Advent 3
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Joseph’s Visitation
Joseph’s Visitation
This Sunday is the third message in our series on angelic visitations. The first 2 have been from the gospel according to Luke and have described the visits of the angel Gabriel first to Zechariah and secondly to Mary. Today we are going to look at Joseph, the man who was betrothed to Mary who had just been told by Gabriel that even though she was a virgin, she would bear a son by the Holy Spirit. We discussed last week that in this time in history and this culture, a betrothal was as binding as a marriage contract. In order for the betrothal to be canceled a formal document of divorce would be filed. However the bride would continue to live at home with her parents during the year of betrothal until the groom would come to take her to their home for the wedding celebration. During this time they would not have marital relations. For a woman to become pregnant during this time was scandalous. The wedding date would be moved up and life would go on amid whispers and derogatory remarks. For a women to become pregnant to a man other than her betrothed was adultery. Lev.20.10
“ ‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.
According to the Jewish law the punishment for adultery was being stoned to death. Both the man and the woman. In John’s Gospel we have the record of the Jewish leaders bringing a woman caught in the act of adultery to Jesus and asking him what should be done in order to trap him. Jesus bent down and began writing in the dust. When asked He said “Let the one without sin cast the first stone.” They went away from the oldest to the youngest. Jesus told her to go and sin no more. According to the law both the man and the woman should have been condemned.
I have often wondered how the conversation between Mary and Joseph took place. We know from last weeks lesson that Mary went to Elizabeth’s house and stayed with her for three months. By this time she knew that she was pregnant without a doubt. Did she explain to Joseph all that had happened? Did he believe her? Matthew writes that she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. How was this found out? Did Mary tell Joseph? Did her father go to Joseph and offer to return the bride price?We don’t know the answer to these question. We do know that Joseph was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had a mind to divorce her quietly. I think that this shows that Joseph loved Mary. He was honorable and respectful of her even though at this point he felt that she had been unfaithful to him. I think that this shows a lot about Joseph’s character and the type of man that he was.
Matthew goes on to say; After he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home to 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. Joseph probably would have liked to hear this sooner. The angel gave him reassurance as to Mary’s character, and to the identity of the father of her child, Clear direction, take her home as his wife, and name her son Jesus. The purpose of this child is to save his people from their sins.
Why did the angel appear to Joseph in a dream rather that a visitation like Zechariah and Mary? We don’t know. Joseph recognized the angel as coming from God and believed his message. When he woke up he did what the angel had instructed and took Mary home as his wife. In doing this he would have subjected himself to ridicule, but it saved Mary from accusations of adultery. Joseph did not consummate their marriage until after Mary gave birth to a son and he gave him the name Jesus. In the Jewish culture it was the father’s obligation to name the sons.
All this took place to fulfill the prophecy of
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.
Immanuel, Jesus, both refer to the saving of his people.
Angel visitations, actually seeing and speaking with an angel or seeing an angel in a dream and receiving a message. These are not everyday occurrences. We do have scriptural record of God speaking to his prophets and others through dreams and visions. Joseph, Daniel, Isaiah, Jeremiah for example. There are two non believers recorded that had dreams Pharoah, seven fat cows followed by seven lean cows that devoured the fat ones and Nebuchadnezzar who dreamed of the statue with the foot of clay.
God is able to speak to us in many ways. While it is rare, God does speak to his children in an audible voice, he speaks to us in dreams, he speaks to us through his Word the Bible and through the teaching of his servants.
We need to be open to hear from him no matter the method that he uses. We have the Bible, God’s Word, We have to open it and read it in order to learn from it. We need to be obedient to his instruction and commands, To respond quickly and not be afraid. We need to put God first in our lives and do all for his glory.
Louisa McQuillen tells the story of her 3 year old grandson asking the question of what does Joe do? She had taken him to see a life size replica of the Nativity scene. He asked about the different characters and why they were there. when they came do Joseph he asked the question what does Joe do? Her first thought was what was his occupation. a question that any boy would ask associating someones occupation to that of his father. We might answer his question by saying that he was a carpenter, but that was just a part of what Joe did. He loved God, He was open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, He recognized the angel as being a messenger from God. He took Mary as his wife, cared for her and the baby Jesus as his own. He faced ridicule from from the people around him. He faced the birth of Jesus with the same anxiousness of any new father. When Mary delivered her son in that stable. Was Joseph there lending a hand telling her to breath or push. Or was he waiting outside? We know that the young family faced danger and he had to make a trip into Egypt to protect Jesus. All these things happened to fulfill scripture.
To answer the question “what did Joe do”? He was obedient to God. He cared for God’s son as if he was his own. We need to be open to God’s Word, the leading of the Holy Spirit and obedient to what he calls us to do. The Christmas story reminds us of what God has done for us. He sent Jesus as a baby, to live on this earth as a man and die on a cross to pay the price for our sins. In his death and resurrection we have hope of eternal life.