Not Much Known
We don’t
know a whole lot about Joseph. What
we’ve already read earlier in this worship service comprises the majority of
what is written about him in all of Scripture.
Of course, other than what we’ve already reviewed, we also know that he
and Mary went to the temple on the 8th day after Jesus’ birth for
the purification rite; and we know that he brought his family every year to
Jerusalem for the Passover celebration, but that’s about it. Most think he was a little older than Mary -
partly because of the custom of that time and partly because he wasn’t around
anymore by the time Jesus died on the cross.
But what we do know about this
man named Joseph, descendant of David, husband of Mary, father of Jesus, is all
good. There’s not really one unflattering
thing said about this man who played such a key role in Jesus’ young life. He was a faithful Christian, an obedient
citizen, a loving husband and, by all accounts, an exemplary father for Jesus
to have while he was growing up. But in
all of the different parts of the Bible where Joseph is mentioned, it’s
interesting to note that he never said a word.
You cannot find a single quotation of Joseph saying anything. Such a main figure in the early life of
Christ, such a key influence in a way on Jesus as a boy, and yet he is not
given even a single line to say. But he
certainly listened.
He Listened to
the Lord
When the
angel appeared to him in a dream and told him about the miraculous thing that
had happened to Mary, Joseph didn’t question this impossible announcement, he
simply listened. And “When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel
of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.” As simple as that. It seems to be an ordinary thing to take a
woman for a wife, but it was definitely an incredible act of faith considering
the circumstances, don’t you think? And
after the wise men visited Joseph and his young family, an angel appeared to
him again, sending him to the land of Egypt.
But Joseph didn’t complain about the long trip to a place with a
different language, a different culture, and even farther from home than he was
already. He simply listened and left
that very night. When an angel came to
him a third time and told him to go back to Israel, Joseph didn’t question the
wisdom of such a plan; and when he was warned in a dream to go back up to
Galilee that’s exactly what he did. He
listened. He did not complain; he did
not question; he did not offer up his own ideas or insights or
suggestions. He kept his mouth shut and
kept his ears opened. He respected who
his God was and trusted that the Lord’s will was always best.
We Challenge
the Lord
I’m not
so sure I would have just listened if I were placed in those same situations. “So you’re telling me that Mary is pregnant
for what reason, Lord? It seems a little far-fetched to me. And even if that is true, what are people
going to say about Mary and what are they going to say about me if I do stay
with her?... You want us to go all the
way down to Egypt? It’s 300 miles away,
I don’t speak the language, and how am I supposed to take care of my
family?... We’re supposed to go back to
Israel now? You do know that the son of
the king who tried to kill Jesus is on the throne right now. Are you sure this is a good idea?... Nazareth is the new destination? My hometown?
How am I supposed to explain everything that has happened after all this
time? Who’s going to believe me? How are we going to avoid being ostracized by
our family and friends because of this seemingly illegitimate child? Wouldn’t it just be easier to start all over
in a new place where no one knows us?” I’m
sure I would not have been as noble as Joseph was in the pages of
Scripture. I would have questioned the
Lord’s plans; I would have hesitated in carrying out his decisions; I would
have challenged the Lord’s will.
But
that’s what I tend to do sometimes. That’s
what we all tend to do sometimes, isn’t it?
When life isn’t going as you had planned or things are a little tougher
than you expected or something is not turning out no matter how hard you try,
we can get a little discouraged with the Lord and challenge what he is doing. “Why are you letting this happen, Lord?” “What is taking so long, Lord?” “Why can’t I have this, Lord?” “How can this terrible thing possibly be
according to your will, Lord? I’m
hurting! I’m suffering! I’m lonely!
I’m depressed! I’m at my wit’s
end!” And we might not say those kinds
of things out loud all the time, but I’m sure many of those same kinds of thoughts
float through our minds. They might even
color our prayers to some extent. But we
do have to be careful. We have to be
careful not to challenge our God, not to question his wisdom, not to complain
about the way he is doing things. That
is very disrespectful and borderline arrogant.
Just because we can’t understand it doesn’t mean that it needs to be
changed. Just because we don’t like it
doesn’t mean that we don’t need it. Just
because we were thinking something different doesn’t mean that the Lord has to
change his plans to pander to our opinions.
God knows what he is doing. And
he does it all for you. He just wants
you to listen to him.
Listen to What
He Has Done
And so
listen to this: Listen to what Joseph listened to when the angel appeared to
him for the first time. “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to
take Mary home as your wife, because 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 Jesus, because he will save his people from
their sins.” Did you hear that? Joseph certainly did. God’s plan was to send his Son to this earth
through the womb of a virgin girl by the power of the Holy Spirit. It was an unconventional plan to say the
least! It was impossible as far as the
laws of nature are concerned. But that’s
exactly what God had planned for the salvation of our souls.
Listen
to this: Listen to what Joseph listened to from the mouth of an old man named
Simeon who was holding the baby Jesus in his arms at the temple: “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you
now dismiss your servant in peace. For
my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all
people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people
Israel.” Did you hear that? Joseph certainly did. God had planned all along that Jesus would be
revealed to all people and that he would be a light to bring people to
faith. It took 4000 years after the first
promise of Jesus until he was born in Bethlehem, but Jesus came at just the
right time in just the right place in just the right way. Just as God had planned.
Listen
to this: Listen to what Joseph had to listen to from Jesus himself when he had
found his 12-year-old son in the temple of Jerusalem after three days of
searching for him: “Didn’t you know I
had to be in my Father’s house?” Did
you hear that? Even Joseph didn’t
understand the Lord’s plans sometimes!
Even Joseph didn’t foresee what had to happen and why it needed to be
done in every situation! But Jesus did;
God the Father did; the Holy Spirit did.
And together as one God they have continually planned and carried out
the exact blueprint of our salvation from beginning to end for the last 6000+
years. In fact, they had it all figured
out before time began. Every
detail. Every supposed setback. Every moment in your life - good or bad -
they have planned for. Nothing escapes
the notice of your Lord. Nothing takes
him by surprise. Nothing is out of his
control. From the very moment he thought
about creating you, he thought about saving you. And with the birth of Jesus into this world,
that forgiveness and salvation that you and I so desperately needed was well
under way.
And the
reason why we’re looking at the things that Joseph listened to - and hopefully listening
to those same words ourselves - is to help us understand why there’s no reason
to question the Lord’s plans now.
There’s no reason to complain about his timing or get frustrated about
the decisions he makes. He planned your
salvation, after all! He orchestrated
the impossible rescue mission that won for you eternal life! He can handle things just fine. He’s always been able to handle things just fine. And he knows exactly what needs to be done.
And so
just listen. Listen to what he says in
the pages of the Bible. Listen to what
he has done about your sins. Listen to
what he has done for your salvation.
Listen to what he has done concerning your future. And listen closely. Because when you listen closely you’ll notice
that everything he has done, he has done for you. And everything that he will do will be with
you on his mind.
Amen.
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