Last Sunday of Advent, Penelope Bridges
One of the most shadowy figures in Scripture is Joseph, husband of Mary and guardian of the child Jesus. Matthew’s two stories of Joseph’s dreams, one before Jesus was born and one when he was told to take the baby to Egypt, are the only times Joseph is given an active role in any of the Gospels, and we hear them in church at most once every three years. But Joseph played a critical role in the bringing of Christ to the world: when Mary’s pregnancy became known, he literally had the power of life or death over her. What if he had made a different decision? Where would the story of salvation be? Joseph surely deserves closer attention than he usually receives.
This time of year is traditionally a season of magical and mysterious things, of angels singing to shepherds, of nutcrackers coming to life, of packages under the tree and stockings being filled overnight. It’s a season for suspending our disbelief and entering into the sacred story with our full imaginations. So, imagine this:
An ancient document* has recently come to light, and it appears to be the journal of a man who lived in Israel long ago. His name was Joseph. There are gaps in the manuscript, but several substantial excerpts have survived the ravages of time, and a translation from the Aramaic has been prepared. Listen now as Joseph opens his heart.
Today I am the happiest man alive. O Adonai, God of Israel, blessed art thou, for thou hast created me to be a Jew, a son of your covenant with Father Abraham. Thou hast created us male and female, to become one flesh and bring forth the next generation of your children. Today I took a step to that purpose, as I signed the betrothal agreement with the father of Mary, a pure and innocent child. Together we will raise sons and daughters to God’s glory.
Mary’s father seems pretty pleased to have landed me as a son-in-law, and no wonder. I have a royal pedigree that goes back 42 generations. I am proud of my family, even though there have been several women along the way with dubious reputations: Tamar, who seduced her father-in-law after he denied her the chance to remarry within the family; Rahab, the brother-keeper of Jericho, who sheltered Joshua and his fellow spies; Ruth, the foreigner who married Boaz and became the great grandmother of David; and the scandalous Bathsheba, who married King David after he had her husband killed in battle. But no matter: today we are without stain and we are faithful to the law of Moses.
Mary’s family is equally respectable, and I have no doubts that she is worthy to join our royal lineage. It will be hard to wait until our wedding day, but of course I will respect her innocence.
The second excerpt was evidently written a couple of months after the first.
This morning I gave thanks as usual to the God of Israel for my good fortune as a successful businessman and observant Jew. And I gave thanks for the lovely girl who will become my wife. I’m puzzled, however, by a message from Mary stating that she needs a little time and space before our marriage. She is going away to visit her cousin Elizabeth in the hill country. She has asked permission to delay our marriage a few weeks. Naturally I agreed: it’s no wonder if she is nervous about the prospect of becoming a wife. But it’s irregular, all the same.
The third excerpt is dated three months after the second. The handwriting in this excerpt is ragged and the ink is heavily scratched into the parchment.
I am devastated. I don’t know where to turn. Today Mary returned from her long visit. When I heard the news I hurried over to her house, where her father was surprisingly reluctant to let me in. When I saw Mary I understood: my pure little fiancée is evidently pregnant. She has brought disgrace on her family and on mine. No wonder she wanted to put off the wedding: maybe she thought God would make the child go away if she waited. But I know our God: this is the God of Israel, of justice and righteousness. The sins of the fathers and mothers are visited upon the children to the third and fourth generation.
Obviously I’m not going to marry the girl now. In fact I would be within my rights as a defrauded fiancé if I insisted that she be stoned to death. She is unworthy. And, to make matters worse, she claims that this child was fathered by the Holy Spirit, the mystical Shekinah of God. She adds blasphemy to her shame. I am heartbroken: I had such hopes for our life together and now it is not to be. But … Scripture tells us that God is a God of mercy as well as justice; God’s loving kindness never ends. Is there a way I can temper justice with mercy? Can I commute her penalty to banishment to a remote village? I will sleep on this and make my decision in the morning …
The next day’s excerpt:
I was in such turmoil last night that I couldn’t fall asleep until the early hours. But when I finally did, I had a dream. Now, I have never been a dreamer. I’m a practical man. I work with my hands to make things that are real and solid and useful. I don’t know what to make of images and poetic phrases. I’m a simple man, a man of the Law. I do what God wants us to do: it keeps life simple. But last night wasn’t simple.
Here’s the dream. I became aware of a presence in the room: something or someone, surrounded by light, a powerful presence. It seemed to me that it was a messenger from God, an angel, like the angels our ancestor Jacob once encountered when he was alone in the desert. And the angel said, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. The child she has conceived is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you will name him Jesus, Savior, for he will save his people from their sins.”
And then the light faded. Well, I was pretty rattled by the dream. I know that God can speak to us through dreams and that the conversation always starts with “Do not be afraid.” I am not a fearful person: I know that I am righteous and therefore technically have nothing to be afraid of. But this – this was something way beyond my experience.
I have been afraid: afraid of the terrible burden of pronouncing Mary’s fate, of being the one responsible for taking her life and her baby’s life, or permitting blasphemy to go unpunished. Could this dream lift the burden from me? Could it be true that Mary’s baby is holy, of the Holy Spirit, created to be the Savior and Messiah for whom we have longed?
“Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife.” If this is the voice of God, it is a more expansive, more merciful God than I have come across before. This God urges forgiveness. This God calls for unconditional love. This God offers the unexpected gift, the grace of a promise fulfilled in a way nobody could have foreseen. The God of Israel is a God of surprises, and maybe I have been granted a part in the biggest surprise of all.
I shall marry Mary. I will let it be assumed that the child is mine, that the only transgression is one of over-eagerness on my part. We will marry but not share a bed until the child has been born. If it’s a boy I will call him Jesus as commanded. If my dream was truly of God, I will be vindicated, and if not, surely God will forgive me for taking the merciful path. Who would ever have guessed that yesterday’s terrible situation could be redeemed today? And who would ever have guessed that an ordinary man like me would be given a part to play in God’s great story of salvation?
And there the journal ends.
*the document is fictional
