Introduction: The story of the virgin birth is at the heart of our Christmas celebrations. Hence today’s readings focus on the story of the virgin birth. Our gospel lesson is from Matthew and it focuses also on the person and role of Joseph. In today’s gospel, Matthew understands the passage from Isaiah as one of the most descriptive and definite prophecies foretelling the future messianic king, Christ, to be born as a descendant of David. In order for Jesus to fulfill this promise, Joseph had to accept Jesus as his son, making Jesus a descendant of David because Joseph was a descendant of David. Matthew makes it clear that Jesus was not the biological child of Joseph. But because Joseph was the husband of Mary at the time Jesus was born, Jesus was legally the son of Joseph and thus a descendant of David. The second reading also asserts that Jesus the Messiah was a descendant of David.
Exegesis: While Mary is featured prominently in Luke's account of Jesus' birth, Matthew brings Joseph to the forefront because Jesus becomes part of David's lineage through Joseph (1:1-17). Luke tells us of Mary's obedience (Luke 1:38) and Matthew of Joseph's obedience. Luke tells the story of the angel's appearance to Mary (Luke 1:26-38), but Matthew tells us only that the child was from the Holy Spirit. But why does the Church compare Ahaz to Joseph? Because of the stark contrast between the two men, both faced with difficult situations. One of them, Ahaz, relied on his own wit and schemes. Joseph relied on his trust in God. One of them sacrificed his own son to appease others and showed no mercy. The other gave his life to protect his foster son. And so we see in Joseph, in sharp contrast to Ahaz in the background, the just and righteous man that he is.
Crisis in the family: Jewish marriage started with an engagement arranged by parents, often between children. Prior to marriage, couples began a year-long betrothal very much like marriage except for sexual rights. Betrothal was binding and could be terminated only by death or divorce. A person whose betrothed died was considered to be a widow or widower. Joseph found that Mary was pregnant without his knowledge. Now, the law required that Mary be stoned to death, because she would have been considered an unfaithful wife, and the baby would have been stoned to death with her. In Deuteronomy 22:23-24, the penalty for adultery was death by stoning at the door of her father’s house as she had disgraced her father. Since Joseph was a just man of great mercy, he resolved to divorce Mary quietly so that he might not cause her unnecessary pain. In doing so, he models Christ-like compassion in the face of sin. He also demonstrates a Godly balance between the Law of Torah and the Law of Love. And then in a dream he learned that the child had been conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that he was to be the foster father of the Christ. Joseph through trust and faith in God accepted his mission as the foster father of the Son of God.
God’s message through his angel: This is the first of three occasions in which an angel appears to Joseph in a dream. In each instance, the angel calls Joseph to action and Joseph obeys. He doesn't have a speaking part. In this first instance, the angel commands Joseph to take Mary as his wife. In 2:13, the angel will tell Joseph to take the mother and child to Egypt to escape Herod's wrath. In 2:19, the angel will, at the death of Herod, tell Joseph to return to Israel. The angel begins by saying, "Joseph, son of David," alerting us to Joseph's lineage. It is through Joseph that Jesus will be of the house and lineage of David. Mary's role is to bear a son, and Joseph's role is to name him. By naming him, Joseph makes Jesus his son and brings him into the house of David. An angel appears to Joseph three times. On each occasion, Joseph obeys the angel's commands without question or pause. His hallmark is obedience -- prompt, simple, and unspectacular obedience. And in this sense Joseph prefigures the Gospel of Matthew's understanding of righteousness: to be righteous is simply to obey the Word of God. Joseph's obedience allows Jesus to be adopted as a true Son of David; it is Mary's role that allows Jesus to be born Son of God. In the end, Joseph took Mary as his wife, in spite of his fears, and he claimed the son as his own by naming him. In spite of his earlier decision to divorce this woman quietly, Joseph nurtured, protected and watched over and loved both Mary and her child.
Virgin birth: In the Old and New Testaments, there are two meanings to the word, “virgin”: a Hebrew meaning and a Greek meaning. In Hebrew, the word, “alma” (“virgin”) simply means “young woman” as explained above. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, and the Hebrew word for young woman is “alma.” But there is a second meaning of the word as well. Look carefully at the Gospel reading for today in Matthew 1:23. “Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.” The New Testament was written in Greek, and the Greek word means someone who has not been sexually active with anther person, who has never had sexual relationships with another. Eventually, the Hebrew Bible was translated into the Greek language, and the meaning of the word changed from young woman to one with sexual virginity. In the Old Testament, virginity (meaning someone who has not had sexual intercourse) was a highly prized value. A virgin was someone who was precious. Rebecca was not merely a young woman; she was a virgin. The Bible is very emphatic about that. There were several laws to protect the virginity of women. That is, parents made arrangements for their daughters to be married and they expected their daughters to be virgins.
