WHO NEEDS JOSEPH ANYWAY?

December 17, 1989

8:30 and 11:00 a.m. Worship Services
John M. Buchanan

fourth Presbyterian Church, Chicago

Scripture
Isaiah 35
Matthew 1:18-25

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother
Mary had been betrothed to Joseph,..." ~~Matthew 1:18 (RSV)

Who Needs Joseph, Anyway? That question which, by the way, is a very
important one, was posed not by a Biblical theologian or a New Testament
scholar, but by a four year old child. As a matter of fact the child is
Megan, Linda Loving's niece, and this story is hers. So if you ever hear
Linda telling it, please don't accuse her of using my material because the
reverse is actually the case. However, I am here and she is not, and this
sermon does need this story to get it going.

It was a few days before Christmas and Megan, four, was drawing a
picture of the nativity. When she completed her work she explained each
character to her mother: shepherds and sheep, three Wisemen and camels,
the stable with cows and a cat and dog and the manger and, of course, Mary
and the baby. Megan's mother, Laura, noticed that someone was missing.
She's a minister too, interested in Biblical faithfulness. “Where's
Joseph," she asked innocently, assuming, of course, that Megan would
remember and. sketeh him in. Perhaps Megan will be a feminist theologian
someday. In any event, slightly exasperated, she shot back decisively,
“Who needs Joseph, anyway?”

It is a great question. Joseph is the least active character in the
story and in many ways the least interesting. His role is clouded by the
mystery of his relationship to Mary's baby, in fact, his relationship to
Mary. He doesn't get much attention in the Bible. He does play a role in
the birth narratives: the angel of the Lord comes to him in a dream on
four separate occasions. In those dreams he is told about Mary's
pregnancy; later he is instructed to take Mary and child to Egypt; when
Herod dies, Joseph is told in another dream to return to Judea; and
finally, in-a fourth dream he is guided to Nazareth. [In Luke, Joseph
appears briefly twelve years later when Mary and he take their young son

Jesus to Jerusalem for the Passover. Then he disappears. When Jesus
leaves his Nazareth home at the age of thirty, Joseph is no longer part of
the story. The assumption is that he has dicd somewhere between Jesus

twelfth and thirteeaih years

: o In-any event, it is “impossible to be. a father, to hear t e. Christmas:
ostory: ‘and: not. wonder, at: least. once, about . what. it was. like: ‘for:
‘what-he was: doing, .what™ he was. feeling. -A™ friend of mine and
had a baby on Christmas. ‘Eves -In-fact,; labor. started” “in: the: Chr
ervice.: “Afterward,” walking. home early Christmas morning;
us’ alchild is born: vasson. is elven, * "to: anyone: who. would” listen

fathers do that kind of thing. ,

7 “ann: Weems has. written a poen, nS nf he a
which she, asks: are : Eee ee ee

"Who ‘put ‘Joseph - in the back of the ‘stable?

~: Who. dressed: hin. in’-brown,. “pat a staff in his hand,

-rand told: him: ‘to! ‘stand. in the back: of. the creche;
background for. ‘the: ‘magnificent light, of» ‘the Madonn

‘and then, the. poet “helps make. Joseph a bit | nore. > hum

"When he: wasn't in the doorway, ;

-he was. ‘probably. urging Mary to get. some rest.
“gently covering her. with his cloak,.
“assuring: her that. he, would watch: ‘the ‘Child.

“actually he “peobably’ picked ‘the child “up in o
°c his arms-and: walked him’ in the night,’ pees
patting him Jovingly until he- closed his eyes.’

“astonish us. “the paradoxes, - the nuances, “the” poignancy, -
—~ all fade in the lovely pastel: colors of Hallmark. VALL. the: ‘ehé

and? whatever Bethlehem image we. carry. around mentally. appears
gorgeous - Impressionist’ painting, ~ but not very. distinct:. aT n
- anyone - ‘who wasn't shocked: and-offended: by modern day ‘Bethlehen
“Crass commercialism, ‘its: flagrant. religious exhibitionism, its
“violence with armed soldiers: patrolling the streets.
American. greeting card nytho logy. _ Although every time: ‘I hea

o many. ways, exactly like. ‘the little town in which Jesus was. Ber

Bak T. think if we take a closer. look at him-- bring | him. to. the f
were —. the whole scene will come into much sharper focus.

Mary was his” fiance’ ‘and: She was “pregnant, but - ‘not by. hi
dilemma’ in-its simplest: form: . Marriage customs involved: a “tw acne a
“process. - The: first step. was a forma) exchange of consent before witnesses.

