No Ordinary Joe (Matthew 1:18–25)

Christians around the world gather on Christmas Day to worship our triune God, who covenanted before the beginning of time to redeem both fallen humanity and the fallen cosmos in which we live (2 Corinthians 5:18–20).

The Father initiated the plan; the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, paid the price to fulfil the plan; and the Holy Spirit applied the work of the Son to secure the plan for all eternity. Christmas, Good Friday, and Easter, are because of God. In the words of the prophet Jonah, salvation is of the Lord (Jonah 2:9).

In our politically correct world, people trip all over their tongues, unsure of whether to say, “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Holidays,” or whatever because of no comprehension that Christmas is about what God has done to save sinners. Today is about what God has done. It is about what God has given to us.

Nevertheless, the sovereign Lord uses means to fulfil his will. His means are usually people. And when it comes to the incarnation—God in the flesh—the Lord used several people, two of whom were Jesus’ earthly parents: Joseph and Mary.

There are two extremes when it comes to Mary and Joseph. Mary is sometimes idolised (as in Roman Catholic dogma) or minimised, if not ignored, by much of Protestantism (and certainly most Baptists). But Joseph is largely ignored as merely a figure in a nativity scene.

But just as Mary was clearly a remarkable young woman (and perhaps only a teenager) whom the Lord used and, in so doing, honoured her (Luke 1:28–30, 41–45, 48), so too was Joseph. He was remarkably righteous. He was no ordinary Joe.

Though there is not as much biblical information about Joseph as there is about Mary, there is sufficient for us to conclude that he was a good and godly man, which warrants the title of this sermon. As someone has well observed, “Joseph may stand quietly in the background of the Christmas story, but that’s precisely what makes him a hero of the faith.”

Though Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father, he was his earthly father figure. Others assumed that he was Jesus’ father (Matthew 13:55; Luke 2:27, 33).

Joseph, as Jesus’ foster father, took seriously his responsibility for providing for his needs of food, shelter, and protection. Jesus would be known as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55) and we can reasonably extrapolate that Joseph took seriously his duty to train Jesus in this trade. Luke tells us that Jesus reminded Mary and Joseph that God was his ultimate Father but also tells us that Jesus was obedient to them in their home (Luke 2:51).

Without belabouring this point, I want to emphasise that Joseph was a righteous man who no doubt trained Jesus in righteousness.

The book of Hebrews tells us that Jesus “learned” as a human being (Hebrews 5:7) and Luke is clear that he “grew in wisdom, in stature, in favour with God and man” (Luke 2:52). This growth most likely took place under the watchful, loving eyes of Mary and Joseph. I think we are on solid exegetical ground to conclude that Joseph led his family well, that he managed his household well, that he was a faithful spiritual leader of his family, and that he was committed to raising a godly seed. A very godly seed. The promised seed (Genesis 3:15).

As the record of Matthew 1–2 and Luke 2 reveal, Joseph fulfilled his biblical role of being a prophet, priest, and king to his family. Therefore, although Jesus Christ is the centre of our attention, the biblical witness concerning Joseph reveals that he was no ordinary Joe. May we be no ordinary Joes (or Janes)!

Joseph’s Trial

Verses 18–19 tell us of Joseph’s trial:

The opening phrase (“the birth of Jesus Christ took place”) is a profound statement, which would require several books to unpack. For our purposes, I will simply note that the incarnation—God becoming a man, taking on human flesh—is the miracle from which all other miracles become believable.

In Knowing God, Packer observes that people get hung up in all the wrong places concerning the biblical record of miracles, such as the virgin birth and the bodily resurrection of Jesus. But Packer argues that, once we believe the miracle of the incarnation, all other miracles become easy to believe. Joseph was among the privileged few to receive God’s revelation of the incarnation and this righteous man believed it. Yet at first, probably like you and me, he did not. In fact, when he learned (presumably from Mary) that Mary was expecting a child, he was an incredulously ordinary Joe. We see this in these two verses.

Betrothal was a legally binding engagement, which could only be broken by  divorce. Fornication was grounds for a breaking of the betrothal through divorce.

