Joseph – The True Gentleman
Cast Characters for Christmas - Part 2
(When facing challenging circumstances, the child of God is to trust God, demonstrate gentleness and faithfulness. Joseph is such an example we should follow.)
We are sharing a brief series over these weeks leading up to Christmas, entitled Cast Characters for Christmas… Last week, we took a look at Mary - the Surrendered… Today, we will consider Joseph – the True Gentleman…
Let's begin by reading from Matthew's report about the birth of Jesus, where we are introduced to Joseph, and where we learn about this particular character that God assembled to give us Christmas…
Matthew 1:18-25
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.20 But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of 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 Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: 23 "BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US." 24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
Obviously Jesus is the central figure in this narrative… In fact, He is the central character in the whole Bible … the key figure in all of history for that matter…
Let's keep in mind, especially at Christmas time, that Jesus is the primary Hero!... In fact, He is the One and Only – the Unique One of all history!
As one commentator puts it – Jesus is unmatched in history – He is:
- Unique in substance: He alone is both God and man (John 10:30).
- Unique in prophecy: No other leader's life was foretold so clearly and accurately (Micah 5:2).
- Unique in mission: Jesus alone came to save us from our sins (Matt. 1:21).
- Unique in birth: Only Jesus was born of a virgin (Matt. 1:23).
- Unique in ability: No one but Jesus has the power to forgive sins (Mark 2:10).
- Unique in existence: Jesus alone existed before the beginning of time (John 1:1-2).
- Unique in position: No one else is equal with God (Phil. 2:5-6).
- Unique in reign: Only Jesus reigns forever (Hebrews 1:8).
The story of Jesus' arrival to earth, is most unique as well!... God chose simple, ordinary, but Godly people to bring His Son into the world…
Today, we want to camp out in the gospels and see what we can learn about Jesus' … "foster father" – the man whom God chose to raise His Son…
Let's begin by considering –
1. The Background of Joseph
As we learned last week, Mary and Joseph were a young Galilean couple who lived in Nazareth. But there is a little more to Joseph's background that we need to note… First –
Joseph was a descendant of David
As we learned last week, Mary and Joseph were both descended from David. There are two genealogies recorded in the Bible that show the line of Jesus…
(Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-38)
Matthew shows the genealogy from Abraham, going forward to David, and then to Jesus… Luke shows the genealogy going backward from Jesus to David, to Abraham, and then all the way back to Adam!
Keep in mind that the Messiah must be a descendant of David, and we learn from the genealogies of Jesus that He has the right to that claim, because both Mary and Joseph were descendants of David.
Matthew gives us the genealogy of Joseph, showing us the legal line for the inheritance of the throne of David, while Luke, in his report, gives us the genealogy of Mary showing the literal line of Jesus' right to the throne of David!
In fact, let me cite an article that explains this better –
"Most conservative Bible scholars today take … view… that Luke is recording Mary's genealogy and Matthew is recording Joseph's. Matthew is following the line of Joseph (Jesus' legal father), through David's son Solomon, while Luke is following the line of Mary (Jesus' blood relative), through David's son Nathan. Since there was no specific Koine Greek word for "son-in-law," Joseph was called the "son of Heli" by marriage to Mary, Heli's daughter. Through either Mary's or Joseph's line, Jesus is a descendant of David and therefore eligible to be the Messiah. Tracing a genealogy through the mother's side is unusual, but so was the virgin birth. Luke's explanation is that Jesus was the son of Joseph, 'so it was thought' (Luke 3:23)."
My favorite translation renders Luke 3:23 as –
Luke 3:23
When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years of age, being, as was supposed, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,
Joseph has no small part in God's plan in sending the Messiah into the world – and yet, some think of Joseph as … the forgotten man of Christmas… And we can see how that title may fit him… There is not much preserved for us about Joseph in the Bible. We read about him every Christmas, but outside of the narrative of Jesus' birth, and His experience in the Temple at the age of 12 (Luke 2:41-52), there is nothing more said directly about Joseph … but there is something said indirectly that we should note…
We can only surmise that Joseph had already died by the time Jesus began His public ministry at the age of 30… Joseph was nowhere to be found at the wedding feast, where Jesus performed His first miracle (John 2:1:11)... When Jesus was on the cross, and about to die, He entrusted the care of His mother to His beloved disciple, John (John 19:26-27), and this was necessary because Joseph was already gone…
So, from our examination of the text, we can conclude that Joseph is a descendant of David, and we also learn that –
Joseph was a carpenter by trade
We learn this from what happened to Jesus, when He returned to Nazareth… We read about it in Matthew 13 –
