By Dr. Bill D. Whittaker
GLASGOW — Many Christians have the familiar nativity scene displayed in their homes — Mary, Joseph and the Christ child. Sometimes the most familiar is the least understood. Joseph is always there but often taken for granted. Yet he’s the type of man we need today. It is apparent many people are disappointed in Tiger Woods. Consider Joseph; he’s “a man for all seasons.”
Joseph was a descendant of David from the village of Bethlehem. A carpenter by trade, he seems to have migrated up to the hill town of Nazareth and there became engaged to a woman named Mary. There is some indication he was older than Mary and may have died before Jesus began his public ministry. Joseph was alive when the family made the trip to Jerusalem when Jesus was age 12 — that’s the last mention of Joseph. At the Marriage of Cana, Mary was present but it seems she was alone and probably already a widow. But Matthew’s account (1:18-25) gives us a significant glimpse into his life.
The girl he was engaged to became pregnant! Today, that’s not such a big deal — but then it was a major crisis. The marriage custom involved a one-year waiting period, dissolved only by divorce, but the marriage bed not yet culminated.
Joseph knew — this isn’t my baby! What stress, strain, and emotional upheaval he must have experienced. His reaction reveals what he was really like, and provide some commitments each of us men need to make--women also!
His first reaction was the assumption she had been unfaithful (v.19). “She’s humiliated me—why not “expose her to public disgrace?” A common reaction when people get hurt is to hurt back. Yet Joseph resolved to “divorce her quietly.” The Jewish law gave him support to have her stoned; but he “was unwilling to put her to shame.” It’s a great move when compassion overcomes legal righteousness. Here is the first quality of this man for all seasons—merciful compassion.
The “Playboy Philosophy” encourages men to live it up, fulfill sensual pleasures and treats women as a possession, or territory to be conquered—love them and leave them. These relationships are void of commitment, little concern, and an absence of authentic love. Tiger Woods has reaped the result of this approach. The Bible warns, “Take heed you that stand lest you fall” (1 Cor. 10:12).
May God’s grace work in all of us to avoid such a deadly trap. We are called to be people of merciful compassion. Seeing what he considered to be Mary’s sin did not blind him to her value. He didn’t give up. This is the way God relates to each of us. Joseph is called “a righteous man.” Out of his Jewish heritage of knowing the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, he did the right thing!
I believe Mary shared with Joseph the incredible account of the angel and her miraculous conception. As he lay down to sleep it was on his mind. Verse20 states, “he considered [his options] intensely.” He was open to what God could do. That’s the second quality that emerges from this glimpse of this man for all seasons—open to the possibilities of God’s power.
Scientists tell us we live in an open universe—with possibilities we cannot imagine. Telescopic views of the universe reveal stars still being formed. God wants us to be open to His immense possibilities. On the threshold of a new year for us as individuals, families, and churches we need to be open to God’s power. Instead of life guided by “I’ve never done it that way before,” approach life with the conviction that “With God all things are possible.” Be open to the possibilities of God’s power.
Some consider the promise of 1 Cor. 2:9 to refer only to eternity: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the mind of man what God has prepared for those who love him.” Yet it is also a promise for life. Don’t give up; give your problem over to an all-powerful God who desires to work with and through us to demonstrate his love and grace.
When Joseph got an insight from God in a dream he acted on it. With merciful compassion and open to the possibilities of God’s power, we must also add this characteristic — decisiveness. It might not have made sense, but Joseph acted (vv24-25).
You might envision a different future—but it will only happen as you act decisively. Futures are lost through indecision. Awesome potential is never fulfilled by wallowing in uncertainty. The future is often stopped by a cowardly refusal to act.
Joseph is a man for all seasons! No wonder God chose him to be Jesus’ earthly father.
Compassionate…open to God’s possibilities…decisive. It’s now our opportunity to be that kind of person – in all the seasons of life.