-Tt-involved a man, a: young: ‘woman-in-her- early teens, and her. ‘parents: os ae
“After the exchange of consent; the couple was called betrothed - = engaged iso
the nearest equivalent in-our’culture. The. period of betrothal. usually”
~ Tasted a year. ~The girl-stayed in her home; he did° whatever. hee had: been.
doing. before. In some places in the Near Bast Allowance was. nade” fora

event they were engaged, only more so. There was legal status and
obligation in betrothal. If he died during the year she was officially a
widow. [f she misbehaved by seeing another man his rights were abridged.

Stage two, after the year or so of betrothal, involved bringing the
bride to the bridegroom's home. There are lots of New Testament allusions
to that event. Jesus told parables about the bridegroom coming to get the
bride. It could be a very festive occasion, with banquets and parties
which continued for days. The Bach Advent Cantata we will hear this
morning is built on that motif.

Joseph and Mary were engaged to be married. And in the middle of
that period of betrothal Mary becomes pregnant. Luke says she was
“troubled” by this development, which has to be one of the real
understatements of all time! In fact she was in very serious trouble: a
teenager with an unwanted and unexpected pregnancy in a culture which deals
with adultery by stoning the woman.

In Matthew's account, an angel appears to Joseph to tell him that his
fiance is pregnant. Joseph "considers" the information. Kenneth Bailey, a
fine New Testament and Middle East scholar, says the word could also be
translated — “becomes enraged," and suggests that nobody in the ancient or
modern Near East “ponders” the fact that your fiance is pregnant and you're
not the father. You get pretty exercised. [The Presbyterian Outlook,
December 18-25, 1989]

Joseph's dilemma and his response to it are critical. We may not
agree with the customs of his culture, in fact we don't. But he thought
his right - one of his most sacred rights - had been violated by this
adolescent and God knows who else? Think about his humiliation. Assume
that he is a mature man, as church tradition always has. Think about what
he feels when his young fiance is pregnant.

In W. H. Auden's, A Christmas Oratorio, For the Time Being, the poet
captures the pain and poignancy. :

The awareness hits as Joseph sits in a fashionable bar having a
drink...

“And I was sitting down to wait
My own true love.”

Off stage the chorus says -

“Joseph, you have heard
What Mary says occurred

Yes, it may be so
Is it likely?

Ww ue

o.
Laler the chorus returns:

“Mary itnay be pure,
Bul Joseph, are you sare?”

pry faim fea

A’ third time the chorus taunts:

"Maybe, “maybe not: = Bt Aas

- But, Joseph; -you know what” coo
“Your= world, of: course, will say nee
About you. anyway.” : HEELS

Finally, a tormented Joseph cries: eee .

How ; am I to. Know?. .
: All I ask is one

Important. ‘and elegant proof,” ES
“That what my love-had done’ anes
Was really at your will’ re are
_ And that | “your will is dove

a [Collected Poems, Woon “ guden,
p. 280-282) :

: ing: ‘account of “the nnunciation: — "an: ‘angel whispering” to 3 srenely :
beautiful. “Mary.” But; “says” Willimon, “no-one. touches. Matthew! s
“Joseph: bolting: upright in bed, in a cold. sweat. after ‘the’ nightmare of

being told ‘his fiance is: ‘pregnant, and. nat: -by” hin, and, “he ‘should: marry. her
oo anyways They won't tell you ‘this. Christmas story. in Sunday. Schoo -{The

Christian century,” 1728/68

ae Joseph's dilemma: is’: “deepened by: the ‘fact that he | isa just man;
Matthew tells us. That means he's law- -abiding,” righteous, a good man, ‘The.
~lawvis. clear. Minimally, a-divorce is necessary. Even if: he. chooses. not”
Seto press: ‘charges which could: result-in- her death,. he. must break
engagement. His only choice. dis to do. it. privately, quietly, oF publicly.

: -Joseph- is not: only: just, he-turns out: to be: kind: and -$0° ne: elects: tow.
~ divorce: Mary quietly. And it! s.then that he has this dream, or: was -it a

-- nightmare,- that. God wants him to-do something outrageous, wants him-to. gO ;
_ through with it, to do the unthinkable: as if’ nothing happened-— to go
through with step two, bring Mary, now big, really pregnant,. into his home,
as. his. wife. We don't. know what Mary's parents-are saying ‘about: all -this.-
“about: her shameful pregnancy,- her insistence that -God° was doing. something

~ wonderful: in all this; or-what her mother, “Anna, was feeling. the day” her
pregnant. ‘teenage daughter went off to live with a strange man -and” then,

