5 things we learn from Joseph's faith at Christmas
My childhood vision of Christmas was colorful, clean and pleasant. I remember dad marching down the church aisle at Christmas singing "We Three Kings". I also had a disinfected vision of camels, until I visited a dirty one, by her choice. Sometimes he would throw his filth in the direction of the spectators. My romantic vision of a stable and the journey of the three wise men vanished.
Gone is the childhood idea that the first Christmas was all joy and peace for the main characters. Mary and Joseph experienced a range of emotions and challenges that included betrayal, fear and loneliness. In other words, the first Christmas offers a lot of hope for real people in a fallen world whose Christmas celebrations fall short of the mythical ideal.
Most of us know Mary. But Joseph also deserves a closer look. Let's consider five lessons from Joseph's faith that first Christmas.
1. By faith Joseph showed kindness under pressure
“This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Maria, was engaged to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while still a virgin, she became pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, with whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to publicly dishonor her, so he decided to break the engagement in silence ”(Matthew 1: 18-19).
Kindness and devotion go together. Indeed, Proverbs tells us that the righteous also show respect for their animals (P ro. 12:10). Our culture suffers from a lack of kindness. Hateful comments on social media show that even believers bring down fellow believers. Joseph's example of kindness can teach us much about faith in the midst of disappointment.
From a human point of view, Joseph had every right to be angry. Her fiancé unexpectedly left town for three months and returned three months pregnant! His story of visiting an angel and being still a virgin but pregnant must have made him waver.
How could he have been so deceived about Mary's character? And why would he make up such a ridiculous story about an angel's visit to cover up his betrayal?
The stigma of illegitimacy followed Jesus throughout his life (John 8:41). In our morally lax society, we cannot fully appreciate the shame this label carried in Mary's culture. Books written less than a century ago provide an idea of the stigma and consequences of a moral error. A compromise letter was enough to exclude a woman from polite society and prevent a respectable marriage.
According to the Mosaic law, anyone guilty of adultery would be stoned (Lev. 20:10). In "The Indescribable Gift", Richard Exley explains the three stages of a Jewish marriage and the binding commitment of an engagement. First there was the engagement, a contract stipulated by family members. Then came the engagement, "a public ratification of the commitment". According to Exley, “during this period the couple is considered husband and wife, although the marriage was not consummated. The only way an engagement could have ended was through death or divorce ... '
“The last stage is the actual marriage, when the groom takes his bride to the bridal chamber and consummates the marriage. This is followed by a wedding party ”.
There had never been a virgin birth before. It was natural for Joseph to doubt Mary's explanation. Yet Joseph's faith guided him to be kind even when his emotions swirled within him. He chose to quietly divorce her and protect her from public shame.
Joseph models a Christ-like response to betrayal. Kindness and grace leave the door open for the transgressor to repent and be returned to God and his people. In Joseph's case, when Mary's reputation was cleared, he only had to deal with doubting her story. He had no regrets about the way he handled the matter.
Joseph's kindness to Mary - when he believed she had betrayed him - shows the kindness that faith produces even under pressure (Galatians 5:22).
2. By faith Joseph showed courage
"But after considering this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her comes from the Holy Spirit'" (Matt. 1:20).
Why was Joseph afraid? The obvious answer is that he feared that Mary was involved or that she had been with another man, that she was immoral and not the person he believed she was. Since he hadn't heard from God at the time, how could he believe Mary? How could he ever trust her? How could another man's son raise?
The angel calmed this fear. There was no other man. Mary had told him the truth. He was carrying the Son of God.
I guess other fears also provoked Joseph. Mary was three months pregnant at this point. Taking her as his wife made him look immoral. What effect would this have on his position in the Jewish community? Would his carpentry business suffer? Would they be kicked out of the synagogue and shunned by family and friends?
But when Joseph learned that this was God's plan for him, all other concerns vanished. He put his fears aside and followed God in faith. Joseph did not deny the challenges involved, but accepted God's plan with courageous faith.
When we know and believe in God, we too find the courage to face our fears and follow him.
3. By faith Joseph received guidance and revelation
"She will give birth to a son, and you must give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
When they were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod will look for the child to kill him '”(Matthew 2:13).
When I panic because I'm not sure about the next step, the memory of how God treated Joseph reassures me. Throughout this history, God warned and guided Joseph step by step. The Bible says that God still shares insights with those who walk with Him (John 16:13) and directs our path (P ro. 16: 9).
God's ways often leave me perplexed. If I had directed the events of the first Christmas, I would have avoided the tension and misunderstanding between Mary and Joseph by sending the angel to Joseph before he met Mary. I would warn him of their need to escape before they had to leave late at night. But God's ways are not mine - they are better (Isa. 55: 9). And so is its timing. God sent Joseph the direction he needed when he needed it, not before. It will do the same for me.
4. By faith Joseph obeyed God
"When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and brought Mary home as his wife" (Matthew 1:24).
Joseph demonstrates the obedience of faith. Three times when an angel spoke to him in a dream, he immediately obeyed. His quick response meant running away, perhaps on foot, leaving behind what they could not carry and starting over in a new position (Luke 2:13). One of lesser faith may have waited to finish and get paid for the carpentry project he was working on.
Joseph's obedience demonstrated his confidence in God's wisdom and provision for the unknown.
5. By faith Joseph lived within his means
“But if he cannot afford a lamb, he must carry two doves or two young pigeons, one for the burnt offering and the other for the sin offering. In this way the priest will make atonement for her and she will be clean ”(Leviticus 12: 8).
"They also offered a sacrifice as required by the Lord's teachings: 'a pair of mourning doves or two young pigeons'" (Luke 2:24).
At Christmas, we, especially parents and grandparents, don't want our loved ones to feel disappointed or not about their friends. This can push us to spend more than we should. I appreciate that the Christmas story shows Joseph's humility. At the circumcision of Jesus - the same Son of God - Mary and Joseph offered not a lamb, but the lesser offering of a pair of doves or pigeons. Charles Ryrie says in the Ryrie Study Bible that this shows the poverty of the family.
When we are tempted to react, feel sorry for ourselves, delay obedience, or pamper ourselves too much this season, may Joseph's example strengthen our faith to live boldly and in step with our Savior.