When Joseph became aware that Mary was pregnant, knowing he was not the father, he was perplexed over how to end the betrothal. He knew that he had the right to divorce her. Some would even argue that he had the responsibility before God to do so. Nevertheless, biblical righteousness is not only about doing the right thing; it includes having a right disposition. We see this in Joseph’s concern to do the right thing in a way that would bring the least shame upon Mary. The word “unwilling” indicates an absolute negative. That is, Joseph was absolutely committed to not causing Mary shame. He was willing to assume shame. Sound familiar?

Joseph was a “just man” (v. 19). He was right with God and hence treated others righteously, including mercifully. Pennington notes, “In keeping with Matthew’s theme, Joseph is commended for his forgiveness and grace—whole person behaviour that accords with God’s nature, will, and coming kingdom.” That is, righteousness is about both truth and mercy.

The righteous not only do not keep a record of wrongs (1 Corinthians 13:5b); they also do not keep a record of their rights. Rather, they seek to do right by others.

Jesus entering the world, including Joseph’s world, brought perplexity. His entrance brought pain and sorrow to those closest to him. The incarnation would be the source for slander, malice, and perhaps even contemptuous confusion. An ordinary Joe would respond in an ordinary way. But Joseph, by the grace of God, was no ordinary Joe.

It is clear that Jesus grew up in a home with a human father who apparently epitomised Micah 6:8: who did justice, loved mercy, and who as we will see, walked humbly with his God.

Jesus reflected this same righteousness throughout his life. Throughout his life, he did justly and exercised mercy because he walked humbly with his God—just like his earthly foster father. No wonder he said that, to enter his kingdom, our righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees (Matthew 5:20).

Joseph’s Task

The text moves on to describe Joseph’s task:

We are not told how long Joseph wrestled with this matter, but as he “considered” (pondered intensely), the Lord revealed truth to him by one of his heavenly servants. He was “touched by an angel” with absolute truth, which contained both assurance as well as a task. Joseph was assured that Mary had not been unfaithful but rather favoured. Favoured to carry Messiah (see Luke 1:28).

I don’t know all that the faithful remnant of Jews expected with reference to the promised Messiah. Though a faithful Jew expected a human ruler to set right the things that were wrong, the description given by the angel of the Lord concerning Mary’s child goes beyond a mere human being. This child—this Jesus—was no ordinary Jesus for “he it is that will save his people from their sins” (literal translation). Only God can do this. This would require the incarnation. And no one expected this. This was way beyond the ordinary!

This revelation of God, through the angel, contained two commands for Joseph to carry out: marrying and naming.

First, he was commanded to marry Mary. He was assured that this remarkable situation was rooted in the ways of the Lord and therefore he need not fear to take Mary as his wife. He was to publicly identify with her as his wife and he as her husband. Nothing indicates that he was to pretend that the child was his. To do so would have been a lie and therefore unrighteous. It would have been blasphemous. It might have made his life easier, but it would have been dishonest. It would have made him an ordinary Joe.

Second, he was instructed to name the child. According to custom, this would happen on the eighth day when the child was circumcised. Joseph was to boldly name this apparently illegitimate child (in the eyes of his community) “Yahweh saves.”

As we will see shortly, Joseph obeyed both commands. Tough commands. Difficult commands. How did he carry out these tasks? What was required? Among other things, what was primarily required was faith.

We will look at his faith in the remaining two verses but let’s pause and note how extraordinary this was. Joseph took seriously God’s revelation. There was no debate, no argument, but simple obedience. His faithfulness was a human means of preserving the march of God’s ancient promise (Genesis 3:15). Joseph’s righteous response to God’s revelation resulted in both hardship as well as honour in God’s mission to save his people. Just like old covenant Joseph (Genesis 37–50). We are called to the same faithfulness.

We are told that “all this took place to fulfil” Isaiah 7:14. In short, the incarnation was essentially about God becoming man to save, to stay with, and to sustain his people. A man who was no ordinary Joe was chosen to play a role in this. Joseph’s righteous behaviour was instrumental in the continual march of God’s gospel narrative. He was a part of the plan.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, we too are a part of the plan. Like Joseph, play your part. Pay heed to God’s revelation. Though an ordinary sinner, like Joseph, be an extraordinary saint. By doing so, others may come to know our extraordinary Saviour and be sustained by our glorious, sovereign, and triune God.

Joseph’s Trust

Let us now consider Joseph’s extraordinary trust: “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” (vv. 24–25).

