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CHRISTMAS THROUGH THE EYES OF JOSEPH

Introduction

If you were going to make a list of the great loving couples of history, who would be on your list? Romeo and Juliet? Anthony and Cleopatra?

Probably Mary and Joseph would not be on your list, for when we think of them we don’t normally think of them in that way because they are usually on the sidelines, and the spotlight is on Jesus, where it should be.

But I think that if we examine the love of Mary and Joseph, we would realize it was a love that would stand the test of time. The love that they had for each other, coupled with the love that they had for God, culminates in one of the greatest love stories ever told - the story of Christmas.

Today, I invite you to look at Christmas through the eyes of Joseph, and hear Joseph’s Christmas story. You’ll find it in the first chapter of the gospel of Matthew, beginning in verse 18.

There are four parts to this story, and in each of these parts you will see how much Joseph loved Mary.

I.         THE HAPPY EXPECTATIONS. (Vs 18)

Now we need to understand that the Jewish marriage consisted of 3 stages.

            A.        The First Stage Of The Jewish Marriage Was The Engagement.

Usually that was set up by their parents. Two sets of parents would get together & talk things over. One would say to the other, "We would like to have your daughter marry our son." Her parents would reply, "That sounds like a good idea. Let’s discuss it." And these two sets of parents would arrange the engagement without the young people even being involved.

One example of that in the Old Testament was when Abraham sent his servant, Eliezer, to his home country to find a wife for his son, Isaac. Eliezer found Rebekah and brought her back. Isaac had never seen her before, but she became his wife.

Most preachers see a stream of young people in love, wanting to get married, with moonbeams in their eyes. They get caught up in the emotions of romance, making decisions that will affect them all the rest of their lives.

The Jews felt that young people did not possess the wisdom to make that kind of a decision on their own, so the parents made the decision for them.

            B.        The Second Stage Of A Jewish Marriage Was Called "Betrothal."

During this time the young couple agreed to the marriage, signed a legal document, and were considered "husband & wife." However, they did not live together yet.

It was a time of building a relationship, of coming to know one another. It was a time of planning and dreaming and happy expectations. This time of betrothal usually lasted about a year.

Now notice that Matthew says, "Before they came together." There were no sexual relations during this time. Joseph loved Mary so much that he did not look to take advantage of her.

Now let me say this to the young people here. If someone is pressuring you, saying, "If you really love me, prove it by giving yourself to me," then you say, "If you really love me, you’ll wait, because I’m going to save myself for the one I marry. If you’re not willing to wait, then you’re not the one."

Now some may say that is unrealistic, but I don’t agree. Marriages built upon lust are insecure, because if you can lust after one person, you can lust after another. But marriages built upon true love exhibit trust and commitment and faithfulness.

                        Paul Harvey tells about an airline stewardess who was being harassed by a man

up in the first class section of the airplane who had become drunk. This man was making passes at her and trying to get her to agree to meet him in his hotel suite that night. With some difficulty she got away from him, only to encounter another man at the rear of the plane acting the same way, trying to find out where she was staying, and making suggestive proposals to her about that night.

At last, the pilot announced that they were making their final approach for landing. Once again the guy in front offered her a key to his hotel suite and begged her to meet him there. To his obvious delight, she smiled at him and accepted his key, placing it securely in the pocket of her apron. Then she worked her way back towards the rear of the plane. When she got there she took the key out of her pocket and with a big smile handed it to the other guy and said, "Now don’t be late!" (And I bet you can figure out the rest of the story.)

There are all kinds of ways to say "No," aren’t there? And you need to learn how to say "No."

The Bible tells us that Mary and Joseph saved themselves for one another until they were married. And at this stage in Joseph’s story they were considered husband and wife, but they weren’t married yet, they were betrothed.

            After “The Happy Expectations” came. . .

II.       THE TERRIBLE DISAPPOINTMENT.

“. . .before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Vs 18b)

Here is the time of shock and disappointment. The Bible doesn’t tell us when Joseph was told, or who told him. Maybe Mary told him.

