The
handyman of the Lord: homily on Joseph's dream
“Behold
the handyman of the Lord”
Thus
a small boy of my acquaintance, composing his own lines before
playing Joseph in his school's nativity play.
He
was doing his best with an unpromising part that mostly involves
holding a lantern and knocking on unfriendly doors – but when we
reflect on to-day's gospel we realise afresh how vital it was that
this
Joseph listened to his dreams, which were every bit as significant as
those of his forbear with
the
amazing
techni-coloured
coat.
Clearly
our Joseph is a busy man – so busy that God can only get through to
him when he switches off and goes to bed.
Does
that sound at all familiar?
It
might be worth contemplating later – if you have time!
Certainly
Joseph has a lot on his plate.
We
don't know how or from whom he heard the news of his fiancee's
interesting condition – and can only imagine the dismay, grief,
anger the tidings provoked.
All
his hopes, plans and dreams shipwrecked in an instant!
Disappointment
for him – but something far worse for Mary.
We
are told that Joseph was a righteous man, - but to be righteous under
the Law would surely lead him to heartbreak.
You
see, the Mosaic law was clear and uncompromising: the sowing of wild
oats was not
acceptable.
Since
Mary's pregnancy owed nothing to her betrothed, both she and the
father of her unborn child should be put to death by stoning without
further ado.
That
was what the law demanded, the proper punishment for sexual sin –
though a more generous option was available, - the quiet divorce.
It
seemed that Joseph must choose between his love for God, represented
by obedience to God's law, and his love for Mary.
Righteousness
was set to cost him dear, even if he tempered it with compassion.
With
this decision and its ramifications going round and round in his
head, small wonder Joseph's sleep was plagued by vivid dreams, and
visions of angels.
I'm
always wryly amused by how often in Scripture an angel's opening
gambit is “Do not be afraid”
Who
could fail to be at the least thoroughly disconcerted by the
appearance of a heavenly messenger – even before listening to his
message?
Angels
never arrive to confirm the old order, but to herald the dawn of
something new as they point to the evidence of God's future breaking
in to our present.
Exciting?
Possibly.
Challenging?
Certainly.
Reassuring?
Probably not.
And
it is this future that Joseph is asked to embrace.
He
is invited to set aside the strictures of the Torah, “the way we do
things round here” and revert to Plan A.
“Do
not be afraid to take Mary as your wife..”
It
seems he doesn't have to choose after all – not if he can take a
leap of faith and believe in his dream.
We
don't know if this was a struggle for him.
Our
reading of this passage is coloured by the assurance that
“the
birth of Jesus took place in this way”...so
we know from the outset that the birth WILL happen...forgetting that
Joseph had the option to derail the whole thing by clinging to the
letter of the law, and the familiar habits of a righteous Jew.
Surely
a huge chapter of uneasy conversation and the dawning of cautious
hope is glossed over as Matthew tells us
“When
Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded...”
It
sounds so simple, even glib, put that way...but I suspect it wasn't.
“Trust
and obey” is all very well as the chorus of a song – but in my
experience that kind of trust is costly. Wrangling with God, whether
by night or day, is a familiar part of the journey of faith – and
like Joseph we do have a real choice – to go with the grain of
God's will or to resist and cling to our own assumption of how things
should be.
The
weight of Scripture and tradition or a troubled and troubling dream,
urging a new compassion?
Which
would you use as a guide?
You
see – it really isn't straightforward!
Whatever
fightings and fears Joseph experienced,
however
he got there –
his
dream carried the day.
So
it was he who named the child and thus plunged himself forthwith
into the upside down world of God's kingdom – for in the act of
naming he proclaims the babe his own – but the name that he bestows
in itself proclaims that this child has another father and a
different future.
“You
will call him Jesus
– for he will save his people from their sins”
A
name and job description in one...too bad if Joseph had hoped to
assert his paternity and satisfy convention by giving the child a
family name.
This
is the new order in which nobody will have to reap what they have
sown – not even a single mother in rural Palestine – for grace
and redemption will be available to all.
Fresh
hope delivered at the point of darkness and despair.
Joy
coming in the morning.
And
Joseph's own role in salvation history?
Is
he simply required to get out of God's way...just a token figure
there to meet the demands of social convention?
The
3rd leg that will stop the stool from wobbling?
He
never speaks – not once in all the gospels – but though he is a
man of few words, who might seem most at home in the “supporting
cast”, his actions really matter.
Mary
is passive - “Be
it unto me according to your word”,
- but Joseph will, again and again, be required to do
something –
To
safeguard God's baby son by giving him and a name and an identity as
the Son of David...
To
provide safe escort for the journeys – to Bethlehem for the birth,
to Egypt for safety's sake.
Perhaps
even to act as midwife, helping that child into the world –
delivering the one who would deliver us all.
Joseph's
actions make a difference.
Matthew
wants us to know that they are part of the way that prophecy is
fulfilled – even as they seem to challenge the old order and point
to a world changed beyond recognition.
Joseph
is a key player after all. God is relying on him – HIM – to bring
his plans – and his Son – safely into the world.
We
shouldn't be surprised by this – even if Joseph was.
Trudging
beside the donkey in a thousand nativity plays, he can stand for each
one of us.
God
invites us to collaborate with him, to further his plans in our time
– but it is always an invitation, never a bullying demand.
While
Mary was uniquely blessed as the God-bearer, the Mother of God –
the Christ-child needed a father too – the handyman of the Lord,
the carpenter who worked with the grain of God's will to make
something beautiful in our world...
Let's
take our cue from him – and join in with that work today.
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