Matthew
1:19
We live in a day when a lot is being said
about the breakdown of the family. Whatever you do, don’t blame yourself for what
someone else in your family does; not even your own children. Everyone makes
their own decisions just like you do. No matter how good or wise that you are,
your marriage won’t work without help from your spouse; and you cannot see your
children become good citizens or good Christians without cooperation on their
part.
Every successful relationship requires the
proper amount of give and take from both sides. But in spite of that we are
still responsible for doing the best that we can. One of the problems is that
sometimes we do not know how to act in our family situations or other personal
relationships. There is never a guarantee for the outcome, there is never a
guarantee to how our children will turn out, or to how our family relationships
will ultimately work themselves out; but as responsible Christians we must at
least do the best that we can. One of the values of the Bible is the many
examples that it gives to us of people who walked with God and people who were
used by God in various situations. We can read about these individuals and see
how and why God used them. We can learn from them.
Enough is said about both Mary and Joseph,
the mother and step-father of Jesus, so that we can get a pretty good
understanding of what they were like, of what kind of people they were, and
what were their main characteristics. We have a very good picture of Joseph
here in the beginning of the book of Matthew, and we can learn some very
important lessons from him. We are first introduced to Joseph before he and Mary
actually became husband and wife. It says in verse 18, that Mary was espoused
to Joseph. This means that they had not yet come together. Espousal was a
binding agreement between the two, much more than what we now call engagement;
but still not yet the coming together as husband and wife.
Let’s put ourselves into the shoes of
Joseph for just a moment, and see how things may very well have affected him.
Joseph was espoused to Mary. No angel had yet appeared to him. He was a normal
young man, looking forward to a marriage with the girl of his dreams. And then
he is blind-sided with a ton of bricks: Mary is pregnant! How could it be?
Perhaps his heart was broken. Joseph thought that he knew her so very well. How
could this happen to a person like her? Many of us in the same place would have
gotten angry or depressed and done something drastic.
In some ways it is easier for you and me to
believe in the virgin birth than it may have been for Joseph. We can read about
it in the Bible, and be reminded of this tremendous miracle that happened
almost 2,000 years ago. But Joseph had to believe in the miracle of the virgin
birth in a situation that no other man has ever had to face. His bride was
pregnant, and he knew that he was not the father. God needed a particular kind
of man to be able to face this situation, to be patient until he was touched by
God and then to go on and be the stepfather of Jesus. Joseph was a person
especially prepared for this task by God, and we can learn from Joseph.
Matthew 1:19-25 says, "Then Joseph her
husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was
minded to put her away privately. But while he thought on these things, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of
David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in
her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call
his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was
done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and
they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden
him, and took unto him his wife: And he knew her not till she had brought forth
her firstborn son: and he called his name Jesus."
The first thing that we know
about Joseph is that his concern for the well being
of others tempered what he otherwise might have done. Joseph practiced the
golden rule even before Jesus taught it. "Do unto others as you would
have others do unto you." Matthew
The angel had not yet revealed to Joseph
that this was the miracle of the virgin birth, and the fact that Joseph was
going to put Mary away shows that he thought that Mary had committed adultery.
The Old Testament law says that a person taken in adultery should be stoned,
but grace supersedes law and Joseph was a gracious person even though he lived
under the law.
Later in the life of Jesus a woman would be
taken in adultery, and a group of men would be found wanting to condemn her to
death and to stone her according to the law of Moses. Jesus responded with one
of His unforgettable sayings: "Let him that is without sin cast the first stone." Sometimes Christians are too quick to
condemn those in the world or those who have been taken in a fault. We may need
to ask God to forgive us, and instead of offering hell and condemnation to
those that we think have failed, we should be offering forgiveness and
consideration. That’s what Joseph did.
And it was a good thing that Joseph was
kind and considerate in this situation. Had he been quick to condemn, he would
have been wrong, because Mary had done nothing wrong. In the Sermon on the
Mount Jesus said, "Judge not that you be not judged." This is true not only because we usually
have done the same things that we would condemn others for, but also because
sometimes when we condemn others, we make the mistake of condemning someone who
is innocent. Joseph was the right man to be the husband of Mary because he was
not quick to condemn.
The first part of Matthew chapter
One of the reasons that it is important for
believers to learn to be patient is because we are supposed to be followers of
God and not of our own will. It is only by being patient and not taking matters
into our own hands that we can live a life of faith. There is a time for
action, but there is also a time to wait for God to show the way. After all, He
did promise to lead us and to guide us. God is a master of showing a way out of
no way. When your back is against the wall and things seem to be the darkest;
never fear. It simply means that God is at work. In His own time and in His own
way, He will work things out.
God has a timetable, and we must learn to
wait upon God. Usually, we are in a bigger hurry than God is. James 1:3-4 says,
"Knowing
this, that the trying of your faith works patience. But let patience have her
perfect work, that you may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." Patience is extremely important. Patience
will get us through many rough spots in life, and a lack of patience will cause
us to make many mistakes. One of the reasons that God allows trials and
tribulations in our lives is because God is giving us an opportunity to grow in
patience.
