Monday, December 19, 2005
Joseph’s Dream
Matthew 1:18-25
12/18/02 D. Marion Clark
Introduction
Christmas is a season of dreams. Some of us dream of a white Christmas (though others of us for a mild weather season). Scrooge dreamed of spirits who taught him “how to keep Christmas well.” Some children have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, though I suspect most have more grandiose dreams of what awaits them on Christmas morning. It is a season to dream up stories, especially stories that teach about the Christmas spirit of generosity and what could be if only we believed.
Our text about Christmas tells about a dream as well, Joseph’s dream.
Text
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
We need to understand the culture and times in which the story takes place to get the impact of this sentence. In our culture and times, to hear of an engaged woman being pregnant hardly raises an eyebrow. If there is disapproval, it is not over the revelation that a couple had relations before marriage, but that they did not take appropriate precautions.
In Joseph’s and Mary’s day, however, such a revelation brought great shame to the couple. They lived in a society bound not simply by moral customs, but by divine law. To have premarital relations was to transgress God’s law. It was shameful sin. The Jews understood and valued sexual purity. To break that law meant that a couple was unchaste, defiled, and further brought shame on the child, the fruit of that union.
The concept of being betrothed, or engaged, also differed from our concept. For us, to become engaged is little more than declaring that a couple intends to make a commitment of marriage. That engagement can be broken at any time with no consequences other than the obvious emotional ones. When Joseph and Mary became betrothed, they entered into a commitment that was as strong as marriage vows. Note in verse 19 that Joseph is referred to as Mary’s husband. To break the engagement required the same action as getting a divorce.
Now, assuming that Joseph and Mary’s situation followed the typical custom of their times, they had been engaged – i.e. planned to be married – much earlier by their parents who would have made an agreement. Such customs are still practiced today in Eastern and Mid-Eastern countries. Thus they would have become engaged in younger years by their parents; then, as they neared the age for marriage, they would have become betrothed, and finally married.
Do you see the dilemma that Joseph is in? You may be thinking, but what about Mary? She probably was in a worse situation. That is true. She was. Not only because she was pregnant without Joseph, but, in truth, there were double standards for women. Should Joseph divorce Mary, her chances for ever being married were over. The best she could hope for was to live with her parents and hope that her child would be a son who could support her when he became a man. He, himself, would have a difficult time finding a wife. What parents would want to bargain with a shameful woman for their daughter? Again, this is the best that could happen to Mary; the worse is that she could be stoned to death as an adulteress.
Even so, consider Joseph’s dilemma. He learns that Mary is pregnant. What should he do? To remain betrothed and keep quiet about the father, though that seems noble, would not remove the shame from Mary, but draw him also into it. He would also be publicly branded as an adulterer. Even if it is made public that she was made pregnant by someone else, he would still be frowned upon for marrying an adulteress. No one is going to commend him for still loving Mary and sticking by her.
There is really only one choice for him, which is to divorce her. How? He could publicly denounce her before a judge, thus absolving himself of guilt and winning the approval of the community. The other means was to give her a private certificate of dismissal before two witnesses, and thus minimize her humiliation.
His decision demonstrates his character. As Matthew notes, he was a just man and unwilling to put her to shame. It was just to divorce, but he chose the most compassionate path. His example is good one for us to emulate. Joseph demonstrates how a righteous person should deal with the sins of others. Sin needs to be justly dealt with, but compassion ought to be the manner in which we act when possible. Note also that Joseph did not act impulsively. Whatever emotions he may have felt when receiving the news, it is evident that he took the time to think through what to do. At least he gave himself time to sleep on the matter.
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
So Joseph has a dream. An angel appears with a message. Let’s consider what he has to say. He addresses Joseph as Joseph, son of David. Typically, if a surname is added, it usually is the name of the person’s father. Why “son of David”? We are not told, but Matthew does present Jesus as the Messiah King. That perspective comes from the promise made to David that his throne would always reign and from later prophesies that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. “Joseph, the time for the prophesy to be fulfilled has come.”
The angel then reassures Joseph, do not fear to take Mary as your wife. What Joseph fear? Public response? More likely God’s response. He fears that to take Mary as his wife would break God’s law. So the angel reassures him, “Do not fear, Joseph, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. God’s plan is unfolding. That plan is the coming of the Messiah.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Joseph did not hear the word “Jesus.” The term he heard was “Jeshua” or “Jehoshua,” which means “God is salvation.” That is why the angel adds for he will save his people from their sins. Call him the name that expresses his mission to bring salvation from God.
It is vitally important to note what the salvation is to be from: their sins. Already, the angel and Matthew establish the nature of the Messiah’s work. It is not salvation from political oppression; it is not salvation from physical bondage; it is salvation from personal sin.
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
Matthew adds this commentary on Isaiah 7:14 to note that, though Jesus did not fulfill the expectations of many of his people, he nevertheless fulfilled the prophecies about him. His salvation was not a change in God’s plans nor a failure. He was not a false messiah.
He takes time, further, to explain the meaning of Immanuel – God with us. To Joseph and the Jews, Immanuel signifies the power of God to save. God is with us to save us.
