The Christmas Story

 from Joseph’s Point of View

 

 

When it comes to celebrating Christmas although Joseph is mentioned, he is very often overlooked and sidelined - but actually Joseph played a crucial role at every stage of the events and on more than one occasion he really saved the day by his decisions and actions!

 

Matthew gives us the Christmas story from Joseph’s point of view and Luke from Mary’s. However, Luke does mention Joseph straight away: “God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David.” Luke 1:26

 

Then the focus is on Mary and Joseph is not mentioned again in Luke until chapter two when he takes his wife from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census which was a journey of approximately 145 kilometres and could have taken over two weeks to complete even if they travelled at 10km per day.

 

Gabriel had explained to Mary that she was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah and that her relative Elizabeth was also having a miracle baby in her old age. Mary’s beautiful reaction to this was: “I am the Lord’s servant may it be to me according to your word.” Her immediate reaction “in those days” (1:19) was to go and see Elizabeth up in the hill country – but did she get married before she went there?

 

Where was Joseph in all of this?

 

He was engaged to be married to Mary, but did she tell him the news before she went to stay with Elizabeth or when she came back three months later? If she was wise (which she obviously was) I think she would have told him straight away.

 

When Joseph did hear about it, he thought about this long and hard and he had NO ONE to discuss this with – no one would understand. Also, it would be too dangerous to tell anyone - so all alone he came to the conclusion that the best thing to do was to break the engagement quietly.

 

This was logical and very honourable, but it did not answer the problem - not for him - because he would be looked upon with great suspicion too, and he could have been put to death according to the law of Moses and not for Mary - because strictly by the law she should have been put to death (Deuteronomy 22:20-29). 

 

That was the human answer - but God’s answer was perfect:

 

In a dream an angel said: “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife” – it meant they could be together as they had planned (they loved each other) and it protected both of them – they would be married long before Mary showed signs of being pregnant and they did not know it then – but they would be out of  town when the baby was born – (no one back in Nazareth would know when that happened) and Joseph and Mary would not be back for several years because they went to Egypt after the birth – so any suspicion was allayed. God had it all planned!

 

Notice some amazing things here:

 

• The Law stated: “If a man marries a girl who is claimed to be a virgin, and then finds that she is not, “they shall bring the girl to the entrance of her father’s house and there her townsmen shall stone her to death” (Deut. 22:20), when Mary accepted Gabriel’s message, she knew exactly what she would face with her parents and the people in the village, yet she still said yes! She believed that God would take care of her - which He did - through Joseph!

 

• By the Law, Joseph too was in danger “If a man has relations within the walls of a city with a maiden who is betrothed, “you shall bring them both out to the gate of the city and there stone them to death.” (Deut. 22:23) but if they were in the open fields, “the man alone shall die”, because if it was in the open fields, “though the betrothed maiden may have cried out for help, there was no one to come to her aid.” (Deut. 22:25-27). Joseph could have pleaded innocent thus putting Mary in danger. However, when he married her quickly, he put himself in danger of being put to death if people in their town could prove that the baby was born out of wedlock.

 

• God’s perfect timing – Joseph and Mary would very soon have to go to Bethlehem for the census ordered by Rome’s first Emperor, Caesar Augustus (31BC – 14AD) between 6BC and 4BC – (Herod died 4BC). God used a decree by a pagan Roman Emperor to protect Mary and Joseph and most of all to fulfil the prophecy of Micah 5:2 that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem: “Out of you will come for Me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”

 

Notice how God spoke to Joseph:

 

By dreams: Matthew 1:20 (also 2:13 & 2:19) – God will always find a way to speak to us in a way that is right for us - if we will listen. This was not a two-way conversation with the angel like it was for Zacharias or Mary.  Joseph was a thinking man - he got his information and then he decided what to do from that.

 

God will guide us too as we move forward in His will.

(You can only steer a ship when it is moving)!

 

Notice what God told Joseph by the angel:

 

In the dream an angel told him: “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Yeshua (Yahweh saves), because he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfil what the Lord had said through the prophet: ‘The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ which is translated, “God with us.” (Matthew 1:20-23)

 

The prophecy of Isaiah:

 

“The VIRGIN (the Hebrew word is: ALMAH = a young woman of marriageable age and in Jewish culture, therefore a virgin. When Matthew translated the prophecy into Greek, he used the word PARTHENOS = a virgin) will conceive and give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)

 

Notice what Joseph does about this:

 

“He did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” I would suggest that they did not have a big wedding – just a simple ceremony in their village with their closest relatives – and then Mary went off to see Elizabeth.

