When Joseph Awoke

When Joseph Awoke

Monday of the Third Week of Advent

Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will raise up a righteous shoot to David;
As king, he shall reign and govern wisely,
he shall do what is just and right in the land.
In his days Judah shall be saved,
Israel shall dwell in security.
This is the name they give him:
"The LORD our justice." Jeremiah 23:5-6

When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took his wife into his home. (Matthew 1:24)

Piety

Joseph of the Second Annunciation, a man of mystery and mettle, be with us as we try to follow this challenge presented by your son – a God-man who worked at your side night and day.  

Study

Sometimes, Joseph seems like he is little more than a character actor – let alone the leading man – in the Christmas story. Yet, he held so many of the cards. What if he did as he planned and divorced Mary quietly? If the Lord is indeed “justice,” what does this mean for the couple? Stoning to death for the crime of adultery? What will happen to the teenage mother and her son?  Yet, today’s story is the Annunciation, Part Two -- as important as Part One. 

What should Joseph do?

Before Mary and Joseph figure this all out, imagine the late-night visits and talks between the two lovers. 

“Mary, are you…?”

“How could this be?”

“What shall we do?” 

“Your father is going to kill me?”

“Who is the real father…because I know it can’t be me?”

“You know if the people here in Nazareth find out that you are guilty of adultery, they will stone you to death…and maybe me, too?”

“But I could never live without you, my love!”

If Joseph listens to the unconventional call of God to accept the unexpected, unexplainable child, he stands to risk his entire reputation.  Will the town fathers count out the days of Mary’s confinement and conclude that she was pregnant before the wedding day? What will happen to his carpentry business if he is shunned by the members of his temple and his family for such immoral fornication?  What if he is counting on having an able-bodied son as assistant and apprentice for the business?

Mary and Joseph seem very compatible based on their similar responses to the call of the angel.  Like Mary, Joseph trusted that God’s will was more important than his own (whatever the cost). Joseph of the Annunciation is a model for the kind of courage it takes to follow the call of God in life. Joseph had no idea how heavy this cross would be or how far he will have to carry it.  But he picked it up anyway.

Not only did Joseph wake up and follow the instruction to marry Mary, but he also had another important role.  It fell to him to name the baby.

Joseph, like Zechariah, was commanded to name the boy by Gabriel.  “You are to name him Jesus!” In first-century Judaism, the Hebrew name Joshua (Greek Iēsous) was interpreted as “Yahweh saves.”  Yet, this would not have been the expected, traditional name for a first-born son.

Boys are usually named after their father or grandfather. John the Baptist could have been little Zechariah.  Jesus should have been Little Joe or Jacob. However, these names were not in the immortal and important plan for either boy.  Their names, prescribed by the angels, were weighted with significance.

The name – Emmanuel (God with us always) – also is the fulfillment of God’s promise of deliverance to Judah in Isaiah’s time.  It also is alluded to at the end of the Matthew’s Gospel where the risen Jesus assures his disciples of his continued presence: “I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20).

Action

The announcements come every day.  “Breaking News!”  “You’ve Got Mail.”  “You may have already won!”  “Your order has been shipped.” How in the world will the message from God to us ever cut through such clutter and cacophony?  Are we as guilty as Joseph for going through life asleep to the message from God? What is God’s Annunciation to us today? Pick up your cross daily and follow me.