We enter this holy season dwelling on the birth of the great King, Jesus Christ. We often reflect on the passages but rarely do we add life unto them. We overlook the fact that the experiences of Mary and Joseph, we forget that these two people were about to be first time parents and go through things that might be a little strange and unusual to them. As a first time dad I can appreciate the nervousness that probably ran through their minds, especially that of Joseph. Think of Joseph as he packed the mule/camel to travel from the Galilee to Bethlehem. Imagine the thoughts that raced through that man's mind. The most overwhelming thought was the fact that his soon to be wife (in the eyes of the Jewish law they were already married) was carrying the Christ Child, the promised seed of God. I don't think this was something that was ever easy for Joseph, not difficult in the sense that it was hard to believe, but the amazement probably never faded away. Looking at Mary's stomach grow probably sent the most exhilarating thoughts through his mind, wandering what the baby was doing, asking the questions like all first time dads do "Is he ok?", or "Is he moving?" or "Can I feel him?" In an era that kept the sex of the baby a mystery Joseph could smile, for he knew not only the babies sex, but His name and His mission as well. I think another thought that ran through Joseph's mind was the condition and well fair of his wife. He worried about her and I imagine he worried greatly about the long journey near Jerusalem. He probably would have wanted to delay the trip, but a delay was not an option for the family tax must be paid. The thought probably crossed his mind that this would be the place where Jesus would be born, for Micah the Old Testament prophet foretold of it long ago. Yet nerves are nerves and Joseph was a first time dad and would naturally worry about his wife. Probably the most frustrating thing as I look at my wife here in the third tri-mester is the fact that there is little I can do to help her condition. Her body begins to hurt more and more and minor aches and pains begin to take their toll and I'm powerless, there is nothing I can do and to a man this is frustrating. A good man is always the knight in shining armor but right now I feel like a spectator in the stands, do you think that Joseph felt the same way?
Probably the question that ran through Joseph's mind the most is the one that runs through my mind as each day draws closer to Noah's arrival......what in the world do I do? Joseph was probably a rugged man, a carpenter does not have time to sit and have tea. His hands were probably rough and his experience with children, let alone infants, was probably none (with the possible exception of sisters). This was his first child, and if Joseph was anything like how I am now then he was probably a nervous wreck at times. I have never held a baby, changed a diaper, bathed a baby, fed a baby, etc. The only experience I have with new borns is staring at them and thinking "how cute." I'm going to almost bet that Joseph was in a similar condition. He probably had no idea where to put his hands under Jesus' body, he probably had no idea how to change his cloth diaper, and I highly doubt he had ever bathed an infant. Most expecting mothers I know seem to already know what to do in these areas, kind of like a sixth sense that was given to all women at birth, but us men worry about these things (at least I hope I'm not the only one). We worry about these little minor things, we say things like "what if I break him?" or "how does this go?" or "how does such a small little child make such a huge mess?" We first time dads are a little out of touch with reality, no matter how many books we read or videos we watch. We have no idea what it feels like to have warm spit up run down our second dress shirt of the morning, we have no idea what 3:37 A.M. is like when the baby is screaming for a reason we have yet to figure out, and finally we have no idea why God would find us worthy of being called the most honorable term in the world......dad. I have been called many things in life, but the one name that I have always dreamed of hearing is that little three letter word...."dad." You can't tell me that Joseph wouldn't have been excited about this too, you can't tell me that he didn't desire to teach his boy the finer things of life, the things such as carpenter or how to play a game (I would say baseball but baseball was non-existent).
Imagine Joseph that night, frantically knocking door to door trying to find a room for his wife to have the child, but with each door came a negative reply, and with each negative reply came a sense of hopelessness. The small burst of hope came when a stable was provided for the birth of the baby, but a stable was far from what Joseph had probably planned, and a manger was probably the last thing that Joseph thought would be the resting place of his new born baby, but alas that was where it was all destined to take place. The greatest king would be born in the most humble estate, the richest of kings would have the poorest of births. I try to picture Joseph that night sitting beside Mary. There was not medical staff around them, no trained doctor or nurses, no medication in which to give. You can almost hear Joseph encouraging and coaching his love to keep trying and pushing, you can almost hear him saying "good job honey" and I tend to think that maybe he even whispered and sang into her ear. Finally the moment came when the baby arrived, taking first first breaths of air and entering the world with a scream (I'm doubtful it was a silent night :). Imagine again with me the thought that raced through Joseph's mind as the baby sat in his hands. Like all men we tend to examine our baby closely, we look at the features such as a nose, lips, ears, we double and triple check to see if they have ten fingers and toes. In Joseph's arms was the greatest gift he was ever given, and unlike any other man in the history of the world, he wasn't the one who created this child, no human hand created this child, for it was the almighty work of God.
Most of us men look at our newborn child and we already begin to imagine their future, we picture their career and their college life, who they are going to marry and what kind of adult they will be. We might see a president in the eyes of our child, a preacher, a teacher, or maybe even a doctor. We see a smart and bold child, a loving and warm child. We already begin to wander what they will be before they can even use the bathroom on their own or button their own clothes. But to Joseph and Mary there was no mystery as to what the future would hold for the Christ child, the baby in which they held was sent on a divine mission and they both knew it. Joseph was given a message from the angel in Matthew chapter one that Jesus would save His people from their sins. Joseph knew what that meant, he knew that there was no salvation outside of the shedding of blood, there was no denying that. Joseph already embraced the reality that this little boy would grow up one day and die for the sins of the world. I doubt Joseph understood how it would happen, nor could he fathom how horrible the death might have been, but nonetheless Joseph knew in his heart what the future held. Thirty three years later this baby known as Jesus would grow into adulthood, He would be marched forward onto a hill called Calvary, and there He would give His life for our sins. Why? Because He so loved the world, that means you and me. This season we celebrate His birth, but a birth without a death means we are still lost in our sin. Maybe today you are unsure of your salvation and your home in heaven, if so I encourage you to email me at pastorrobinson@blackrockbible.com and I will be glad to share with you the truth of salvation and heaven. For those of you who are first time dads or are expecting your first born (just like me) then let me encourage you to bathe yourself in prayer each day. The journey will not be easy, but it will be a blessed one! First time dads, we unite under the banner of anxiety as did Joseph that first morning, but praise be to God to aids us and guides us in how to rear our children for His glory.
Merry Christmas and God bless you all
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