5 becanse- the man's family -was from Bethlehem, actually traveled with. her to
‘Bethlehem on a donkey at: the time she was about to have her baby. — DT -do
“know that it. is no smal]. Ching, however. :

a What we do know is: that this man, Joseph, does it: ‘doesn’ 4 have to;
ceo fact has..every legitimate reason in the world for walking. away, ‘washing
his hands of the whole mess and finding another young woman of, which: there
“were, plenty. Joseph does it. He marries hers: -And while Matthew wee

ay

12/17/89

unciation =

says: the reason. he did it was because God told him to ina dream, J' lie bet.
it wasn't terribly: clear. -1'1]l° bet’ he really struggled with it. I' LT: bet.
he loved her.-- I'll bet. it was- finally that. simple. Joseph loved Mary.
Joseph loved: Mary so deeply. and profoundly that. he- found hinself actually.»
thinking the unthinkable: actually considering overlooking this obvious
and public -and humiliating insult to his masculine pride;. actually .
experienced the power of love-overcoming social custom, cultural mores and
even his dearest religious dogma. I believe that's: how God works. Tos
believe that's: what Matthew is-trying to tell us with those dreams - Joseph.
Keeps having. God uses Jove to move people and_ events and the whole. of.
human history Starting with the. love of this man for. this woman. Joseph
loved her: that s all there is to say. 0 EES

You see Joseph's justice was not a cut and dried legalism. It was
compassion and consideration and human kindness, and.a kind of quiet but.
fierce siding with the outcast, the alien, the oppressed.

Joseph. demonstrated a new: kind of righteousness, a-new morality.
Moral goodness, for this remarkable Man, meant more than doing the right :
-thing. - It-meant loving so selflessly that he was willing to assume her =~.
shame, her humiliation, protect her by. marrying her and by. forever living:
with the doubt. Love does that ‘kind of thing. Love. overcomes a lot. “Love. :
bears all things, believes all. things, hopes all things, endures alloc 7
things” “= someone “put it... [1 Cor. 13:7]

One of the things God had. in mind apparently. - in the coming of. this-
| child, this man into our life’ = was to persuade us. to: think differently a
about righteousness: | to get us to let eo of ‘our ‘tight rules and moralism es
and try out some exciting new concepts like forgiveness and compassion ‘and
creative love... Thus, the great theologian Paul Tillich said that "Love- is:
Justice... and Justice is Love;.not simply the application of rules to.
regulate private and public behavior. Justice is love at. work in the.

world.": = And=Gad's ‘project. — to do that began before the child is born, with

Joseph, - father ‘of Jesus.

Did he love Mary, his: wife, _ afterward, after the child was born: and
after the time in Egypt when they settled in Nazareth? There. is.no..:
evidence one way or the other. The Roman Catholic tradition keeps Mary's
virginity intact and builds a whole system of piety on it. Joseph is a
little awkward, so he remains celibate in Roman piety, quickly fades and
becomes an obscure saint. Since we don't know for sure, I choose to
believe. they were married in every sense of the werd: that he loved her
passionately; that-he loved his work and their family and their life
together in Nazareth; that they were married for a long time, perhaps -
twenty-eight years.

T choose. to. believe that: the man Jesus never forgot his father:
Joseph; could recall good times together; could remember Limes of disvovery
and learning and challenge and: discipline and painful self- consciousness
and growth which have a way of happening between a’ father and a son.

1 choose to believe that when one day Jesus happened on a crowd of.

angry religious zealots. about: to carry out their form of Justice. by stowing o. 90

a womary, who had committed adaltery,. that he remembered Joseph; remembered >

1/17 FRG

what his mother Mary had told him about how it had been with her and with
her betrothed when everyone was condemning her, and the neighbors. were
snickering and there was talk about adultery and pressing charges...
believe when Jesus picked that poor frightened woman up and said;
_"Daughter, your sins are forgiven," and literally saved her life, he was
Joseph's son as well as God's. : ; :

When he healed a poor man with a withered hand on the Sabbath,
clearly breaking a religious Jaw, he was expressing the justice ‘which is
_ compassion that he learned by watching his father. And when.the outcasts,
the outsiders, the despised and rejected found in him a graceful: welcome,
or acceptance, he was expressing the righteousness which is always merciful
and kind, that Joseph had lived. ;

-While I know he lived in a patriarchal culture with only masculine
metaphors for God, and I wish that weren't the case, JI do believe when he
astonished people by teaching that God is so personal that it is
appropriate to say, "Abba," the most intimate Aramaic word for father. -
"Daddy" is the only English equivalent — Jesus did so somehow because: of
Joseph.

Who needs him? Mary needed him. Jesus needed hin. The story needs
hin. ; ; are

Let's put him in front of the stable sometimes.

Hail Mary, Blessed art thou among women, and
‘Hail, Joseph, Blessed art thou among us all.

God of Justice and Love, startle us again with this simple story we
have heard so many times.

“May we find in it our experience: our hepes and dreams; cur loves
and our lives, through Jesus Christ our Lord. ;

Amen.

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