Matthew 1:18-25 Commentary

We don’t know much about Joseph but what we do know is of pretty good quality. Even in our passage this week—where Joseph doesn’t even utter a word—we are given a number of positive characteristics to understand what kind of person Joseph is.

Joseph is righteous; he also is not one to bear a grudge. Consider the way that he has decided to not publicly disgrace Mary when he finds out that his fiancé is pregnant. And, when God’s messenger comes to him in a dream, he does as God wants: his righteous obedience continues.

And this time, that obedience is going to look very funky to the people around him. They are not going to believe the truth. Like they will judge Mary, they will judge Joseph. Putting ourselves in Joseph’s shoes, would we make the same choice to be obedient to God? Joseph’s faithfulness is risky to their social belonging. In essence, his willingness to follow the call of God means that he is willing to become an outcast with Mary for the sake of a larger promise for all people. He is willing to sacrifice much for the sake of others.

It’s risky for Joseph, and to be sure, it’s risky for God to lean into our human cooperation yet again. Like the call on Abraham to go to a land he did not know so that the nations of the world could be blessed, like all of the prophets given a message that the people and the kings did not want to hear, and like the great salvation event in the Old Testament hinging on Moses seeing the Burning Bush and doing what the messenger of God told him to do, God takes the risk of inviting us into God’s work.

So this year we get Joseph’s example of human cooperation instead of Mary’s. And just as Mary’s story is exceedingly full of challenges to the call to faith and trust, Joseph’s story of joining God by supporting Mary is also a challenge. In some ways, it lacks that glamour and glow of being the one to “bear God” into the world. But, there is an added layer of trust needed: he must implicitly trust Mary because he trusts the message from God.

And consider how important Joseph’s cooperation with God is! It is through Joseph’s family line that Jesus is part of the line of David. As Jesus’s adoptive dad, Joseph makes the prophecy fulfilled. In a story of miracles and challenging circumstances, this adoption detail is an easy one to miss: God’s redemptive work happens by enfolding and the added promise of commitment when it did not have to be. A DNA test would not be the bond: a commitment is.

For me, Joseph is a model of meekness. He casts aside any claims he has and instead identifies and walks alongside the one who needs support to pursue the will of God. Joseph does so even though it might cost him. He is willing to stay present to the challenges his commitment will bring and he does so by relying on his quiet faith. Joseph proves himself to be exceedingly gentle and humble—just as we know Jesus will be.

So as we think about Advent and our own cooperation with God, what shall we do? And what amazing part of God’s kingdom might come through our willingness to do what we hear the Spirit bring us in our dreams?

Textual Point

Donald Hagner points out the repetition of the name Jesus throughout this pericope “serves to remind the reader both of the purpose for which he has come (verse 21) and of the consequent accomplishment of the sovereign plan of God (verse 20c).”

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Illustration Idea

In our hyper-individualized world—especially in Christianity where faith has become something between God and me—it can be difficult for us to imagine that we might be called to hear or do something for someone else’s journey with God. Now, I’m not telling us to start throwing around, “God told me to tell you…” but I do believe that the Spirit is still at work among us and through us today. I remember a time in college when I was in a class that had a Bible translator working in India come speak to our class. I felt this presence or pressure, like what I was hearing was important, and I also felt very confused as to why I was feeling that way because I felt no call to missions or translation work. Later that night at a Bible study I was in, though, one of the members talked about how they were questioning what they should do for the summer and one of the options was going to work with an organization in India. I shared about my experience earlier in the day and wondered aloud if what I heard might have been for her…

I also think of the way that my husband Chris has been so stalwart in trusting my calls in ministry and vocation. Even though it’s come at a cost to him, he’s willing to go with where God leads us. For that, I am grateful. I think the last time I worked with this text I even said to him, “Thank you for being like Joseph.” I probably ought to say that more often as our lives have significantly changed from three years ago!