God’s Way is a Hard Way But it is the Right Way!
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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. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”
(which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
“There are approximately 360,000 babies born per day and 15,000 births per hour worldwide. That is more than twice the number of people who die each day.”
https://www.quora.com/How-many-people-are-born-die-every-day-in-the-world-What-is-birth-to-death-ratio-in-the-world
But there was one birth that was so significant that it changed the trajectory of the this world. The birth of the baby, Jesus.
The birth of Jesus is a big deal for many reasons. And if we had the time we could spell out the significance of the prophecies fulfilled, the people involved, the messianic implications, and much, much more. But tonight, I would like to briefly address an observation I saw in the story of Christ birth.
Those involved in this drama has a significant lack of ease and comfort during this process of God becoming a man to dwell among us.
As this story unfolds, Mary, the mother of Jesus was betrothed (engagemeant on steroids) to Joseph. But something scandalous happened! Mary was pregnant.
This is the first uncomfortable situation. Think about it! A young women, who is not married, is found pregnant and then has the audacity to claim that God caused her to be pregnant? From a human perspective, this is laughable. Blaming God for her indiscretions and acts of immorality?
Now the text tells us the truth. “she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” This was no act of indiscretion. Mary was pure and innocent through this whole situation. The Holy Spirit “overshadowed her” and caused her to conceive a child. Now there is a tremendous amount of deep theology tied up in this act of the Holy Spirit. There are some amazing mysteries and questions that arise from this. Questions that we simply are not going to address this evening But are worth your time exploring.
But the idea I want you to grapple with is this. God’s plan for the redemption of mankind included putting a young, righteous women in an extremely uncomfortable situation that would cause people to call into question her love for God, her personal holiness, her integrity and her reputation. God’s plan of her carrying the God/man in her womb, outside the bonds of marriage would put a tremendous amount of social pressure on this young woman. I’m sure some of these things were rolling around in her mind as she uttered these words to the angel Gabriel, “Do to me as you have said.”
Bring to Today...
Of course, Mary becoming pregnant didn’t happen inside a vacuum. This event had an affect on others as well. The main one being, Joseph. The text tells us that He was a just man who didn’t believe that she was inpregnated by the Holy Spirit. How doI know this? Because he was “unwilling to put her to shame” And so he purposed to end things quietly.
I can imagine the conversation they had as she told Joseph what had happened to her. I’m sure he was heartbroken when he heard, from her own lips, that she was pregnant. I’m sure he was frustrated when she told him that she had not cheated on him with another man, but that God overshadowed her and she conceived this baby. I’m sure he thought she was out of her mind when she said she heard this from an angel and this baby was the promised Messiah who was prophecied about over and over in the holy Scriptures...
His resolve to divorce her quietly proves that she spoke to him and he just didn’t believe her. Another hard reality of following the Lord. Can you imagine Mary having to deal with this break up with the man she loved because she was willing to do whatever the Lord had for her?
How about Joseph? Can you empathise with him? God allowed him to have all these emotions of pain, anger, fear, etc. needlessly!
Craig Keener...
Joseph hence experiences the pain of betrayal, the breach of a contract more binding than a business deal in his culture (unfortunately our culture has less respect for commitment and fidelity). Because a wife’s adultery could imply the husband’s inadequacy or his family’s poor choice of a mate, Mary’s apparent unfaithfulness shamed Joseph as well (compare 2 Enoch 71:6–11). Keener
But to God’s credit, He didn’ Let Jospeh suffer for too long. Gabriel paid him a visit as well. This time in a dream. God corroborated Mary’s story. Indeed it was the Holy Spirit who caused her to conceive this child. Yet, he was no ordinary Child. This child’s name would be Jesus, literally, “God saves”. He would be the one, the only one who woule be willing and able to save His people from their sins.
His name would also be “Immanuel” proving the uniquiness of this baby. For not only was He a human, He was God very God. All the fullness of deity was pleased to dwell in him ().
