The first question that comes to mind if Joseph is from Bethlehem and Mary from Nazareth is how they came to be engaged if the towns they lived in were so far apart. The simple answer to that is that most marriages in those days were arranged by the family and these arranged marriages often involved people from different villages or towns, so while Mary was from Nazareth, Joseph could very easily have been from Bethlehem.
The second question that comes up is how did Joseph hear about Mary’s unexpected pregnancy if they lived in different villages? Again the answer is pretty simple. In Luke’s story it says after Mary’s visit from the angel she travelled to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was also expecting a child (Luke 1:39) and Mary stayed with Elizabeth for 3 months (Luke 1:56). Now the Judean town where Elizabeth and Zechariah lived was called Ein Karem which just happens to be 4 miles from Bethlehem. So while Mary was visiting with Elizabeth it would have made perfect sense for Joseph to visit her and during one of those visits to hear the news of this unexpected child. You can almost picture Joseph walking home to Bethlehem disillusioned and disappointed after hearing that his fiancé is pregnant and he knows that he is not the father. While Mary said the child was from God, Joseph simply does not believe her. When it says that Joseph decided to dismiss Mary quietly and not expose her to public disgrace it is because Joseph doesn’t believe Mary’s story about the child being from God. If Joseph had believed Mary he would have taken her immediately as his wife, but he doesn’t do that. Joseph doesn’t believe Mary’s story about the angel and the baby, which only leaves one possibility – Mary had been unfaithful.
Being unfaithful during an engagement was just as bad as being unfaithful in marriage because an engagement was a legally binding contract. Mary and Joseph were already legally united, all that was left was the wedding ceremony and then the honeymoon. Since they already had this legal arrangement, with Mary breaking that covenant and being pregnant and Joseph knowing that he is not the father, he has every right to make Mary suffer the consequences of her unfaithfulness and publically shame and disgrace her, but it says that Joseph was righteous and didn’t want to do that. It’s interesting how Matthew is interpreting righteous here. His righteousness is not for the law or for the pursuit of justice but for compassion and mercy. That says something about Joseph and it says something about the God who chose Joseph. By choosing Joseph as the earthly father of Jesus who will guide his life, God is choosing a man who is more concerned about mercy than the law and let’s be clear, God chose Joseph as much as God chose Mary.
Think about it, Joseph could have continued on with his plan to dismiss Mary quietly and wash his hands of the whole situation. Joseph could have stepped away and had no involvement in the life of the child that Mary was carrying – but God intervenes and changes Joseph’s plan so that he becomes the earthly father of Jesus. By sending the angel to Joseph God is now choosing Joseph to be the father of the Jesus and God chose Joseph because he was a man who was righteous not about law and justice but love and mercy. That was the kind of man God wanted shaping the heart and mind of Jesus because that is what lies at the heart of God. The righteousness of God is not seen in his pursuit of justice but mercy, but love and grace. God’s righteousness offered forgiveness to the sinner and grace to the world through the life of Jesus.
So God chose Joseph and if he was from Bethlehem than God is also choosing Bethlehem. Like Nazareth, Bethlehem was a small town not far from the larger city of Jerusalem. The population of Bethlehem was perhaps 500-1,000 people and while it was small like Nazareth, unlike Nazareth, it was very well known. Bethlehem was the village where King David came from and according to the prophet Micah it was the place where the Messiah would be born (Micah 5:2). While Bethlehem was going to be the birthplace of the future king, at this point in time it was a working class town that was home to both shepherds and farmers. While the shepherds of Bethlehem are well known because they were the ones who were worshipped Jesus in the manger, the farmers in this area also play a significant role in the larger life of Jesus. The farmers in this area grew wheat and barley which were sold to the bakers in Bethlehem who were known throughout the region for producing bread which helped feed the people of Jerusalem and it was this grain which helped Bethlehem get its name because Bethlehem means, house of bread. Again, I don’t think it is a coincidence that from a city that was known for producing bread came one who not only provided bread for those who were hungry but who also said, I am the bread of life. That God choose to find the father of Jesus in Bethlehem not only fulfilled the prophecy that Jesus would come from the house of David and the town of Bethlehem, but it shows us once again that God loves to choose the humble, meek and hard working people of the world to accomplish his will.
While not much is known about Joseph’s life we do know that he was a simple carpenter. The word carpenter that is used to describe Joseph is the word tekton which means builder and usually refers to someone who built things out of stone or wood and teckton is part of our word architect. But Joseph was not an arch-tekton or master builder, he was just a tekton, a simple builder or wood-worker who helped provide doors and roofs for the people of Bethlehem and for the larger city of Jerusalem.
