Do you know the name Melana Scantlin? She is a former NFL
cheerleader, a former Miss Missouri. She is beautiful, she is
blonde, she is brainy. Melana is the beauty who squared off
against 16 "beasts" in television's latest surpassingly strange
reality series, "Average Joe." The premise for the show was
that, while it is a no-brainer to be attracted to a hunk with
washboard abs and $50-million in mutual funds, it is something
else to fall for someone who is plain and unexceptional, a toothy
geek with a goofy grin, freckled face, bad hair or even no hair -
not "beasts" really, just "average." Can someone fall for a
person like that?
Strange question. Between you and me, all most of us have
to do is look in the mirror to see that such a thing is not only
possible, but in the real world, highly likely. Average Joes and
Average Marys get together most happily all the time, thank you
very much. And they do it for far more important reasons than
looks. One would certainly hope.
We do not know what got the Joe and Mary of our lesson this
morning together. Not looks, to be sure. After all, these folks
come from a culture in which marriages are arranged - they are
not left to foolish whims. More about that in a minute. Suffice
it to say that we are not privy to the details here; all we have
is Matthew's genealogical account of the birth of the Christ
child: Jacob is "the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of
whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ."
Nothing exceptional here. Decent enough blood lines. The
gospel writer traces him back through Israel's most powerful
king, David, and back further to the greatest patriarch of his
people, Abraham.
Oh, there are a few glitches. Four women are identified in
this genealogy,(1) and they are all foreigners, that is, non-Jews,
and, except for Ruth, they are all of doubtful moral character,
and even Ruth could be considered aggressive. Tamar, a
Canaanite, posed as a prostitute in order to blackmail her
father-in-law Judah, into keeping his promises to her. Rahab, a
Canaanite of Jericho, was a prostitute (this one, for real) who
helped the Israelites secure an important victory. Ruth was a
Moabite who found a loophole in the law to snare Boaz into a
marriage. And "Uriah's wife," Bathsheba, was a Hittite by
marriage, and had adulterous sex with the king, although, in her
defense, she was more victim than seducer. These are Joseph's
great-great-grandmothers, and as one commentator observes,(2) "Few
parents use the stories of Tamar, Rahab, or Bathsheba as positive
moral instruction for their sons and daughters." Hmm.
So here is the original "Average Joe." Put yourself in his
sandals. A simple man, a carpenter, a construction guy. Down to
earth. He is about to get married. It would be the normal
Jewish three-step procedure.(3) There was the engagement, which
was often made when the couple were only children, usually
through the parents or a professional match-maker. And it was
often made without the couple involved ever having seen each
other (so looks do not enter in) - as we say, marriage was
considered far too serious a step to be left to the dictates of
the human heart. Then there was the betrothal which was the
ratification of the engagement into which the couple had
previously entered. It lasted for one year during which the
couple was known as man and wife, although they would not live
together. Betrothal could only be terminated as a full-blown
marriage could be - death or divorce. The third stage was the
marriage proper, which took place at the end of the year of
betrothal.
Joseph and Mary were at stage two. Suddenly, Mary turns up
pregnant. And the baby is not Joseph's. Joseph KNOWS it is not
Joseph's. Wow!
What a jumble his feelings must have been! Rage?
Unquestionably. Fury at her unfaithfulness. Fury at whomever
had defiled the marriage bed with her. Embarrassment? Of
course. Half his friends would think he was a fool for having
been cuckolded, and the other half would think that he did not
have enough self-control to wait until after the marriage feast.
Sorrow? No doubt. His life was planned out - it was going to be
with Mary. Now that would not be possible. Sorry for her too,
even though this was something she had brought on herself.
Now what? Jewish law allowed stoning as the penalty for
adultery, but that was a sentence not often carried out in
practice. Joseph could have made a public spectacle of Mary to
prove his own innocence in the affair, gone on some first century
version of Jerry Springer to show the world her true colors. But
no. Finally, the decision was made to handle the situation
quietly, to give her a Bill of Divorcement in the presence of two
witnesses as the Law required, and then let her go her way.
Perhaps she would return to the home of her cousin Elizabeth to
avoid the shame of having the child in Nazareth. One way or
another, it would be over.
But we know the story does not end there. Joseph was
asleep, but sometime during the night, was awakened with a start.