This
I have had some pretty strange dreams in my life, but I cannot imagine what that dream must have been like. I do know this, it certainly got the point across. So much so that when Jospeh woke up, he got up and immediately did as the angel of the lord commanded.
This would come at a cost for Joseph. He did not wait the customary year betrothal period - People would make the wrong assumption that he and Mary had premarital sex. This righteous, innocent man would have to live with this stigma.
First of all, he did not wait the customary year betrothal period - People would make the wrong assumption that he and Mary had premarital sex. This righteous, innocent man would have to live with this stigma
Because Joseph married Mary, outsiders would assume that he had gotten Mary pregnant before the wedding. Joseph would remain an object of shame in a society dominated by the value of honor. This was a stressful way to begin a marriage! By waiting to have intercourse (1:25), hence failing to provide the bloody sheet that would prove Mary’s virginity on the wedding night (Deut 22:15; p. Ketubot 1:1, §§7–8; Eickelman 1989:174), Mary and Joseph also chose to embrace shame to preserve the sanctity of God’s call.
Joseph’s obedience to God cost him his own reputation. God asked this of Him. God asked this of Mary!
But God also endured a shameful reputation among his creation as well. When God became human, he entered into a home associated with cultural shame. Everyone knew Jesus’ “immoral” background story. They even used it against him.
but now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. This is not what Abraham did. You are doing the works your father did.” They said to him, “We were not born of sexual immorality. We have one Father—even God.”
But there was no greater shame that Jesus would endure than when He hung naked on the cross. The wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the prince of Peace, was, as He hung there, mocked, ridiculed and shamed. If those that participated in this where given the tiniest of glimpses of His true glory, they would have fallen immediately in shame for the way they treated the One who gave them life.
But there was a greater reason for Him to endure this shame. I believe the same reason that Mary and Joseph were willing to endure the ridicule, mockery and misunderstanding. It says it right in our text...
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
Jesus, Mary and Jospeh all had a perpsective on life that we would do well to understand and emulate. An eternal perspective that submits itself to God’s plan over our immediate personal prosperity.
Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
When Mary told Gabriel, “Do to me as you have said.” She was signing up for a life of rejection and mockery from those who did not understand God’s plan for mankind. She, by God’s grace sacrificed her prefered life because of something greater!
When Joseph woke up from his dream and obeyed the command of the Lord he was signing on for a life a hardship and mistreatment from those who despised God’s truth.
And as great and wonderful and inspiring as the sacrifices that Mary and Joseph made to raise the Savior of the World, there was no greater sacrifice that has ever been made on behalf of poor and ruined sinners than the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the Cross.
When Jesus said to His Father not my will but yours be done, the result? He endured the cross, he disregarded the shame because of the joy that was set before Him!
What was this joy? To see His church, you, perfected and matured in truth.
The hard reality is that God will put his servants through very challenging circumstances because of a greater purpose. Mary understood this and was willing to serve God regardless of the cost. Joseph, too offered himself up, reputation and all for the Gospel.
Why would they be so willing to sacrifice their lives?
Because of their Son, who was and is the Son of God. For them, their temporary sacrifice, as hard as it was then, has paid exponential divine dividends that we can scarcely understand.
And those divine dividends are only possible for them and for us because God decided before the foundation of this world to enact a plan where God would become a human, live a sinless life, die a criminal’s death, be raise from the grave on the third day and thus give anyone who places their faith in Him the opportunity for eternal life.
This is the Incarnation. This is Immanuel. This is the reason for the season.
And may you and I who are followers of Christ have the same attitude of Mary and Joseph. May we echo the words of Mary that she said to the angel of the Lord, “Do to me as you have said.”
Yes, God’s ways are hard. But no one took a harder, more humiliating path than God Himself. Why would He walk this difficult path?
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
Love! A Kind of love that gives and gives and continues to give. What does this love look like?
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is often been said that the shadow of the Cross lay across the manger.
For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus came for one purpose - To die! To give His life as a ransome for many.