This morning we have lighted the fourth and final Advent candle, the Angels candle reminding us of the angels who announced the good news to the shepherds that in Bethlehem God fulfilled His promise that Jesus the Savior was born. We are only one candle and three days away from celebrating Christ-mas, two days away from celebrating Christmas Eve, and the birth of our Savior, Christ the Lord. The past two weeks we have been looking at the life of John the Baptist, the forerunner, the way preparer for Jesus and His earthly ministry of ushering in the Kingdom of heaven. This week we shift gears and move back to the time of just before Jesus physical, earthly birth. Our text for this morning comes right after the genealogy of Jesus which traces Jesus roots back through Joseph all the way to Jesus being the ancestor of Abraham, thus pointing out that this is the Child of promise, the one originally promised by God in the Garden of Eden and the one about whom the prophets continually spoke throughout history. This morning, however, we will focus not so much on Joseph, or Mary, but on God and His hand and plan in all these events that took place.
With that said, our history account does begin with Mary and the events of the life of an unwed mother. Mary was a young teenager, probably between the ages of thirteen and sixteen. Although she was betrothed, which meant that she was legally married, she was not yet married and had not yet consummated the marriage and yet, now she was found to be pregnant. Matthew says, “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” (v. 18). Of course, when we read that she was “found” to be pregnant we might snicker a smug snicker, because we know that people do not just “find” themselves pregnant. But, with Mary, that was the case. She was “found” to be pregnant, because what was conceived in her was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We know that Mary was, what we would today call, a religious person or today we might say that she was a Christian. She believed in God. She believed God’s promise to send a Savior. She was faithful in her worship and Bible class attendance, listening to Holy Scripture, and in prayers. But remember, these were not things she did in order to justify herself, or to attempt to make herself righteous in God’s sight. These were things she did out of love and as a response for God’s great love for her. She was chosen by God, but she was not chosen to be the mother of God because of any merit or worthiness on her part, only because God, in His grace, chose her.
Mary was a mature young woman who was willing to submit to the will of God. Whether or not she understood all the ramifications, the public discrimination and the like, of her submitting to the will of God we do not know, all we know is that she put her trust in God to be a part of His plan and purposes. And she trusted that God would work out all things in her life for the best.
Our account continues with Joseph. Joseph is the adoptive father of God. Joseph was a young man, probably in his middle to late twenties, trying to do the right thing. About Joseph Matthew says, “And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 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’” (v. 19-20). Notice that Joseph considered all these things. Joseph was not the type of person to make a quick, rash decision, but instead, he thought about the situation with Mary. He knew what could be the possible ramifications of exposing Mary to be pregnant, namely, she could be stoned to death. He thought about the public disgrace that she would suffer and he thought about how he cared for and loved her, so he had in mind to divorce her quietly and not make a big deal of the whole situation.
We are told that Joseph was also a religious person. Today we might say that he too, along with Mary, was a Christian. He had faith in God. He believed God’s promise to send a Savior. He was looking for this Savior as well. What he did not know, until this time, was that he would be a part of the life of the Savior.
Joseph was a man wanting to do the will of God. When the angel appeared to him he listened to the angel. He understood what the angel was telling him. He probably did not understand what would be the result of his obedience to God’s will, but because of his faith he was willing to take the risk and do what God wanted done.