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Like Mary, Joseph obeyed without question. There is no description of his feelings, no story to tell, just a note that he did as he was told. And this is how Jesus’ birth came to be.
Lessons
It seems clear that Matthew has two primary purposes for telling Jesus’ birth. They are to explain the reason for his coming and to establish that his birth does fulfill the prophecy for the Messiah.
Consider first his concern to establish that Jesus’ birth fulfills prophecy. We know the adage that Jews seek signs. For a person to give credibility that he is from God, especially that he is a prophet, he must give a sign. It may be to perform a miracle; it may be to prophesy an event that comes true. In the case of the Messiah, it was not merely expected that he would perform signs but that he would fulfill the signs already given in the Scriptures. Matthew demonstrates how from the moment of conception Jesus had begun to fulfill the messianic signs. The prophesies, the clues, the symbols, and the stories of the Scriptures were finding their way to the surface, to be realized in this Messiah.
That’s part of the wonder of Christmas. It is not merely the story of something new and miraculous happening, but of a holy, mysterious promise being fulfilled. The dreams of the prophets come true; the hopes of a long anticipation are realized. The Messiah arrives.
But his coming is, in truth, beyond the vision of those looking for him. Consider Matthew’s account for the reason of Jesus’ birth. It is found in Jesus’ name – to save us from our sins. Jesus made this mission clear. As he once said, For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
The Jews looked for a savior, to be sure. And they knew their sins needed to be dealt with as well. But they thought the salvation would be a deliverance from physical oppression and that the Messiah would come after they had repented of their sins. But sin is the oppressor, and only the Messiah can deliver from that bondage. The irony and the wonder is that Jesus’ arrival and presence seemed anticlimactic; and yet, when the truth is grasped, the real story goes far beyond the imagination. For the Incarnation involves far greater mystery than any concept of a mere “man of God” like another Moses or David; and the battle to win the souls of men is far graver, far more dramatic, far more costly and fearful than any battle of sword. Nothing is more miraculous and mysterious than the infant Jesus lying in a manger; nothing more fearful and terrible than the battle he would wage on the cross to save his people from sin.
I do not begrudge the secular world for its efforts at celebrating Christmas. The fairy tales are its efforts to catch some of the magic of Christmas. The stories about catching the “Christmas spirit” and learning the “real meaning” of Christmas is its way of trying to find some form of the true Christmas blessing. No, I don’t begrudge secular people their made-up dreams; but I do pray that some day they may discover the marvel of Joseph’s dream, the one Christmas dream that came true. What are you dreaming of this Christmas?
12/18/02 D. Marion Clark
Introduction
Christmas is a season of dreams. Some of us dream of a white Christmas (though others of us for a mild weather season). Scrooge dreamed of spirits who taught him “how to keep Christmas well.” Some children have visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads, though I suspect most have more grandiose dreams of what awaits them on Christmas morning. It is a season to dream up stories, especially stories that teach about the Christmas spirit of generosity and what could be if only we believed.
Our text about Christmas tells about a dream as well, Joseph’s dream.
Text
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.
We need to understand the culture and times in which the story takes place to get the impact of this sentence. In our culture and times, to hear of an engaged woman being pregnant hardly raises an eyebrow. If there is disapproval, it is not over the revelation that a couple had relations before marriage, but that they did not take appropriate precautions.
In Joseph’s and Mary’s day, however, such a revelation brought great shame to the couple. They lived in a society bound not simply by moral customs, but by divine law. To have premarital relations was to transgress God’s law. It was shameful sin. The Jews understood and valued sexual purity. To break that law meant that a couple was unchaste, defiled, and further brought shame on the child, the fruit of that union.
The concept of being betrothed, or engaged, also differed from our concept. For us, to become engaged is little more than declaring that a couple intends to make a commitment of marriage. That engagement can be broken at any time with no consequences other than the obvious emotional ones. When Joseph and Mary became betrothed, they entered into a commitment that was as strong as marriage vows. Note in verse 19 that Joseph is referred to as Mary’s husband. To break the engagement required the same action as getting a divorce.
Now, assuming that Joseph and Mary’s situation followed the typical custom of their times, they had been engaged – i.e. planned to be married – much earlier by their parents who would have made an agreement. Such customs are still practiced today in Eastern and Mid-Eastern countries. Thus they would have become engaged in younger years by their parents; then, as they neared the age for marriage, they would have become betrothed, and finally married.
Do you see the dilemma that Joseph is in? You may be thinking, but what about Mary? She probably was in a worse situation. That is true. She was. Not only because she was pregnant without Joseph, but, in truth, there were double standards for women. Should Joseph divorce Mary, her chances for ever being married were over. The best she could hope for was to live with her parents and hope that her child would be a son who could support her when he became a man. He, himself, would have a difficult time finding a wife. What parents would want to bargain with a shameful woman for their daughter? Again, this is the best that could happen to Mary; the worse is that she could be stoned to death as an adulteress.