Jesus the Emmanuel : The name Jesus is the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehosua, which means 'YHWH is salvation'. The first Joshua, the successor of Moses, saved the people from their enemies. The second Joshua (Jesus) will save the people from their sins. The people did not expect a Messiah who would save them from their sins, but one who would deliver them from their oppressors. The fulfillment of prophecy is important to Matthew. He mentions fulfillment of prophecy eleven times (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 26:56; 27:9). In Hebrew, El is a short form of Elohim, a name for God. Immanu-El means "God with us." Emmanuel describes his role or vocation. Jesus' calling is to save his people from their sins and to manifest God's presence. Matthew thus begins his Gospel with the promise that Jesus is God-with-us. He will end the Gospel with the promise that Jesus will be with us "always, to the end of the age" (28:20). Matthew understands that in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, God is with us, reconciling the world to Himself. He is the reassurance in the flesh that God has not given up on us, but will remain with us. The real event of Christmas is that God comes to change the world and each of us -- not just through a historical virginal conception and a baby lying in a manger, but through the God who is with us today, shattering our self-righteous attitudes and seeking to move us beyond our fears, freeing us from our bondages.
Messages: 1) Like Joseph, trust in God, listen to Him and be faithful. We are here in this church, two days before Christmas, because like Joseph, we are faithful and we trust in God. We’re not like Ahaz – we don’t rely on ourselves; we rely on God’s power and God’s mercy. But for many of us Christmas is a difficult time, especially for those who have suffered losses of loved ones. Some are concerned about losing their jobs, others have problems making ends meet financially, and still others have conflicts in relationships. And yet, like Joseph,.. and Mary, we are called to be faithful, and to trust in God – not to rely on our own schemes to get through life, but to truly trust in God and listen to Him in fervent prayer and listen to Him speaking through the Bible. So we promise God that we’ll trust him, and that we’ll remain faithful Let us try to imitate Joseph and Mary, the humblest of the humble, the kindliest of the kindly, and the greatest-ever believers in God's goodness and mercy and welcome Jesus into our hearts and lives this Christmas.
2) Experience Emmanuel in our lives: God who entered our world through Jesus 2000 years ago is at work in the world. But the question is if God has come to be present in our lives and our world, then why are there so many lives which are unhappy and beastly? Why are people so hostile, hating each other, and why do so many love relationships turn sour? Why is there domestic violence and child abuse? Why is there war in at least a dozen countries of God's good earth at any given time? Why are there so many people, homeless and hungry, even in rich countries? The good news and the consoling message of Christmas is that the child Jesus still waits today to step into our hearts—your heart and mine—and to change us and the world around us by the beauty of God's love, kindness, mercy and compassion. Let us take some time to let the Christ Child enter our heart and lives this week so that He may change our world of miseries with the beauty of that love.
3) What is your Christmas gift for Jesus?
“When Jesus called that Christmas week I wasn’t at my best;
And the house was much too cluttered to entertain a guest.
He seemed to notice everything, the card still unaddressed,
The gifts piled high awaiting wraps, the baking and the rest.
He eyes fell on the evergreen and the presents ‘neath the tree,
’It’s my birthday that you celebrate--what are you giving me?’
‘What am I giving him?’ I thought; ashamed no words I found.
So many costly things I’d bought, he looked at me and frowned.
I prayed he’d let the question pass, but when he did persist,
I blurted out the truth at last, ‘You were not on my list.’” (Louise Teisberg )
Is Jesus on our list this Christmas? What special gift are we giving to Jesus this Christmas? We all know the pleasure of finding the right present for our husband and wife, for our children, a good friend, a parent. What special gift are we giving to Jesus this year to honor his birth and what do we expect from God? God sent Jesus from heaven to earth to give us human beings what we really needed most in life: hearts filled with love. That is the gift which Jesus expects and that is what you and I need from God this Christmas – a heart filled with love. We have tons of wants. We are like children with a catalogue before Christmas, circling all our wants by the dozens. But we have one essential need: a heart filled with love. God wants to give each of us a heart filled with love, mercy, compassion and forgiveness on this Christmas and every day of our lives.
I remember a lady in a previous parish in which I served who told me how much she hated the Christmas season. With her children grown and her husband dead, she felt as if there was really nothing for her; Christmas, after all, is for children, at least according to the merchants. Each year the woman became more depressed than she had the previous December. Using her reasoning that Christmas was for children, I asked her to be responsible for the Adopt-A-Family Project. She met the families, discovered what they needed, and organized the parish community for action and for giving. The month of December became different for her. Christmas was not just for children, but for her. She had discovered God's presence by giving, and both the giving and that presence continued throughout the year. From her way to being an embittered woman, she was transformed as God's presence was made real to her, and. Today’s gospel tells us how God became Emmanuel, “God with us” to transform us.