We have talked about Mary, we have talked about Joseph, but did you notice in all these events the hand of God. Let us go back to the real beginning of our account. And I do mean the real beginning. In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. He created all the living creatures and He crowned His creation with His creation of the mankind, the man Adam and the woman, Eve. He put them in a beautiful garden which He had prepared especially for them. They were to care for the garden and in order to give them a way to acknowledge and respond to God for all His good gifts and blessings, the Lord gave them the ability to give Him their obedience, that is, to obey Him by doing what He asked. And what God asked was that they not eat from the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Of course, most of us know the history. They did eat of the fruit of “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” and with that sin of disobedience, sin entered the world and with sin, punishment also entered and in particular, the punishment of death, even eternal death of hell and the earth was cursed. Immediately, and I do mean immediately, after Adam and Eve sinned, God stepped in. It was God who came to rescue Adam and Eve. He first made His promise to Adam and Eve in the Garden that He would send a Savior for their forgiveness and for the forgiveness of all humanity, of all people of all nations, of all places of all times. This promise was made before there was a Jew or Gentile, when there was just people, Adam and Eve. As history progressed, following the events of the flood and the tower of Babel, the Lord continued to remember and reiterate this promise to send a Savior for all people. Throughout Scripture, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and so on down the line, God reiterated His promise, at times narrowing the line of fulfillment of the promise. Even through the time of Mary and Joseph, at which time He began fulfilling those promises.
God’s hand is seen as He now comes to intervene in human history and at just the right time. Matthew quotes from our Old Testament reading for this morning reminding us of God’s promise and His fulfillment, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us)” (v. 22-23). God is the one in charge. God is the prime mover. The Holy Spirit is the one who worked the miracle of Mary’s pregnancy. The baby to be born is true God, conceived by the Holy Spirit, and true man, born of the human mother, the virgin Mary. And the baby that was born was born for a reason and that reason was to live a perfect life for us in our place, fulfilling God’s demand of perfection and then to take our sins upon Himself and to die, to pay the price for our sins, your sins and mine. This event is God intervening in human history and time, in order to bring forgiveness of sins, life, eternal life and salvation.
God is the one who is directing these events which are taking place. At just the right time, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, born to give His life for ours. God sent His angel to bring the message of the birth of John the Baptist, the way preparer for the Messiah, to Zechariah and Elizabeth. God sent His angel to bring the message of the birth of His only Son to Mary. God is the one who sent His angel, and I might add again, at just the right time, to Joseph in a dream in order to still his doubts concerning Mary, his betrothed. God is the one who we know and believe that with Him, all things are possible.
And now we read the history and how these events were played out. Mary was pregnant. She was a young, unwed mother, whose unplanned pregnancy could have meant death by stoning. She was betrothed, more than engaged, legally married to Joseph, and what would he think of his bride to be when He found out she was pregnant and it was not his child. Mary had complete trust in God and His good will and pleasure. She had complete trust in His unseen hand in all these events which were about to take place.
Joseph was a righteous man. He wanted to do what was right. He carefully contemplated and considered all his options, as he saw them, until he was visited by an angel. The angel announced to him what was really happening, God’s unseen hand in these events which were about to take place. Joseph also had complete trust in God and His good will and pleasure and was obedient to that will.
Joseph did what was right as he was directed by God. Matthew tells us, “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 given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus” (v. 24-25). Joseph did not question anything that the angel had told him. He took Mary home as his wife. He had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he adopted her son as his own and this was done through his giving Him the name Emmanuel, which means “God with us.” Jesus, the name by which he is called, means “God saves.” Thus we have in this name the understanding that our God is with us who has come to save us. Christ the Lord is born.
Have you ever wondered why certain things happen in your life, or why they happen at a certain time? You are experiencing the same thoughts that Mary and Joseph were experiencing I am sure. Sometimes we can see God’s hand in the events of our lives, or at least we think we can, but most of the time, however, it is usually not until the events are long past that we can really see and understand what was God’s good and perfect will. For your own comfort and strengthening I would remind you, as we have seen God work through the lives of Mary and Joseph and many others throughout Holy Scripture, we know that God works when and where He pleases, always at just the right time, according to what He knows is best for us, according to His good and gracious and perfect will. As we continue preparing ourselves to celebrate Jesus’ first coming at His birth in Bethlehem, I pray we are reminded by God’s Word and God Himself through His Word, of His love for us in working out these events for our salvation. And to that we say, to God be the glory, for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
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