves to be people like them -- that is, people who go through all kinds of things, some quite damaging, and yet whom God uses nevertheless to accomplish God’s purposes.”[2]
We are introduced in the first few paragraphs of Matthews book flesh and blood people who are living in the world and facing issues and challenges the same way that we are – Joseph and Mary a couple of ordinary people living pretty ordinary lives until God comes - and when God comes he takes these ordinary lives and they become extraordinary. The same is true for us – God comes and mundane lives become extraordinary –
For Joseph, God’s messanger came first – first to help him to understand that the ways of the world were not the ways of God. The angel comes to Joseph and turns his world upside down – the angel comes and says to him that the way that he understands the world is not going to cut it for him –for Joesph was raised to believe that a man married a woman and then they had a baby – and that was the order of things, and if anything was out of order than you backed away and did not proceed. Mary was pregnant and they were not married that was out of order – but wait says Gabriel – hold on a minute Joseph – you are to live in a different way – you are to live out of order – you are to commit yourself to Mary and this baby – this is your destiny – and even if it is not what you thought your life would hold – even if this is not what your culture deems proper – this is what God wants you to do. And Joseph heeded the advice of the angel and the rest they say is history and he played a vitally important role in the world – he became the father of Jesus and he cared for this baby, he protected him and held him safe – so that he could grow and thrive and become the one that God needed to bring the message of good news to all people – to be the messiah, Emmanuel- God with us.
Joseph – an ordinary common man from first century Galilee- nothing really remarkable about him except he could trace his lineage back to King David. Joseph – is really a wonderful first character in Matthews story of God Incarnate – because Joseph is every man and every woman – Joseph is me – Joseph is you – people living in the world with all of its ups and down all of its joys and sorrows, all of its pain and beauty – ordinary – normal – real –
And God comes - and God gets in and these ordinary lives of ours have the potential to become extraordinary – God comes and we are given opportunities to become the ones that carry the Christ child – become the ones to share the good news – to live the Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven – God comes and we have the opportunity to meet Emmanuel – as a baby in a manger - God comes and our Joseph lives are turned into extraordinary opportunities to be all that God would have us be. So keep alert for angel messengers – be prepared for the coming of the Christ child – and know that it is to ordinary people like you and like me that God comes, and transform the world.
Amen.
