Scripture Matthew 1:18-25
Now, this is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah happened: When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to have a child in her womb from the Holy Spirit. Joseph her husband was a just man and unwilling to shame her; he wanted to divorce her secretly. But when he deliberated this, suddenly an angel of the Most High God appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for in her is conceived a child from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this happened to fulfill what had been spoken by the Most High God through the prophet: “Look now! The virgin shall conceive a child in her womb and give birth to a son, they shall call him Emmanuel,” which, translated, means “God is with us.” When Joseph got up from sleep, he did as the angel of the Most High God commanded him. He took her as his wife, yet did not know her sexually until her birthing of a son and named him Jesus.
Response Holy Wisdom, Holy Word.
Thanks be to God.
Meditation
I think of Joseph, a somewhat shadowy figure. No gospel records his words, but three of the four gospels tell us that he was a teknon, a word that has been misunderstood as meaning carpenter, but which probably indicated that he was a stone mason. The gospels of Matthew and Luke tell us that he embraced Mary and her son as his own. Matthew further tells us that, when Joseph was told that Jesus’ life was threatened, he took his wife and child and they became refugees in Egypt. He accepted Jesus as his son; he raised Jesus as his own, and he protected Jesus when he was threatened.
But that’s all we know. Who was Joseph? And how did he feel about… all this?
How old was Joseph when Jesus was born? Scripture gives us no hints as to Joseph’s age. He seems to have died before Jesus’ ministry began. But that doesn’t mean he was elderly—remember, the average lifespan is 35 years. Jesus has brothers, but there is no indication they are half-brothers. The idea of Joseph being significantly older than Mary is probably a product of the Roman Catholic doctrine of Mary’s perpetual virginity—no longer something protestants subscribe to, as a rule.
Whatever his age, Joseph had to have had strong feelings. His betrothed coming to him and trying to explain that her pregnancy was of God, and no man, had to have shocked, or angered, or saddened, or even frightened Joseph. Perhaps all those emotions and others. Who wouldn’t respond in that way? It’s easy to understand that Jospeh may well have thought: either Mary was lying, or she was delusional.
We don’t know how Mary and Joseph came to be married. Most marriages were arranged by the families of the bride and groom, so this may have been a situation in which Joseph didn’t really know Mary very well. On the other hand, even arranged marriages sometimes led to a love-match, for which all parties would be grateful.
Here’s why I think this was a love-match: We see Joseph’s initial response to the news of Mary’s pregnancy. His response is dignified and protective. Betrothal, in this era, was virtually the same as marriage—the contract was legally binding. Women like Mary who found themselves pregnant by someone other than their betrothed, according to Leviticus, could expect to be stoned to death for committing adultery. A man who did not love or at least care for Mary, might have approved of that punishment. But that was not Joseph. He decided to divorce her quietly so that she would not be publicly shamed.
But Joseph, like his Old Testament namesake, was a dreamer. An angel spoke to him in a dream and said, “Fear not.” Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because she tells the truth: This child is of God, the Holy Spirit. You will name him Jesus, a name that means “He saves,” because he will save his people from their sins. The sin here is the unfaithfulness that led to God’s people living under the occupation of hostile empires for half a millennium. God was saying—that is all over. Jesus will bring your people out of bondage. He will be Emmanuel: God-With-Us.
I think of Joseph, and I think: This is a love story, but it is a much bigger love story than Joseph loving Mary. This is the story of God’s infinite love being poured out upon humanity, as God poured Godself into the world as a tiny, vulnerable child. And this is the story of a human love, Joseph’s love, that not to want to do her harm, but was happy for an angel to tell him: fear not. Joseph loved and trusted God, and he was able to fully embrace both Mary and her child. His fear became amazement; his justice and righteousness shows his love. And together these became the hope that shone on the world in a gleaming star and led the Wise Ones to the holy child. This man and this woman opened their hearts, their bodies, and their lives to the call of God, all for the sake of the One who was coming: Infinite Love. Breath of the Spirit. God-With-Us.
Thanks be to God. Amen.