Welcome
• Hi. I’m Brent and this is The Bible Unplugged podcast.
• We’re continuing the series “Advent Unplugged” with a look at Joseph, the husband of Mary and the father of Jesus under Jewish Law. Matthew chapters 1 and 2 cover the majority of Joseph’s story. You may want to take a few minutes to read those chapters since I’ll be hitting the highlights.
• We will discuss what Joseph’s story means and share some practical ways to apply what we learn to our everyday lives.
• In each episode we take away the centuries of misinterpretation and glamorization of scripture and focus on what the Bible actually says
• My hope is that you will finish this episode with something to think about.
When Gospels Collide
• Let you know about one of my books that can be helpful as you follow along with the Advent Unplugged.
• When Gospels Collide combines the four Gospels into one continuous narrative. As you read through the book you get the details from all of the sources without having to flip back and forth through different books of the Bible.
• This may be especially helpful in this series since the complete story of Jesus’s birth is in more than one gospel
• When Gospels Collide is available on Amazon at this link: When Gospels Collide at Amazon
We find ourselves…
• Dealing with an upsetting situation and we just don’t know what to do
• Second guess our decisions and wonder if we really understand how God wants us to act
• Joseph experienced all these things and is a great role model for how we should act during times of uncertainty
Who was Joseph
• Name in Hebrew- Yoseph, means “may he increase”
• Descendent of King David
• Worked as a carpenter
• The Bible does not tell us Joseph’s age or if he was previously married.
• According to Mark 6:3, he had other children, at least James, Joses, Simon, Jude, and some unnamed sisters.
• Whether or not these were Mary and Joseph’s kids or from a previous marriage we don’t know. The only record comes from sources not in the Bible that say they were Joseph’s children from a previous marriage.
• The last mention of Joseph is in Luke 2:41-52. After a trip to Jerusalem Jesus stayed behind in the Temple. Mary and Joseph went back to look for him. Joseph doesn’t make it past chapter 2 in either Matthew or Luke.
• There is no biblical evidence for what happened to Joseph. Speculation is that he died after the Temple incident and before Jesus started his earthly ministry at about age 30.
• We may have a hint about how long Joseph was around from the encounter with Simeon in the Temple. Simeon prophecies what Mary will go through but does not have a message for Joseph suggesting that Joseph would not be around that long.
Joseph’s Dreams
• The angel Gabriel appeared in waking visions to the other characters in this drama, but with Joseph, an angel appeared in his dreams. There are 5 dreams mentioned in the first 2 chapters of Matthew
• Why the difference?
• Visions typically communicate new revelation or announcements from God
• Dreams give guidance, wisdom and direction.
• The angel told Zacharias and Mary something new and unheard of while Matthew was considering what to do about the circumstances.
Joseph’s first dream
• Matthew 1:18-25
• Mary and Joseph were engaged, but he is referred to as Mary’s husband (v. 19)- betrothal has same legal standing as marriage
• If you put yourself in Joseph’s place you would be feeling anger, disappointment, and sadness that Mary was pregnant. I’m certain Mary explained the situation, but, honestly, would you have believed her if you didn’t already know the rest of the story?
• Matthew’s account says that Joseph was a righteous man and did not want to make Mary’s plight a public spectacle,
• Considered moving Mary to another town
• He didn’t want to lash out at or punish Mary
• Could have had her stoned to death
• Matthew 1:20 says that as he considered what to do, “an angel” appeared to him in a dream. Matthew does not name the angel. Tradition says this was Gabriel.
• When we are trying to make sense of a big problem it’s not unusual to fall asleep thinking about what to do.
• “Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife”- The grammar here recognizes that Joseph had some fears and concerns about his relationship. This is different than when Gabriel said “do not be afraid to Zacharias and Mary they were afraid in that moment. Gabriel showed sensitivity to the emotional state and experiences of the person he spoke to
• Angel affirmed what Mary knew, that this was an act of God
• Call him “Immanuel” which in Hebrew means “God with us”- Hebrew name not found in Luke
• Isaiah 7:14 quoted by angel in Matthew’s dream
• Joseph arose from his sleep and did as the angel commanded
• He did not have to ponder or agonize over the message
• Immediacy of action shows strong character
• Did not fear the reaction of other people
Joseph takes Mary to Bethlehem
• Luke 2:1-5
• Caesar Augustus- “all the world should be enrolled”
• As a descendant of David, Joseph went to his ancestral home base- Bethlehem
• “While they were there”- do not know how long they stayed
Joseph’s second dream
• Comes after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which is the subject of our next episode
• Matthew 2:13-15
• “When they departed”- immediately after the magi left
• Take the young child and his mother and to Egypt because Herod wants to kill Jesus
• Thriving Jewish communities in Egypt
• Joseph had the financial means to support his family
Joseph’s third dream
• Matthew 2:19-23
• After Herod’s death (vs. 19-20)
• Arise… go into the land of Israel
• Was safe to go back home
• Hosea 11:1- Out of Egypt I have called my son
Joseph’s fourth dream
• Matthew 2:19-23
• Herod died
• Archelaus- son of Herod was on the throne
• Did not want to go back to Judea
• Being warned in a fifth dream (v. 22)
• God understood Joseph’s hesitancy
• Joseph went back to Nazareth
Joseph’s economic status
• Luke 2:21-24
• When Jesus was about 40 days old, Mary and Joseph took him to the Temple. All first born children belonged to God and the parents “bought back” the child with a sacrifice of a lamb
• If they were poor they could offer “A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons”- Leviticus 12:8
• Likely shows that the magi came later
• Did not have the money to buy a lamb
• Shows that Joseph stayed true to his faith and his commitment to treat Jesus as his own child
What we learn from this
• Godly character requires that we love and care for others
• Joseph considered what was best for Mary, not his reputation
• God speaks to us through many means to meet our needs
• Dreams can be important to us today
• God provides a way for us to accomplish His tasks
• Consideration for poor families to present doves instead of lamb
• The magi provided financial means to go to Egypt
• Joseph was not afraid to go where God led him- moved 3 times with a wife and young child
What do we do with this
• When you read stories like this in the Bible, imagine that you are watching the story happen and that you know nothing about what happens next. How does this change your viewpoint of what happens?
• When you are unsure about a decision, trust your intuition, feelings, and dreams you have about the situation. God is speaking to you. Listen
• Ask God to strengthen you faith and trust in him. It’s easy to trust in your own judgment and miss the messages God gives you.
The conclusion
• Well, the music in the background means my time is up, but I’ll be back.
• I hope this has been helpful. If so, give this podcast a high rating and share it with others.
• Join in for future episodes when we:
• We look at the details in the birth of Jesus that go unnoticed
• My prayer for you is that you will be sensitive and open to God’s voice even when the message has no words
• Have a blessed week
The disclaimers
• Just to let you know
• All opinions are my own. If you agree, keep listening. If you don’t… keep listening, you may learn something
• All Bible quotations come from the World English Bible which is a public domain work
• Our show theme song is “Awesome Call” by Kevin MacLeod and is available under a Creative Commons license
• The content of this podcast is copyrighted 2024 by J. Brent Eaton
• This has been a Power Love and Miracles production
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