 

Joseph we are told, “did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son.” This was Joseph’s decision - he keeps her as a parthenos until after she gave birth! Joseph knew that this pregnancy was absolutely not from him – he himself was a witness to - and a guardian of the Virgin birth! What an honourable man he was!

 

Matthew shows us that Joseph is not the natural father since Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit “a virgin will give birth to a son.” That is vital because if there was no virgin birth – there is no Immanuel - and God is not with us! The virgin birth means that God is LITERALLY with us!

 

People supposed that Joseph was the father of Jesus all through His life: “Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph” (Luke 3:23).

 

Joseph was the legal parent – a direct descendant of the line of kings from King David and Solomon until Judah was conquered by the Babylonians. In fact Joseph could have been the king of Israel himself! Joseph gives Jesus the LEGAL right to be the King of the Jews!

 

Out of all of this we see that Joseph made crucial decisions and took swift actions which we take for granted but were absolutely vital to everything going in the right direction. Joseph was a great man in his own right, and we see why this couple were God’s perfect choice to be the parents of His Son. God chose Joseph and Mary for this epic task because He could trust them.

 

Can God trust you and I with special tasks for His Kingdom work?

 

Once Jesus had been born in Bethlehem out of the way of all prying eyes, forty days after the birth, they made the 9 kilometre journey on foot to Jerusalem to perform Mary’s purification ceremony in the temple according to the Law (Leviticus 12:2-8). The fact that they offered doves or pigeons for the necessary sacrifice indicates how poor they were.

 

While they were in the temple Simeon, a very old man came up to them out of nowhere, took the baby in his arms and praised God. He said: ““Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”

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This incredible moment – caused Joseph and Mary to be amazed at the things that Simeon said about their baby Jesus.  I think they were shocked because:

 

• How did Simeon find them? How did he know who the baby was?

• What did he say that Joseph and Mary did not already know? Notice he said:

  • God’s salvation was bound up in the person of this baby

  • God’s salvation was prepared for ALL people

  • He would be a light to the Gentiles

 

From that moment on, Joseph knew he was the guardian - not only of this child who was the Messiah, but the guardian of God’s salvation which He was making available to EVERYONE – Jews AND Gentiles!

 

Joseph and Mary returned to Bethlehem where they had moved into a house, which is where they were when the Magi arrived after their two-thousand-kilometre journey from the East. This must again have been an amazing moment for Joseph and Mary as these exotic men fell down and worshipped the baby and gave expensive gifts that were fit for a king!

 

As soon as the Magi left Bethlehem, Joseph once again received instructions in a dream during the night, telling him to take the Child to Egypt. Joseph then made his own decision to leave straight away, under cover of darkness so no one would see them go or have any idea of the direction in which they went!

 

What happened to the gold, frankincense and myrrh?

 

There was a very large community of Jews living in Alexandria and I suggest that that is where Joseph and Mary went. When they arrived there, they had to find accommodation – they were refugees in a strange land. Joseph was a carpenter, but it would be difficult to become established and even if he did eventually find work, they would need resources. God had supplied them through the Magi.

 

God is no man’s debtor and in response to Joseph and Mary’s self-sacrifice they had an abundant supply which possibly meant that Joseph did not have to work at all during the two years or so, that they were there.

 

God will supply our needs, too as we walk in obedience to His Word

and do His will.

 

Joseph looks after his family

 

Eventually Herod the Great died some months after his terrible atrocity to those baby boys in and around Bethlehem. Joseph once again had a dream telling him the news that Herod and any others involved were dead - how else would he know?

 

He began the journey back to the land of Israel (which would have taken a long time) but on the way, he learned that although they had given up looking for this baby Messiah who they presumably thought they had killed, Herod’s equally horrible son Herod Archelaus was now Ethnarch (ruler not king) of Judea, Samaria & Idumea.  He was as cruel as his father and was ruling badly - which is why Joseph was afraid (Matthew 2:22). Just a few years later the Emperor Augustus was so displeased with Archelaus that he removed him from his position in 6AD.

 

In another dream Joseph was told to go to Galilee in the north thus fulfilling the prophecy that the Messiah would be a Nazarene. And also, the prophecy of Isaiah:

 

“In the future he will honour Galilee of the Gentiles,

by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan –

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned… 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.

He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,

establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness

from that time on and

FOREVER”

 (Isaiah 9:1-7)

 

Once again, we see how Joseph’s actions in choosing to go back to Nazareth played a crucial and decisive role in the outcomes of the Christmas story.

 

This Christmas may we be challenged by the example

of Joseph and Mary:

Their faith

their obedience

and their trustworthiness

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