Maybe she said something like, "Joseph, I have the most wonderful news. I’m going to have a baby, and not just any baby. This is the Messiah, the one our people have been waiting for so many years. An angel told me this."

"I asked the angel, `How can this possibly be because I have never slept with a man?’ The angel said, `That which is conceived in you is of the Holy Ghost.’ It’s a miracle, Joseph! Isn’t it wonderful? Aren’t you happy?"

But Joseph wasn’t happy. How could he believe such a story? And Joseph must have felt that Mary had betrayed him.

Surely Joseph felt himself to be a jilted lover. He felt that the love of his life had been totally unfaithful to him. But notice, even in this stage of his disappointment, Joseph still loved Mary. (Vs 19)

The law said that Joseph could have taken her to the city gate and the people there would have taken stones and stoned her to death. Then Joseph’s name would have been cleansed and his reputation restored.

But Joseph decided not to do that. He decided not to disgrace her, or hurt her any further. But rather to divorce her quietly so that she could start her life over again. And he could start his life over again as well.

How do you respond to each other in your marriage? Are you ever disappointed? Do you respond with verbal or physical abuse? Unfortunately, that happens often today, and it is inexcusable.

Or maybe you respond by sulking, deciding to deprive the other person of your attention? That’s childish. It takes a real love to overlook some faults, to forgive and to forget, and to keep the marriage strong.

I think that Joseph demonstrated a great love for Mary by being willing to put her away quietly.

Someone said that "Love is blind, and marriage is an institution. Therefore, marriage is an institution for the blind." There’s a lot of truth in that. In fact, Paul kind of said that in

            1 Corinthians 13:4-8 .

So as we look at Joseph’s story, we see the happy expectations, and we see the terrible disappointment.

III.      THE JOYFUL REVELATION.

This story doesn’t end with the divorce of Joseph and Mary, for following Joseph’s terrible disappointment there came a joyful revelation. Look at verses 20-23.

What a thrill that must have been to Joseph! An angel of God, a heavenly messenger, suddenly appears and clears up all of the questions that were going through his mind and confirming the story that Mary had no doubt told him.

For over 1,000 years the Jews had been waiting for the Messiah to come. Over 300 times God had directed the prophets to prophesy concerning Him. And the result was that the Old Testament prophets had predicted almost every stage of the life of Jesus hundreds of years before it happened.

They predicted that He would be born of a virgin, that He would be born in Bethlehem, that He would come out of Egypt, that He would grow up in Nazareth, that He would be betrayed for 30 pieces of silver, that He would be crucified, that He would be buried in a borrowed tomb, and that He would arise from the dead.

To have more than 300 prophecies fulfilled so literally cannot be mere coincidence. They were fulfilled because they are the prophecies of God, and God’s prophecies are always true.

So when the angel appeared to Joseph, and said, "Don’t be afraid, because all of this is true," his disappointment turned to joy, because he loved Mary very much.

IV.      THE OBEDIENCE TO GOD. (Vs 24, 25)

            Finally, the last part of Joseph’s story is a story of his obedience to God.

            Look at verses 24 and 25.

Now they were finally husband and wife, living together, sharing the home that Joseph had prepared for them.

Joseph’s doubts had all been swept away, as together they looked forward with anticipation to the birth of Jesus, Mary’s son, and the long-awaited Messiah.

            A.        But it wasn’t long until he discovered that there were some hardships and sacrifices that came about because of their marriage.

                        1.         The first was their embarrassment.

Mary & Joseph were living in the little town of Nazareth, with lots of busybodies standing on the street corners, watching them as they walk by. Mary is 7 months pregnant, & they’ve only been married for 2 or 3 months. Think of the embarrassment.

Maybe at first Joseph tried to explain, "The baby is of the Holy Spirit. An angel told me." "Sure, Joseph. We know all about those things. We believe every word of what you’re telling us."