Joseph was a person with a tremendous
amount of patience and because he waited, he heard from God. God sent an angel
to tell Joseph about the virgin birth; and then Joseph understood, and he
realized that what had happened was the will of God. God had not forsaken him
at all. Psalm 27:14 says, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall
strengthen your heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."
God spoke to Joseph by an angel, and in a similar way God will speak to us by
His written Word.
Because Joseph had a lot of patience, it
helped him to trust in the Lord; but it also helped him to be a good husband
and a good father. There are many qualities that will help us to perform better
in our family relationships, but there may be none as important as patience. An
unbelieving parent that is patient with their children will be a better parent
than a believer who is not patient. If you are having a difficult time in your
marriage, remember the example of Joseph. Be patient. Don’t do anything
drastic. Be kind and considerate to your spouse, and make sure that you have
waited upon the Lord for wisdom. Be careful to not do anything according to
your will, but follow the Lord in the matter.
Evidently Joseph learned his lesson well
about waiting upon the Lord, and not doing anything drastic unless God directed
him to do so. He learned that if God really wants you to do something, He will
let you know in some way. If there is any doubt that it is God’s will, then
don’t do it. It is better to do nothing and to wait upon God, than it is to do
something out of your own will without waiting upon God. If we go out in our
own will to do something, we will be like Samson with his hair cut off. We will
have no strength. Isaiah 40:31 says, "They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength;
they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; and
they shall walk and not faint."
There were three more times that God would
speak to Joseph in a dream in order to guide Joseph. When Mary and Joseph were
in
After Mary and Joseph and Jesus lived in
Egypt for a while, Matthew 2:19-20 says, "But when Herod was
dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,
saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of
Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life."
The third time took place shortly
thereafter when the family arrived in
There were three moves, and then they moved
no more. They lived the next thirty years or more in
We have already noticed that Joseph
was thoughtful and slow to react in certain situations. But each time that he
was spoken to by the Lord, he immediately went into action, and he obeyed the
Lord without question. He obeyed the Lord and took Mary as his wife. He obeyed
the Lord and named her firstborn son, Jesus. He obeyed the Lord each of the
three times that he was told to move to another city.
One of the reasons that God picked Joseph
to be the husband of Mary and the step-father of Jesus was because of Joseph’s
willingness to do God’s will, and willingness to surrender his will to God. God
revealed His will to Joseph because He knew that Joseph would obey. Don’t
expect God to reveal His will to you if there is some chance that you might
reject His will.
Joseph was a common carpenter, and he would
have been unknown to history if it had not been for Jesus. Joseph was not rich
or powerful, but he was a great man because of his character. God prepared
Joseph for his role as the husband of Mary, and more importantly the stepfather
of Jesus. And God is also preparing each of us to serve Him, both in this life
and in the next. No one is insignificant in the work of God. We are all
important. Don’t be discouraged. God allows us to learn from our mistakes and
He is building up those whom He has called. First Corinthians 3: 9 says, "For we are
laborers together with God: You are God’s husbandry, you are God’s building."
Let’s remember the three good qualities of
Joseph’s character and ask God to help us be more like him: 1. To be kind and
considerate of others, no matter what wrongs we may feel that they have done.
2. To be thoughtful and patient in tribulation; not impulsive. 3. To be willing
and obedient to do whatever the Lord would direct us to do.
In Matthew chapter 1, God told Joseph to do
two things: to take Mary as his wife, and to name her son Jesus. Mary did not
name her own son, and Joseph did not name his stepson. God named Him. After
all, how could a mere mortal give a name for the great and eternal Son of God?
We know that the Son of God has many names, and He could have used any of them
when He came to the earth to live as a man and then to die for our sins. Isaiah
9:6 says, "...and
his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, The Prince of Peace." John
the Baptist called Him the Lamb of God, and the Apostle John called Him the
Word of God. Jesus liked to call himself Son of Man, but God the Father said to
name Him, Jesus.
The name Jesus was a Greek form of the word
Jehoshua or Joshua, a name that meant Savior. Jesus had become a popular and common
name, and there are even several other individuals in the Bible named Jesus.
Perhaps the Hebrew women so often named their sons Joshua because of their
hopes and dreams for the promised Messiah. They were often a persecuted and
oppressed people, but God did not send them a Savior in order to save them from
the yoke of the Roman tyrants in the first century. Jesus came to save them
from their sins. Matthew
The Son of God was named Jesus because He
was the true Jesus, the Savior. By the will of God, a name that was once common
became divine, and the name that carried a promise within its definition became
fulfilled in the person of the Christ. We should all be eternally grateful that
God called His Son, Jesus. God named Him Jesus so that we would never forget
that He came to save us. And now for us who are saved, the name of Jesus is the
most wonderful of all names. The song writer wrote:
There
is a name I love to hear,
I
love to sing its worth;
It
sounds like music in mine ear,
The
sweetest name on earth.
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Copyright; 2007 by Charles F. (Rick) Creech
All Rights Reserved