Matthew 13:54-55a
54 He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55Is not this the carpenter's son?
Those who knew Jesus while He was growing up, knew that He was identified as Joseph's son – and this passage clearly tells us that Joseph was a carpenter…
Let's look at that word carpenter for a moment. The original term is τέκτων (Téktōn). Though translated as "carpenter", it has also been used for skilled craftsman, or builder, and it is a word that encompasses stonemason, and even a metallurgist, and a creator of fabric… It is a word used to speak of someone who works with wood, stone, metal, or even ideas (like a wordsmith)...
Keep in mind that the common material for building homes in 1st century Judea, was … stone. Joseph may have been more of a modern-day stonemason, than a modern-day carpenter…
There is something else about Joseph we learn from this same passage, and that is –
Joseph became the father of many
Let's look at this passage again –
Matthew 13:54-58
54 He [Jesus] came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers? 55Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57 And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household." 58 And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
Did we see it? Joseph was the foster father to Jesus, but the biological father to James, Joseph (Jr.), Simon, and Judas – and they had sisters, which is plural, so we know there was more than one sister… Joseph became the father to many – and was seen by all in his community as the father to this whole family!
Listen, being a father is a great assignment from the Lord. It is a great blessing, but it has tremendous responsibility – and the Lord will hold all fathers responsible for their assigned part in the family…
God called Joseph to be the earthly father in the raising of Jesus – a trust that I can only imagine, he took with a great sense of responsibility!
… Okay, those are some things we can conclude about the background of Joseph… Let's go a bit deeper, and think about what we learn about –
2. The Character of Joseph
Just what kind of man was Joseph?... By the way, one's character is far more important than one's achievements… You might achieve all the goals you set out for your life – but if the character of your being is … lacking, it really won't matter what you have "achieved"...
In fact, character is what will be measured most by our Lord when we all give an account to Him for how we've lived our lives!... How will you measure up?...
How do you suppose Joseph measures up?... Well, we get more than a hint from the Scriptures. First, –
Joseph was a righteous man
We glean this truth about Joseph from –
Matthew 1:18-19
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. 19 And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
Now, we need to think for a moment about this word "righteous"...
The text specifically says something about Joseph and his righteousness that needs to carefully noted… Look carefully at –
Matthew 1:19
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
At this point, Joseph was already a righteous man! He didn't achieve it, he received it – just like every believer whom the Scripture identifies as righteous!
Paul, and Peter later clarify this in such passages as –
Titus 3:5
He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,
2 Timothy 1:9
who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity,
1 Peter 1:3
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
Never has anyone been made righteous – right with God by doing something… They are made right with God on the basis of something having been done … on their behalf!
Joseph, like all of the faithful throughout the OT was looking forward to the the purpose for Jesus' coming in the first place! They had faith in what God was going to do!... We now look back in the same faith upon Christ, and rest in the righteousness that comes because of what he has done!
Joseph was a righteous man!...
We also learned, for lack of a better word, that –
Joseph was a gentle man
In fact, here is where you might refer to Joseph as a "true gentleman"... Joseph had the legal right to break off the brothel to Mary by divorce, and even to do so in a publically humiliating way – but, he was clearly desiring to be … gentle with Mary… He was –
Matthew 1:19
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, [so he] planned to send her away secretly.
I read somewhere along the way, that in that culture and time, a man could get a divorce in either of two ways… He could get a public divorce by going before a judge at the gate of the city. That would result in the whole town knowing about Mary, and would consider her a woman to be … shamed… The second way available to Joseph to divorce, was to get a private divorce by giving her the papers in the presence of two witnesses – this is what Joseph initially planned to do. It is entirely to Joseph's credit that he chose to do it privately and to spare Mary the humiliation of a public divorce.