Maybe after a while Joseph even stops trying to explain. And after they went to Bethlehem, and then Egypt, probably Joseph didn’t even want to go back to Nazareth. But God led him back to that town of innuendoes and gossip.

                                    "Whose son is this? Who is his father, really?"

Gossip & embarrassment - that was a part of the price that they paid for their love for each other and for their God.

                        2.         A second hardship must have been a sense of frustration on Joseph’s part.

The Bible says that he had no union with Mary until she gave birth to a son.

Here is this beautiful woman who is his wife, but there is no sexual relationship between them. He loves her, and he waits for the son to be born.

                        3.         Think also about the inconveniences.

Every woman who has gone through pregnancy knows that pregnancy is not an easy time. It is a time of discomfort, of testing and trial. It must have been that way for Joseph and Mary, too, as they went through all the experiences of pregnancy together.

                        4.         It was also a time of physical stress for them.

They had to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the census - a distance of 80 miles. They didn’t travel in an air-conditioned bus back then. They walked. And when they didn’t walk they probably rode on a donkey. I don’t know if you have ever tried that or not, but that’s not comfortable even if you’re not pregnant. And Mary was 9 months pregnant, about ready to deliver her child.

Finally, they arrive at Bethlehem, to crowded streets, & hucksters on the corners trying to take their money. And when they finally come to the inn, they hear the news, "There is no room in the inn."

I heard a story one time about a grade school class that was putting on a Christmas play which included the story of Mary and Joseph coming to the inn. In that class was one little boy who wanted so very much to be Joseph. But when the parts were handed out, his biggest rival was given that part, and he was assigned to be the inn keeper instead. He was really bitter about this.

So during all the rehearsals he kept plotting in his mind what he might do the night of performance to get even with his rival who was Joseph. Finally, the night of the performance, Mary and Joseph came walking across the stage. They knocked on the door of the inn, and the inn-keeper opened the door and asked them gruffly what they wanted.

Joseph answered, "We’d like to have a room for the night." Suddenly the inn-keeper threw the door open wide and said, "Great, come on in and I’ll give you the best room in the house."

For a few seconds poor little Joseph didn’t know what to do, and a long silence ensued. Finally though, thinking quickly on his feet, Joseph looked in to the left and to the right past the inn-keeper and said, "No wife of mine is going to stay in dump like this. Come on, Mary, let’s go to the barn." And once again the play was back on course.

            B.        I’m convinced that Joseph cared for Mary very deeply.

Yet, on that night long ago, there was much that he was unable to give her. So they ended up in a stable. If you’ve ever spent time in a barn you know a little bit of the circumstances they faced that night when the baby Jesus was born.

As Mary was giving birth he had to deal with the cries of her labor pains. We are not told of anyone who was there to help her but Joseph. He is not sure what to do next. He mops her brow and tries to speak words of comfort. He had not taken the latest course on how to coach your wife through pregnancy and delivery. But he tries to help her any way he can.

Finally, the little baby Jesus is born. He cuts the umbilical cord, and they wrap the baby in swaddling clothes, and lay Him in a manger.

Shortly thereafter, the shepherds come to worship the baby Jesus. The angels told them the good tidings. The story is true. The Saviour is born. Thank God, the story is true.

CONCLUSION

Joseph tells us his story, that we might know a little bit of what he went through, and the love he had for Mary, and how their love helps tell the greatest love story of all, the story of Christmas.

Today, if you are not a Christian, we want you to know that into this cold and dark world Jesus came as a baby. He came to touch our lives and to change us forever. He came to reach down and to save us from our sins and to rescue us from the pit of hell. He came to love us and show us a better way to live also.

That is what Christmas is all about. It is so much more than just lights and presents and parties. It is divine love visiting our earth, reaching out to each of us, trying to woo us and win us to the love of God.

If you are here today and Jesus Christ is not your Saviour, we invite you to come to Him.

Home Page   Contact Us    Service Times   Sermons   Are You Going To Heaven?

NOTICE:   THESE SERMONS ARE FREE TO BE USED BUT ARE NOT TO BE SOLD!