Even so, consider Joseph’s dilemma. He learns that Mary is pregnant. What should he do? To remain betrothed and keep quiet about the father, though that seems noble, would not remove the shame from Mary, but draw him also into it. He would also be publicly branded as an adulterer. Even if it is made public that she was made pregnant by someone else, he would still be frowned upon for marrying an adulteress. No one is going to commend him for still loving Mary and sticking by her.
There is really only one choice for him, which is to divorce her. How? He could publicly denounce her before a judge, thus absolving himself of guilt and winning the approval of the community. The other means was to give her a private certificate of dismissal before two witnesses, and thus minimize her humiliation.
His decision demonstrates his character. As Matthew notes, he was a just man and unwilling to put her to shame. It was just to divorce, but he chose the most compassionate path. His example is good one for us to emulate. Joseph demonstrates how a righteous person should deal with the sins of others. Sin needs to be justly dealt with, but compassion ought to be the manner in which we act when possible. Note also that Joseph did not act impulsively. Whatever emotions he may have felt when receiving the news, it is evident that he took the time to think through what to do. At least he gave himself time to sleep on the matter.
20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
So Joseph has a dream. An angel appears with a message. Let’s consider what he has to say. He addresses Joseph as Joseph, son of David. Typically, if a surname is added, it usually is the name of the person’s father. Why “son of David”? We are not told, but Matthew does present Jesus as the Messiah King. That perspective comes from the promise made to David that his throne would always reign and from later prophesies that the Messiah would be a descendant of David. “Joseph, the time for the prophesy to be fulfilled has come.”
The angel then reassures Joseph, do not fear to take Mary as your wife. What Joseph fear? Public response? More likely God’s response. He fears that to take Mary as his wife would break God’s law. So the angel reassures him, “Do not fear, Joseph, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. God’s plan is unfolding. That plan is the coming of the Messiah.
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.
Joseph did not hear the word “Jesus.” The term he heard was “Jeshua” or “Jehoshua,” which means “God is salvation.” That is why the angel adds for he will save his people from their sins. Call him the name that expresses his mission to bring salvation from God.
It is vitally important to note what the salvation is to be from: their sins. Already, the angel and Matthew establish the nature of the Messiah’s work. It is not salvation from political oppression; it is not salvation from physical bondage; it is salvation from personal sin.
22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us).
Matthew adds this commentary on Isaiah 7:14 to note that, though Jesus did not fulfill the expectations of many of his people, he nevertheless fulfilled the prophecies about him. His salvation was not a change in God’s plans nor a failure. He was not a false messiah.
He takes time, further, to explain the meaning of Immanuel – God with us. To Joseph and the Jews, Immanuel signifies the power of God to save. God is with us to save us.
24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
Like Mary, Joseph obeyed without question. There is no description of his feelings, no story to tell, just a note that he did as he was told. And this is how Jesus’ birth came to be.
Lessons
It seems clear that Matthew has two primary purposes for telling Jesus’ birth. They are to explain the reason for his coming and to establish that his birth does fulfill the prophecy for the Messiah.
Consider first his concern to establish that Jesus’ birth fulfills prophecy. We know the adage that Jews seek signs. For a person to give credibility that he is from God, especially that he is a prophet, he must give a sign. It may be to perform a miracle; it may be to prophesy an event that comes true. In the case of the Messiah, it was not merely expected that he would perform signs but that he would fulfill the signs already given in the Scriptures. Matthew demonstrates how from the moment of conception Jesus had begun to fulfill the messianic signs. The prophesies, the clues, the symbols, and the stories of the Scriptures were finding their way to the surface, to be realized in this Messiah.
That’s part of the wonder of Christmas. It is not merely the story of something new and miraculous happening, but of a holy, mysterious promise being fulfilled. The dreams of the prophets come true; the hopes of a long anticipation are realized. The Messiah arrives.
But his coming is, in truth, beyond the vision of those looking for him. Consider Matthew’s account for the reason of Jesus’ birth. It is found in Jesus’ name – to save us from our sins. Jesus made this mission clear. As he once said, For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45).
The Jews looked for a savior, to be sure. And they knew their sins needed to be dealt with as well. But they thought the salvation would be a deliverance from physical oppression and that the Messiah would come after they had repented of their sins. But sin is the oppressor, and only the Messiah can deliver from that bondage. The irony and the wonder is that Jesus’ arrival and presence seemed anticlimactic; and yet, when the truth is grasped, the real story goes far beyond the imagination. For the Incarnation involves far greater mystery than any concept of a mere “man of God” like another Moses or David; and the battle to win the souls of men is far graver, far more dramatic, far more costly and fearful than any battle of sword. Nothing is more miraculous and mysterious than the infant Jesus lying in a manger; nothing more fearful and terrible than the battle he would wage on the cross to save his people from sin.
I do not begrudge the secular world for its efforts at celebrating Christmas. The fairy tales are its efforts to catch some of the magic of Christmas. The stories about catching the “Christmas spirit” and learning the “real meaning” of Christmas is its way of trying to find some form of the true Christmas blessing. No, I don’t begrudge secular people their made-up dreams; but I do pray that some day they may discover the marvel of Joseph’s dream, the one Christmas dream that came true. What are you dreaming of this Christmas?