So Joseph was a simple hard working man who as we have already seen, had a very human reaction to the news of Mary’s unexpected pregnancy. Let’s go back to that reaction for a moment. Joseph has just learned that Mary is pregnant and he knows beyond any doubt that he is not the father. This has to be the lowest moment of Joseph’s life. No matter what he does he will face shame and ridicule because people will talk and make up their own minds about what really happened. If he dismisses Mary, people will think that he was cheated on, and if he takes her as his wife and do the math when the baby arrives, they will assume that he didn’t wait for the wedding to consummate the marriage. There is no easy way of the situation and Joseph is disillusioned, disappointed, and maybe even a little bit angry at Mary and at God, and yet think about this, in the midst of the lowest moment in his life – what is God doing? As Joseph is wrestling with the mess of his life, God is at work in Mary bringing about the child who will save Joseph and all the world from the mess of sin. Not only is God working to save Joseph, but God is also working to include Joseph in this grand plan. While Joseph is struggling with his situation, God is at work sending an angel to Joseph so that he can be part of God’s plan. When we step back and look at this moment in Joseph’s life we see that in his moment of great disappointment, pain, frustration and doubt - God was still at work bringing about salvation and purpose. Can we see that today in our own lives?
In the midst of great disappointment or disillusionment when our lives haven’t turned out the way we wanted them to or thought they should, can we stop and see that God is still at work to bring about our salvation? And can we see that God is working to help us see the plan and purpose he has for our lives? While Joseph is wrestling with his doubts and fears – God was preparing Gabriel for another mission and issuing another invitation. Even when we can’t see it, God is working to bring us life and the fullness of life is there for us if we will just keep walking with God.
Think what Joseph’s life would have been like if he had walked away from Mary. He would never have been blessed to hold Jesus in his arms. He would never have worshipped with the shepherds and wisemen, he would never have experience the thrill of working with God to bring salvation to the world and that was the mission God gave Joseph. Look again at what the angel said to Joseph. Take Mary as your wife – which also means take the child she carries as your son and name him Jesus for he will save people from their sin. Joseph has a part in God’s plan to bring salvation to the world and if he walks away – he misses the adventure and the blessing of working with God.
Sometimes it is tempting for us to walk away from God when we are disappointed with life, but think of what we will miss out on if we do that. God wants to use us to help bring love and joy and salvation to the world. God wants to work in us and through us and with us to accomplish his purpose and plan and there is nothing more satisfying than the experience of working with God. We may not see the world change as we walk with God, but neither did Joseph or Mary or for that matter Jesus. They didn’t see the world transformed by their faithfulness, but they did see lives changed. One at a time they saw lives changed. Joseph saw the lives of Shepherds and Wisemen changed when they came to worship Jesus and so can we. By offering the compassion and mercy of God to those around us, we can change thir lives. By reaching out to love and forgive we can change lives. When we share with others that the God of the universe cares for them and loves them - we can change lives. Like Joseph, God wants to change lives through us and he can if we will simply keep walking with Him.
Joseph kept walking with God. He walked back to Mary and together they walked to Nazareth, Mary’s hometown where there was a wedding. Then Joseph walked with Mary to Bethlehem where their child, God’s Son, was born. And then Joseph kept walking with God and was used by God to help protect Jesus as an infant shape his heart and life as a child and we know that Joseph shaped Jesus heart and life. Think about the righteousness we see in Jesus. It wasn’t zeal for the law but for love and it wasn’t a call for justice but for mercy. Jesus learned what true righteousness was all about from both his fathers – God and Joseph and all of that happened because in the midst of his disappointment and disillusionment in life – God was still at work in Joseph and Joseph kept walking with God. Today, no matter what we are going through – God is still at work in us so let’s keep walking with him.
Next Steps:
What disappointment have you experienced that you need to ask God to help you through? What will it mean for you to walk with God through this time and not away from God? List three ways you can continue to walk with God:
Through Joseph’s disappointment, God was still at work, how is God at work in your life? Identify three specific ways you see God working in your life and use this list to help you see the purpose and plan God has for you:
Identify one person who is going through a difficult time and offer them words of hope. Be the voice of an angel (God’s messenger) and remind them that God is still at work and has a plan for their lives.
Continue reading the journey of Mary and Joseph found in Luke 1 and 2 and Matthew 1 and 2, as well as the prophecy about Bethlehem found in Micah 5:2-5a. What do these passages tell us about the character of Mary, Joseph and the coming Messiah as well as the heart and character of God?
