What about Joseph? Matt 1:18-19 [READ]
Joseph’s first Christmas did not start very peacefully either. Matt 1:18-19 [READ]
Put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. He is about to marry the love of his life. Then, he gets the news. I wonder how that conversation went down. Uh, honey, I have something to tell you. Why don’t you sit down. I know you are going to have a hard time believing this, but an angel visited me and told me that I am going to conceive through the Holy Spirit and we are going to become the proud parents of the Son of the Most High God. You know, the Creator of the universe, the God of our forefathers, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, His Son is going to be our son.
How do you respond to news like that? Okay… alright…. How did Joseph respond? Was he silent? Did he fly off the handle in a rage? Not much is written, but I’m sure that some harsh words were spoken. Some tears were shed. Some donkeys were kicked. Walls were punched in. Whatever plans they had for their date night, I bet it went out the window. One thing is for sure – Joseph did not buy her story. He assumed she was lying. Maybe she had too much wine the night before. She must have been unfaithful.
To Joseph’s credit, whatever anger and hurt and brokenness he felt inside, he kept to himself. Many others in his shoes would have acted wrathfully. She hurt me so I’m going to hurt her. I’m going to tell all my friends. I’m going to post a drawing of her on the synagogue bulletin board because they didn’t have smartphone cameras back then, telling others what she did. I am going to shame her. Women back then could have been stoned for committing a sin like this. Joseph could have thought, this woman ruined my life, now I will ruin hers. I’m gonna drag her reputation in the mud so that she will be shunned by everyone.
Can’t you picture Joseph acting this way? And could you blame him if he did? But he didn’t. He decides to divorce her secretly because he doesn’t want Mary to face public disgrace. A day before, he could’ve been dreaming about their life together. Thier honeymoon by the Sea of Galilee. How romantic that would’ve been. Then, today, his entire world is turned upside down. Joseph’s first Christmas was anything but peaceful at first. Into this crisis, God intervenes. Like Mary, Joseph, too, was visited by an angel.
Matt 1:20-25 [READ]
As if the events leading up to this first Christmas birth were not traumatic enough, things got worse. In Matt 2, Herod got wind of the news of a newborn baby who was the supposed fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. This Messiah will grow up to be a leader who will shepherd God’s people. Herod heard the news and got angry. Who is this so called rising King of the Jews? How dare anyone have that title? I am king of the Jews. And so he asks some wise men to go find out the location of this baby so that he could worship.
But we know the story. His intention was not to worship the baby Jesus. He wanted to kill this possible threat to his kingdom. Again, an angel is sent by God to intervene. The angel appears to Joseph in a dream and he instructs him to lead his family out of Bethlehem to Egypt and to await further instruction.
Then, we reach Matt 2:16-18. This is when it gets really dark. Matt 2:16-18 [READ]
One morning sometime after the first Christmas, the calm of early sunrise was interrupted by shrieking mothers who had woken up to find their child dead. It happened in one home, then another home and then another. More parents woke up to this nightmare. They wept and refused to be consoled. Consider the string of funerals that marked this first Christmas season.
Into this mess, we have a multitude of the heavenly host, a chorus of angels praising God.
Luke 2
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!
How on earth could the angels be giving glory to God and promising peace at a time like this? There is nothing peaceful at all about this first Christmas. In the invisible, spiritual realm, you have a fire-breathing dragon unleashing his fury on God’s people. How does this battle in the spiritual realm play out in the visible, physical realm? In the physical realm, you have Herod on a rampage trying to kill the baby Jesus and when he fails, in a fit of rage, he orders the death of many innocent children. On one level, you see Herod, the insanely insecure king. On a deeper level, you see the fury of Satan himself being unleashed in the world in a vain attempt to kill Jesus.
Thank the Lord that Christmas does not end here. There is much more going on. Oh, how I wish we could all have the spiritual eyes to see what the angels saw. Like us, they saw Herod and the murdered babies, but they saw through all the haze of their circumstances and they saw a clear picture of spiritual reality. And this clarity of vision allowed them to give glory to God in spite of what was happening. Even in the midst of the spiritual war between the Lord’s angelic army on one side and dragons and demons on the other, the angels saw the glory of God.
What is the glory of God? “Glory” in the Greek refers to splendor, brightness, amazing might, praise, honor, greatness. In the Hebrew, the word “glory” refers to weight or heaviness. That’s why C.S. Lewis wrote the book, “The Weight of Glory.” God’s glory, His presence is thick, it’s weighty. You can translate, “Glory to God in the highest heaven,” as praise and honor to the only One worthy of praise and honor, or praise the Praiseworthy One, or we give the highest praise to the Most High God, or we glorify the Glorious One.
For the angels, God’s presence was so glorious, so real, so tangible, so weighty that nothing else mattered. Herod, dragons, demons – they are nothing to a God like this. In their praise of God, the angels reveal a spiritual principle. Those who are favored by God enjoy true peace. And how do you maintain that peace? You commit yourself to be a worshiper of God. Peace flows from worship – that’s the spiritual principle.
Luke 2
14 Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people He favors!
Peace characterizes the people of God. How can you and I maintain our peace in the Lord? Through continuous worship. Since peace flows from worship, when I am starting to wane in my peace and I am becoming irritable or snappy, it’s a sign that I haven’t worshiped lately. Then, I know I need to do a time out. Take a break. Go on a prayer walk or get on my knees and reconnect with the Lord. How much peace you have in the tank is a good way of gauging your spiritual health. If peace is low, you know it’s time to ramp up your worship of God.
Who are the favored? In the ESV, this verse is translated as “peace among those with whom he is pleased.” Who is God pleased with? The word “favors” in the Greek means pleased or satisfied by or desires or good will. That’s why the King James reads, “peace on earth and good will toward men.”
When the Bible uses the words “peace, or “favors” or “good will,” often times, it is talking about salvation.
Acts 10:36 reads–
Acts 10
36 He sent the message to the Israelites, proclaiming the good news of PEACE through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all.
“Peace” refers here to the fullness of blessing which Jesus brings and so peace is essentially a synonym for salvation.