A Sermon
Presented by Rev. Merlin T. Batt
Intentional Interim Pastor
St. Matthew’s United Church of Christ
Maiden, North Carolina
The Fourth Sunday of Advent
December 23, 2007

Matthew 1:18-25
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I’m told by those who should know about such things that good vision requires two healthy eyes working in concert with one another. What happens when one eye is closed is that our range of vision becomes limited and our ability to see in depth is compromised.  In other words, we are able to see the depth dimension only when we look with both eyes. Just cover one eye, and see what I mean! What this has to do with Christmas and with preaching the Gospel may not be obvious. Allow me to explain.

The New Testament provides us with two very different accounts of Jesus’ conception and birth. The more familiar one is found in Luke’s Gospel, part of which will be read at tomorrow night’s Christmas Eve service – you know, the one that begins, “In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered.” It’s the “Christmas Story.” It’s the birth story through the eyes of Jesus’ mother, Mary.

But there is another story about the same events found in Matthew’s Gospel. I read it to you a moment ago. It, too, is the story of the conception and birth of Jesus, but in this one, the story is told through the eyes of Jesus’ step-father, the man named Joseph.

The only element in common between these two stories is the activity of an angel saying, “Do not be afraid.” In the Luke-story, an angel says to Mary, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus.” And in the Matthew-story, an angel says to Joseph, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.”

Other than this one similarity, the stories are as different as day from night, and I’ve often wondered why. Now I think it has something to do with our being able to see in depth. What I mean is: we need to see both of these stories, different as they are, to understand the true depth of what the event of Jesus’ birth means. Tomorrow night, Christmas Eve, it’s going to be Luke’s turn, but this morning, this last Sunday of Advent, it’s Matthew’s! So let’s close one eye, so to speak, and take a look at Christmas through the lens of Matthew’s Gospel.

“Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, but 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.”

To say the least, this is an odd and even embarrassing way to begin the story of Jesus the Messiah (unless it is true, of course!). The story begins with a young man discovering that, even before he is married, he is well on his way to being a father. To make matters worse, he has no reason to believe that the child is his! So the sacred story of Jesus’ birth begins with a hint of scandalous infidelity.

To understand Joseph’s thinking, you must understand something of the marriage customs of his day. We learn from the story that Joseph and Mary are “betrothed.” It’s similar to being engaged, but much more serious than what we typically understand by engagement. You see, betrothal had legal strings tied to it. To get betrothed, a man often paid a substantial “bride-price” to the woman’s family. And the bride-to-be’s father often provided a substantial dowry for his daughter. So money changed hands; and, what’s more, the betrothal vows were made in the presence of the local rabbi at a public ceremony. These vows, the first step toward getting married, could be ended only by divorce or death of one party.

One more thing…the betrothed couple did not live together for as long as a year after getting betrothed. Only then did they marry, move in together, and become physically intimate. What’s more, in small, rural communities like theirs, betrothed couples were strictly chaperoned by family members. It was unthinkable that families would allow a betrothed couple to be left alone together. Now you may understand better Joseph’s shock at learning that his betrothed is pregnant, and you understand why he contemplated divorce.

But before we continue with Matthew’s odd story, I want us to be sure we notice something about marital commitment and something about young Joseph’s compassion. In the Scriptures of both Old and New Testaments, marriage is treated as a most serious commitment, and all the signs indicate Joseph agreed. Marriage was entered into thoughtfully, slowly, carefully, and chastely. As a result, divorce was rare among faithful Jews. Married couples were expected to stay together and work out their differences, learn how to forgive one another and move on. Adultery, of which Joseph wrongly supposed Mary guilty, was a terrible breach of commitment. In this case, divorce was an option for Joseph, this deeply religious, faithful Jew. So with great hurt, disappointment, and anger, Joseph seriously contemplated divorcing Mary his betrothed.

