Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to divorce her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
“Look, the virgin shall become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,”
which means, “God is with us.” When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife but had no marital relations with her until she had given birth to a son, and he named him Jesus.
Matthew 1:18-25
Devotional
While Luke’s Gospel focuses on Mary’s important role in Jesus’ birth, Matthew’s focus is more on Joseph. Like any good storyteller, Matthew begins with the scandal. An engaged woman is pregnant. Her fiancé is not the father. You can see the whispers begin around town. Matthew also know humanity’s love for good gossip. And so, he reminds us (with a bit of implied rebuke) that Joseph is a righteous man who wants to avoid the gossip. As the presumed wronged party in this situation, Joseph’s actions speak of a tremendous amount of grace and forgiveness and a deeply held faithfulness to a God who embodies those qualities as well.
Perhaps it is Joseph’s faithfulness that makes him open to the angelic visitation. Anger and frustration after all do not often place us in the most receptive mental space for the Holy Spirit. It is a good thing he was paying attention, however, because it is not often God comes down to correct our assumptions.
“Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife” the angel informs him before explaining the divine origins of Mary’s baby.
While a quiet divorce would have been easier, a public wedding to a pregnant woman is much more difficult. In a social context where women and children did not have many rights or privileges on their own, Joseph’s decision to marry Mary is a decision to provide that protection to her and her baby is potentially lifesaving. This act of faithfulness, however comes at the cost of taking on the undeserved shame and guilt of being associated with her pregnancy. Knowing the costs and choosing to follow the angel’s invitation, makes Joseph, in many ways, the first person in Matthew’s Gospel to choose to be a follower of Jesus.
Years later, Mary’s son would teach his disciples “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it.” (Matthew 16:24-25). Joseph’s willingness to trust in God’s actions and accept the invitation to be a part of this holy and unorthodox family is the earliest example we have in the New Testament of someone taking Jesus’ words seriously.
While our Western world is very permeated with general Judeo-Christian values, Jesus’ call of obedience still requires us to make an explicit choice to follow Jesus. Many people slide into a vague Christian identity. This sort of faith could be anything from attending worship regularly out of habit to maybe entering a church for Christmas or Easter when visiting family. This version of Christianity does not cost much.
The Christianity that is called for by Jesus and modeled by his father is one that shifts our identity and then our actions. If Joseph had valued his identity more within his village or culture, he would have taken the simple divorce. However, when he realizes that God is asking him to do something potentially scarry, Joseph changes his mind in obedience to God. While the angel originally explains Jesus’ purpose as to save Israel from their sins, by the time the wise men arrive, Joseph realizes that carrying the infant Jesus has political implications as well. To protect his family, they move to Egypt until there is political change in Israel. Being a follower of Jesus means that while there is respect given to political leadership, the values and decisions of a party or leader are always checked against and subordinate to the values and behaviors of the Gospel. Choosing to be a follower of Jesus means accepting a way that is not always or popular, but it is always the one that aligns with the God. It also means accepting that you will not always get the spotlight. Joseph, after chapter two is not seen or heard from again. The goal of the Christian life is not the status or fame so valued by our world. Instead, the hope of those who sign up to be disciples is obedience to God’s will and to contribute in whatever way they can to God’s work in this world.
Joseph’s impact on Jesus is one of the mysteries I think about in this season. Did he give Jesus carpentry lessons? Did Joseph contribute to Jesus’ humor and wit? What about his curiosity and mischievous tendencies?. We will never know, however, we can be sure that when Luke describes how Jesus “increased in wisdom and in years,” Joseph’s wise and faithful hand was a significant influence on our Lord.
As we enter the Christmas season, we turn the page from waiting for Jesus to walking with Jesus. For Joseph that season after the birth was filled with fear and uncertainty. Joseph and his family, however, never wavered in their faithfulness. They went where God led no matter how far. As we follow in their footsteps, may we also have that courage and confidence in the God who still invites us to join in the work today.
Baking Meditations
In thinking about Joseph the qualities I wanted to highlight were his flexibility and willingness to adapt as well as his practical nature. In Matthew 13:55, someone tries to undercut Jesus’ authority by calling him a “carpenter’s son.” In Greek, this work is tekton which can be a carpenter or woodworker, but also an artisan or fine craftsman. When you put this flexibility and practicality together, adapting rice Krispie treats seemed an appropriate choice. While so many recipes require precision, a Rice Krispie bar is very forgiving. You can throw in lots of random things from your pantry. This recipe calls for a lot of potato chips because they bring a fun savory saltiness to the dessert. You can adjust the ratios though as much as you want. The sweetened condensed milk helps keep the treat soft and pillowy for days. If you need this to be dairy free though, more marshmallows will also accomplish a similar result. Do you need to toast the rice cereal or brown the butter? No. But it does provide an interesting nutty undertone to the treat, and makes the process more interesting. As you make these cereal and potato chip bars, have some fun and experiment. The goal of this recipe is more about the process and less about the destination. That is after all what Joseph experienced. When he agreed to marry into God’s story, he had no idea the journey that would take, or the way his life would go, but his obedience allowed him to follow where God would lead, and I would like to imagine he and Mary had quite a bit of fun along the way.
Prayer
Creative God, you call us into a life filled with unexpected joys and unanticipated challenges, yet you promise your presence through it all. Let us never allow our fear or pride to hinder us from our obedience. Give us the courage to reject the temptations of this world so that we can be a part of your creative rebuilding of our world. Amen.
Recipe: Brown Butter Rice and Potato Chip Bars
- Ingredients
- 4c potato chips (160g)
- 3c puffed rice cereal (90g)
- 6T butter (85g)
- 1/2t salt
- 1/2t vanilla
- 1/2c peanut butter (128g)
- 7oz sweetened condensed milk (198g)
- 10oz mini marshmallows
Step 1: Lightly butter a 9×13 baking dish, or something similar
Step 2: Measure and prepare all of your ingredients. These come together quickly and can easily burn, so being prepare is essential!
Step 3: In a large bowl, crush the potato chips into small pieces.
Step 4: In a large dry pot, toast the rice cereal over low heat stirring frequently to prevent burning. Toast for a few minutes until lightly browned in color. Remove from pot.
Step 5: Mix the rice cereal and chips together so they are evenly dispersed.
Step 6: Place butter into pot to melt at medium to low heat. After it melts, the butter will start to boil and the milk solids will separate and turn brown. When you can smell a slight nutty aroma, stir to prevent the butter from burning.
Step 7: Turn off the heat and add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and salt. Stir to combine.
Step 8: Add the marshmallows and turn the heat back onto low so the marshmallows begin to melt.
Step 9: When the marshmallows are almost melted, add the peanut butter and stir to finish combining.
Step 10: Once the mixture is. uniform, add the chip and cereal mixture and quickly stir with a long-handled spatula to coat the cereal and chips. This will be sticky—embrace the process!
Step 11: Once combined, scrape the mixture into the 9×13 baking dish and press into the edges.
Step 12: Leave to cool for at least 30 minutes so everything has a chance to solidify.
Step 13: Then using a knife or cookie cutter cut into pieces and enjoy!
Rev. Drew Weseman 