We are told that “when Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him” (v. 24). This points to him being no ordinary Joe. I am reminded of the Sunday School song: “Obedience is the very best way to show that you believe.” Perhaps it is the only way to show that you believe. This was surely the case with Joseph. We observe his trust in God in several ways.

Social Defiance

“He took his wife” means that he followed through with his betrothal vow. He married Mary and took her home as his wife. We can imagine the wagging tongues, the suspicious if not scornful looks, and the social ostracising.

When the Lord Jesus comes into our lives, we are called upon to defy many accepted social norms. We are called upon to “wake up” and do what the Lord commands, despite what others—including religious others—expect of us. This is what it means to carry one’s cross. One wonders how Jesus processed Joseph’s response as he grew into his identity. He saw his human father do the hard thing out of a righteous response to God’s revelation. What a great example.

Fathers, mothers do your children see this in you? Church member, do fellow members see this in you? Students, will your fellow students see this in you? Will family members see this in you?

Self-Denial

“But knew her not until she had given birth to a son.” This phrase, and the subsequent record that Mary had other children (Matthew 13:55–56), proves the lie of the doctrine of the perpetual virginity of Mary. That aside, we see again that Joseph was no ordinary Joe, for he exercised self-denial.

Though Joseph had the right to marital relations with Mary, he refused to exercise those rights until she gave birth to Jesus. The text does not tell us why. Perhaps because he did not want to give any credence to lie that Jesus was naturally conceived. Whatever the reason, we observe that, when Jesus enters one’s life, self-denial is called for. Some things call for laying aside our rights. The Christian knows this and gladly embraces such a lifestyle.

When you experience the Saviour in your life, including the promise of him staying with you and sustaining you (v. 23), self-denial does not even seem like self-denial. As Paul said, “I count all things but loss in exchange for knowing God in Christ” (Philippians 3:8–10).

Saving Declaration

“And he called his name Jesus.” With these words, Matthew’s birth narrative comes to an end. Someone has said, “No father ever named a child with more hopefulness than Joseph. When Joseph named the child ‘Jesus’ he did so with great anticipation.”

Most parents choose the name of their children. Naming is an act of dominion (see Genesis 2:18–19). However, neither Joseph or Mary had a say in the naming the Christ child, precisely because he was the Christ! So, on the eight day after his birth, Joseph named him Jesus, just as he had been commanded (v. 21).

No Ordinary Jesus

This man who was no ordinary Joe named his child who was no ordinary Jesus. Jesus was a common, perhaps even popular, name in Israel because it was a hope-filled name: “Yahweh saves.” The name “Jesus” is the Greek equivalent of the Hebrew Joshua. The most famed Old Testament general was so named. By the time of second temple, Jewish neighbourhoods would have been filled with a lot of males with the name “Jesus” after this famed general.

Old covenant “Jesus” could lead and rescue God’s people from the Hittites, Amalekites, and Canaanites, but he could never rescue or redeem them from the slavery of sin and guilt and Satan. But this Jesus could. And he does. This is no ordinary Jesus. This Jesus is Jesus the Christ, Jesus the Lord, the promised Saviour of the world. This Jesus is literally Yahweh who saves!

Too many people look at Jesus as perhaps exceptional but not as extraordinary. They see him as an exceptional human being who was an exceptional teacher and an exceptional example. However we need to see him as extraordinary in that he was the God-man. We need to see him as an extraordinary gift from God, who lived a sinless and thus extraordinary life, who died a substitutionary and hence extraordinary death on behalf of ordinary sinners, and who experienced the extraordinary victory over sin and death and Satan when he rose from the dead to die no more.

Being confronted with his extraordinary nature and work, we realise how ordinary we are as sinners under the just condemnation of God. This humbles us to repent of our unrighteous pride, casting ourselves upon the Lord asking for his mercy to save us from our sins.

The extraordinary thing is that he does save his people! Therefore, ask him. Ask him now.

Conclusion

Each of us is an ordinary Joe, or an ordinary Jane, who deserves God’s wrath. But may the Lord graciously work in each of our lives. May he use his word to graciously and savingly bring the extraordinary Jesus into our lives transforming us by his Spirit into extraordinary Joes and Janes for his extraordinary glory.

AMEN