Now Joseph was not only a just man; he was also a compassionate man. We see in his story a combination of righteousness and mercy. That’s what Matthew means when he says that Joseph, unwilling to put Mary to shame, “resolved to divorce her quietly.” He could have made a public spectacle of it. They lived in a small town, and the news would surely spread, but Joseph planned to do what he could to reduce her shame in such a community. He would not take the matter to court; nor would he publicly repudiate her alleged adultery, and thus make it clear he was not the child’s father. Rather, he would take the quieter route of giving her a certificate of divorce in front of two witnesses. You see, Joseph was more concerned to guard what remained of Mary’s honor than he was to increase his own. Compassion was the hallmark of Joseph’s thinking.

Now let’s hear the rest of the story.

“But as he considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord  appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit; she will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins…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 borne a son; and he called his name Jesus.”

We saw in the earlier part of the story Joseph’s commitment and compassion. Now we see consecration and control as added dimensions to this character. You recall that in Luke’s version of the story, an angel comes to Mary to announce that God has chosen her to bear the Son of the Most High, but for this to happen, Mary’s consent is required. God does not force His ways upon His children. Mary was willing to say “yes” to God. She decided to serve God in a matter that could only be thoroughly confusing and mysterious and risky. You remember what she said to the angel, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” It was a high moment of consecration, Mary giving herself to God as an instrument of His holy will.

And Joseph? He was no slouch! Like Mary, Joseph responded obediently to God’s word through the angel, “Do not fear to take Mary your wife.” Joseph also said “yes” to God, and that was no little thing. In this instance, it meant refusing to divorce Mary and going on to take her as his wife, and later naming the strangely conceived child Jesus. Now both of them for years and years to come would be objects of gossip in a town much smaller than Maiden! You see, not only had Mary valued God’s will more highly than her own honor, but Joseph, too, in a moment of consecration to God, had embraced shame for the same reason.

One more thing to notice…Matthew tells us that Joseph went on to marry his betrothed before the birth of Jesus, but the Gospel writer is careful to let us know that Joseph “knew her not until she had borne a son.” Through the many centuries there have been Christians who preferred that Matthew would have left out of the story this detail about their intimate relationship.

But it’s there for a reason. Yes, they went on to get married; and, yes, they were then entitled to share physical intimacy. But they chose to exercise control. In contrast to the expectations of their culture (and especially contrary to the expectations of ours!), they chose restraint, at least until after Mary had given birth to her son. And so it came to pass that the ancient prophecy was fulfilled – not only would a virgin conceive, but also that a virgin would bear a son.

Think about it. As a married couple, Joseph and Mary lived in very cramped quarters and shared a small bed, but they modeled self-control, a challenge indeed to many people today who claim that sexual temptation is too great to resist. It’s something worth pondering in this most promiscuous age.

So what we see when we look at Christmas with one eye closed is an amazing story told from Joseph’s perspective. In him we see a young man acting with commitment, compassion, consecration, and control. For not being allowed to speak one single word in the story, and for remaining very much in the background of the unfolding story of Jesus, this Joseph is a most impressive character.

But, let’s be honest. Isn’t there something off-putting about impressive characters like Joseph, something that leaves us feeling less, unworthy, even unacceptable to God? Who of us can look at his or her own span of life in the light of this story of Joseph and say that it witnesses anywhere near as clearly and consistently as Joseph’s to the values of commitment, compassion, consecration, and self-control? You see, that’s why the main character of this story is not Joseph. We don’t need yet another hero to admire, but secretly despise because we have not lived up to his example.

You do remember, don’t you, what the angel commanded Joseph to name the child? Jesus – that’s right. And do you know what the name “Jesus” means? It is related to the name “Joshua,” and it means “God saves.” In other words, the name “Jesus” reminds us all at Christmas that God sent his Son to save His people from their sins. As Matthew’s story continues, it shows that Jesus consistently befriended sinners and put up with faltering, imperfect, headstrong disciples. The Gospels together show us a Jesus who came to us, not just to accept us as we are, but to forgive us and make us far more than we are.

So here in the opening chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, on this day before Christmas Eve, we come to see that the real focus of the Story is not Joseph, however impressive a character he may be and however much we ought to learn from his life. No, the story has to do primarily with Jesus who, as the angel said, “will save his people from their sins.” It’s not another hero we need, but a Savior! That’s the view of Christmas we see today, with one eye closed!