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S. Advent 4.25 Matt. 1:18-25

‘When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the Angel of the LORD commanded him…’

The prophets, apostles—Mary herself—get a lot of credit for doing this: doing as the LORD commanded them. And we look to them as the holy ones for this, because that’s the essence of faith: not rejecting the word, letting him do with you as he, the LORD, wills, going with the flow even when the Spirit blows us like kites in a Hurricane into a strange and different Country.

While faith is itself pure passiva, a nothing, as Luther rightly says, it does a lot to us! It is a living, busy, mighty active thing, this passive capacity to be blown along the Way like kites in a high wind in Jamaica.

And most of the prophets and apostles resisted this blowing of the Spirit that faith receives, this Holy Hurricane of God. Moses made all kinds of excuses that he didn’t talk pretty. Jeremiah complained he was too young. Isaiah flat out said he it would kill him; “No thank you, Peanut”, and only relented because it was literally unmaking him—the vision of Almighty God enthroned in Glory, and when offered to have it stop by running a little errand for God, Isaiah took that as the easier way out.

Paul and Elijah are similarly overwhelmed: Paul with the bright, blinding light and mighty Voice, Elijah with the fire, wind, and earthquake mountain wrecking theophany. It would have been crazy to stay there!—so being blown along, being anywhere but there!—again; seemed the easier way out.

Peter wanted to bail out of the boat after the miraculous catch of fish, begged Jesus to depart from him, scared out of his wits by the theophany and Jesus just kind of glared at him and said “Follow me” and again: when he looks you in the eye like that—the “don’t make me come over there” look the Deesis Mosaic of Jesus the All-Ruling in the South Balcony of Hagia Sophia has, well; you do whatever he says to keep him from coming over there… 😉

No one ever volunteers to follow Jesus. And few follow except by fear and trembling, sheer terror (because Beauty is Terror, dontcha know?)

Even Mary, the Blessed Virgin, the Mother of God, is “greatly troubled” by the Angel Gabriel simply saying: “Greetings, O favored one; the LORD is with you!” wondering what sort of greeting that could be? And when the angel tells her she will be the Mother of God, the Son of the Most High—like the Queen of Heaven or something (which sounds pretty good, really, right?) Mary still has questions! “How can this be since I am a virgin?”

Of course, she relents in the end and says: “Behold the maidservant of the LORD!”

I know it is unpopular in catholic Christendom (of which Lutherans are a part, actually our claim is to be the real catholics!) to put anyone above Mary in the heavenly hierarchy of Christ’s servants.

But I’m going to put Joseph in the top spot, above Mary, even. And I’m doing it on the basis of what the LORD Jesus himself told us last week that: “whoever is least in the Kingdom is greater than John the Baptist” whom Jesus had just said is “the greatest of those born of women” (and Mary was born of woman and was around herself when the Master said that, just sayin’ 😉

Because it came to me, writing this sermon, that we usually construe that “least” as least powerful, least faithful, least impressive. But; John is putting up some resistance to Jesus, demanding some proof that he really is The One. And… you could take “whoever is least” to be the one who puts up the least resistance to the blowing of the Holy Spirit (remember: πνευμα in Greek always means first wind, and then breath, and then spirit).

Now Joseph seems, fairly clearly to me, to put up the least resistance to being blown, like a kite in a hurricane, wherever God wills. And being least in resistance to the Holy Spirit’s blowing, would then (if we take Jesus’ word “least” this way) make Joseph the greatest in the Kingdom.

And let me demonstrate that from the text…

Joseph is, first off, a great guy—a humble and gentle soul. In the ancient world, marriages were arranged by the bride’s and groom’s families—sometimes before one or both were even born. Marriage was a business deal, a merger of family dynasties, not a matter of love or feeling, though happily, true love often resulted from such matches. Maybe it was a better way? Who’s to say?

So being “betrothed” as Mary was to Joseph was a legal marriage; and breaking that was a divorce and could get both parties in trouble, especially if it was broken off because the girl was pregnant by some other guy. That would usually get the girl stoned (by rocks, to death!, not by Colorado’s state crop 😉

And when Joseph finds that out—before they “came together” as husband and wife—Mary was already pregnant, he doesn’t rant or rave or go to court. No. Luke says “being a just man, and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to ἀπολῦσαι not literally “divorce” but to “release” her quietly, a word that is also translated “forgive”.

Not sure of the details, but it sounds like Joseph was like, “Well, she just had ‘a change of heart’, found someone else. I’ll figure out a way to annul the betrothal and let her go without any shame or dishonor.” What a guy! He’s more concerned for Mary than for his own honor or shame.

And, as he was mulling over how he would let Mary go quietly, the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a dream (the Angel of the LORD in the scriptures is Jesus, just keep in mind!) and the Angel of the LORD says: “Joseph, Son of David, do not fear to take Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son. You will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the Angel of the LORD commanded him.

Zero resistance! Joseph doesn’t even ask any questions or clarifications. And he didn’t get a direct theophany of the LORD or an archangel appearing in person. Just a voice in a dream. So the least resistance to the least powerful revelation (!!!)

Pretty… great!

But you wonder, I know: “WHY no resistance?”

Well, here’s my guess: I think it’s this bit, that “this Son of Mary will save his people from their sins,” that gets Joseph. Joseph is a just man because he knows he’s a sinner and thinks nothing of himself. To hear that this Son of Mary will save his people from their sins! That’s all Joseph needs to hear. All we need to hear to…

“Wake from sleep and do as the Angel of the LORD commands.” And blown by the Spirit, like kites in the Highest Wind, like Joseph, the Peace, surpassing all understanding, guards our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.