We can also draw this conclusion, because after Joseph and Mary were married, he did not … consummate the marriage until after Jesus was born!
We read that –
Matthew 1:24-25
24 And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, 25 but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus.
By doing this, some say that Joseph "safeguarded the validity of the virgin birth."
The point being made here, is that this gives evidence to Joseph being a self-sacrificing man… He put others before himself – THAT'S what a man of God does!
This leads us to consider that –
Joseph was a faithful man
When you think of "faithfulness", think vertical first, then horizontal… Joseph was faithful to the Lord first, and that makes him more determined, and equipped to be faithful toward others…
First, the vertical – Joseph was faithful –
to obey and follow
GotQuestions.com has an article on Joseph that you will find helpful… Listen to this description of his character –
"After an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and encouraged him not to be afraid to take Mary as his wife, Joseph immediately obeyed (Matthew 1:24-25). Later in the book of Matthew, an angel again appears to Joseph and commands him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt because King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Again, Joseph immediately obeys the angel's command and takes his family to Egypt, saving Jesus' life (Matthew 2:14-15). After Herod died, an angel once again appears to Joseph and commands him to return to Israel, which he does (Matthew 2:19). Joseph presents a pattern of obedience."
A faithful man – obeys God!... Joseph serves for us an example of what such faithfulness looks like!
I think we also see in this quote that the vertical faithfulness of Joseph to obey and follow, is what equips him in his horizontal faithfulness, which is –
to protect and provide
Let's read about this in Matthew 2. We can't simply jump to the section that makes the point… Surely, at Christmas time, we need to read the entire chapter… Now keep in mind, that these event took place after Jesus' birth – in fact it could have been as much as two years after He was born… Let's read about it –
Matthew 2:1-23
1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, 2 "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him." 3When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Gathering together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for this is what has been written by the prophet:
6'AND YOU, BETHLEHEM, LAND OF JUDAH,
ARE BY NO MEANS LEAST AMONG THE LEADERS OF JUDAH;
FOR OUT OF YOU SHALL COME FORTH A RULER
WHO WILL SHEPHERD MY PEOPLE ISRAEL.'"7Then Herod secretly called the magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. 8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him." 9 After hearing the king, they went their way; and the star, which they had seen in the east, went on before them until it came and stood over the place where the Child was. 10When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.11 After coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him. Then, opening their treasures, they presented to Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned by God in a dream not to return to Herod, the magi left for their own country by another way.
13 Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him."
14 So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. 15 He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "OUT OF EGYPT I CALLED MY SON."
16Then when Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi, he became very enraged, and sent and slew all the male children who were in Bethlehem and all its vicinity, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the magi. 17Then what had been spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
18 "A VOICE WAS HEARD IN RAMAH,
WEEPING AND GREAT MOURNING,
RACHEL WEEPING FOR HER CHILDREN;
AND SHE REFUSED TO BE COMFORTED,
BECAUSE THEY WERE NO MORE."19But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, 20 "Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead." 21 So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Then after being warned by God in a dream, he left for the regions of Galilee, 23 and came and lived in a city called Nazareth. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophets: "He shall be called a Nazarene."
Joseph's obedience to the Lord's commands, given by the angel, is what led to his accepting the responsibility to protect his family from Herod… He took his family to Egypt, and provided for his family there for a period of time…
Joseph brought his family back, only after that Herod had died, and he continued to provide for his family through his chosen vocation…
Although God's Word only gives a few details about the kind of man Joseph was, it gives us enough to see that he was a humble man who faithfully obeyed God. He took responsibility, and worked hard to provide for his family… And he was a man to be honored. These are all godly characteristics that we should seek to emulate…
Questions to Consider in Community Group:
- Why are there two different genealogies for Jesus?
- Is there anything about Joseph's background that you find particularly interesting, or challenging?
- What does it mean to be a "righteous" person? What were the cross references shared in this point in the message that you find particularly helpful? What other passages would you like to bring to the discussion?
- What evidence was cited that points to the "gentleness" of Joseph?
- What is unique about betrothal, as compared to engagement in our culture?
- What was Joseph "faithful" to do, as presented in the message?
- What other points about Joseph should we remember, and apply to our lives?
