Grace and Peace to you from God our
Father and the Lord Jesus Christ and may our Lord and Savior sanctify you in
the truth; for His word is truth. Amen
Fourth Sunday in Advent (2010)
They
Shall call His Name; Immanuel
Matthew 1:18-25 (ESV)
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. [19] And her husband Joseph, being a just
man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. [20]
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. [21] She will bear a son, and you shall call
his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins." [22] All
this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:
[23] "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel"
(which means, God with us). [24] When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as
the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, [25] but knew her not
until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.
On this Fourth
Sunday in Advent we enter the final week of this Advent season turning our
focus to the incarnation of our Lord Jesus. In just a few days we’ll enter the
Christmas season celebrating the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ in a humble
stable in
Most of us are
familiar with the Annunciation to Mary, but what of the Annunciation to Joseph?
Wondering what an annunciation is? Well, an annunciation is an announcement. In
his Gospel, St. Luke records the announcement by the angel Gabriel to Mary of
her impending pregnancy with the very Son of God. This was an announcement that
brought great joy to the world, but for the moment it brought trouble and
distress for Mary and her fiancé, Joseph.
You see, Mary
and Joseph were engaged to be married, in fact, they were betrothed. In the
Hebrew culture this had great significance, for it was a wedding contract
between the two. For all practical purposes, the betrothed couple were
considered married, although they did not live with one another or cohabitate
until the celebration of their nuptials. Thus, when it became known that Mary
was with child, this presented Joseph with serious problems.
First, his
fiancé would be labeled as an unfaithful wife and the sin of infidelity carried
a significant penalty within the Hebrew religion. According to Jewish law, an
unfaithful, betrothed, virgin had to be taken to the gate of the city and there;
stoned to death (Deut. 22:23-24). Mary’s situation was, to say the least, delicate.
Moreover, it was the most distressing and humiliating of conditions that could befall
a pure maiden. Mary knew the truth of how she came into her condition, that it
was the very work of God through the Holy Spirit. However, she could never
expect anyone else to believe her story if she needed to mount a defense.
Knowing the truth however, she relied fully in her confidence that God would
protect her; her reputation, her honor, and her life.
Secondly, if Joseph
were to forgive Mary and consummate the marriage nuptials, Mary’s first child
would always be known as that illegitimate child of Mary’s and he would always
be known as the substitute father. Joseph had a decision to make; allow the Law
of Moses to be enforced or follow his heart.
The evidence
spoke for itself, Mary was pregnant. Thus, Joseph must have asked himself, how
could he ignore the evidence? Truth is, he couldn’t, and it was before him for
all to see. Being a just man, a righteous man, a respecter of the Law, Joseph
knew how strict the Law was on infidelity and this made the issue even more
difficult because Joseph did not want any harm to come to Mary; either
physically or psychologically. Therefore, his humanity, his love, and his
affection were put to the severest of tests.
Perplexed by
these emotions, Joseph must have wrestled with his decision. However, his love
for Mary overruled a desire for revenge or legal justice and he simply decided
to cancel their nuptial plans and quietly divorce her. He had no interest in
assigning blame or demanding an apology, what was done, was done. Let justice
be tempered by mercy.
Having
decided the issue in his own mind, Joseph was most likely sad but satisfied
with his decision, however, God had other plans. At just the right moment, God
intervenes on behalf of the mother of His Son. Suddenly, in the midst of
Joseph’s planning, the angel of the Lord appears to him in a dream and tells
him, “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” (vv. 20-21).
Often we’re
faced with perplexing or troubling problems. We ponder our options trying to
make the best decision based on the facts at hand. But alas, all too often the
decision we make is not really the best one that could have been made and we
suffer the consequences. It’s obvious, however; God wasn’t going to allow
Joseph to use human logic or reason to resolve what he perceived to be a
problem because God’s plan had consequences for all mankind for all eternity.
Wow! Joseph had everything all worked out in his own mind, and then, bam, God steps in and everything changes. Now, here is a wrinkle of which Joseph hadn’t given thought. How could he? How could anyone have known that God would send the Holy Spirit to the betrothed virgin of Joseph making her pregnant with His one and only Son? Sure, this was prophesized by Isaiah (Is. 7:14) seven-hundred years before her pregnancy, but how could anyone have known that Mary would be the chosen one.
The angel addresses Joseph as the Son of David, thus establishing the royal linage of our Lord, Jesus. He tells him not to fear the rumors and slander that will follow, but instead to follow his heart and take Mary as his wife; to accept her and her child. This acceptance of the angel’s words was an act of faith for Joseph. It is an act of faith equal to any of the Old Testament heroes who heard God speak and then obeyed Him absolutely, in spite of the evidence. Joseph would take Mary to be his wife, saving her honor and the honor of her child.
Yet, there is much more to this event than a love story. There is much more to this than the challenge of overcoming society’s condemnation of a young virgin who becomes pregnant before her nuptials are celebrated. This recorded historical event by St. Matthew is a vivid account of how God works in the lives of His people. What seems a tragedy for Mary and a great disappointment for Joseph brings us the very Son of God. Not according to the usual process of nature by which men are born of the will of the flesh and the will of man; both sexes being active, but by a miraculous suspension of the laws of nature. God, the Creator of nature creates life in Mary as He created it in Adam, through divine action. Mary is pregnant with the very Son of God and Joseph is to take her to be his wife and he is to name the baby, “Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (v. 21).
This message from the angel places God’s stamp on the mission of His Son; that He alone will bring full pardon, salvation, and deliverance from the consequence of sin; not only to His own people, the Jews, but to all mankind (Rom. 9:24). The very voice of the angel is Gospel music because in his announcement, he says that Jesus will atone for the sins of all men, not make allowance for them, that Jesus will destroy sin, not tolerate it. He comes to save people from their sin through faith in His life, death, and resurrection, thereby, opening the very gates of heaven to accept them.
Joseph waste no time, as soon as he awakens from his sleep, he immediately, with great happiness, goes about fulfilling the nuptial vows, making Mary his wife. Moreover, when Mary’s baby is born, Joseph obeys the command of the angel; formally adopting Him as his legal son, naming the child, Jesus.
St. Matthew’s account of the Annunciation of Joseph reveals the very Son of God. Thus, this is an Christological event. The focus is not Joseph and what he is to do, but our Lord Jesus and what He will do. Here, the angel announces the coming of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Here is the crown Prince of heaven, our Lord Jesus Christ, not born according to man, but coming from heaven itself to enter this world as a man. According to His human nature, He is an heir of David, yet His preexistence is “God over all, blessed forever” (Romans 9:5 ESV). He is the Son of the Most High, the Word that was God in the beginning, the Word made flesh, and the Word whose foundation is the everlasting Godhead! He is Immanuel, God with us! His is the only name under heaven by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12).
What a marvelous Christmas gift; this son of Mary, this adopted son of Joseph who is in reality the very Son of God who came into the world and saved all mankind from their sin. Have a blessed Christmas giving thanks to God for this gift above all other gifts, the very Son of God, Immanuel; God with us! Amen.
May the peace
of God, which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through
Christ Jesus. Amen.