"Joseph. Joseph. Wake up."
"Huh?" He looked around in the dark of his room, the only
light from the moon beaming through the window. He saw the
silhouette of a man. But there was something about him that told
Joseph there was no reason to fear.
The silhouette spoke. "Joseph son of David, do not be
afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived
in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son,
and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his
people from their sins."
Joseph had no chance to reply - the visitor disappeared.
What would Joseph have said anyway? We can see him lying there
thinking till morning, then, at daybreak, trying to figure out
what had happened. Had there really been anyone there the night
before? A nightmare? Some undigested dinner? No. The message
was from the Lord. It was too strange to have come from anyone
else. "...what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit."
Uh-huh.
Will Willimon is Dean of the Chapel at Duke University. He
describes a student who came to him, distressed that he was, in
his own words, "losing my faith." When he asked what the faith
was that he was losing, he replied, "I have problems with the
virgin birth of Jesus. [The same problem Joseph had, no doubt.]
Don't I have to believe in the miraculous birth of Jesus in order
to believe in Jesus?" he persisted.
"In one sense, No," Dr. Willimon answered. "Yet in another
sense, Yes. We ask you to believe in the virginal conception of
Jesus and, if we can get you to swallow that without choking,
then there's no telling what someone can get you to believe.
Come back next week and we'll try to convince you that the
poor are royalty and the rich are in big trouble, that God, not
nations, rules the world, and on and on. We start you out with
something small, like the virgin birth, and then work you up to
even more outrageous assertions, [like the incarnation, the
miracles of Jesus...the resurrection.]"(4)
We know the rest of Joseph's story. The betrothal was
resumed. There was that trip down to Bethlehem for the Roman
census, not much fun for a very pregnant young lady. The baby
came. Joseph named him - that was the prerogative of the father,
and Joseph accepted this child as his own, in the ancient King
James phrasing, "of the house and lineage of David." Good man.
Hardly an "Average Joe."
One of my friends recalls the days when he taught
confirmation to each year's 9th grade Sunday School class.(5) At
this time of year, he would do the same exercise. He would tell
the class that scholars thought that Mary was the same age as
they were, about 14 or so. He would then show them Deuteronomy
22, where according to Jewish law Joseph could have brought
charges against Mary, and if found guilty, she could have been
put to death. He would then divide up the class with all the
boys on one side and all the girls on the other. The girls'
assignment was to list all of Mary's options, while the boys were
to list Joseph's.
This usually would generate a lively discussion, especially
once they realized they did not have to stick to nice, neat,
happy-ending choices. With not much prompting, they would
generate quite a list. Mary could have...had an abortion,
claimed she was raped, committed suicide, run away, etc., etc.
Joseph, on the other hand, could have...brought her to trial,
quietly sent her out of town, left town himself, eloped with her,
made up a story, etc., etc.
In one particular class when all of these options were
listed on the chalkboard, my friend stood back. He asked, "What
does all this tell you?"
The class was very quiet for a moment or two. Then John,
the worst troublemaker in the bunch, said, "Wow! Look at all
that could have gone wrong. God was really taking a risk."
Smart kid. Indeed, since the beginning of creation, God has
been willing to risk. But I want you to note one thing, and if
you take nothing else away from here this morning, take this.
This very first story in the New Testament, this story about the
original "Average Joe," this story...is really GOD'S story. From
this first story till the last, the essence of all of them is
caught in something as simple as a name we often hear at this
time of year from the prophet Isaiah: Emmanuel - God is with us.
Remember that the next time your own life, like Joseph's, seems
about to tumble in.
Now, here we are, four days from Christmas. For too many,
not the time of joyous celebration that society expects. The
sound and fury of war echo through the sky threatening to drown
out the angels' chorus. The economy is turning around, they say,
but not quickly enough for those thousands and thousands still
out of work. There are empty chairs at the table where once sat
love. How to cope? How to cope?
Remember the original "Average Joe." We never hear one word
from him in all the gospel record. He just plods along and deals
with whatever life throws at him, no matter what, because he is
not alone. God speaks to him, even at most unlikely times -
remember that too, and be alert. Emmanuel. God is with him.
Just as with all of us "Average Joes." And that IS reason to
celebrate.
Amen!
1. Matthew 1:3-6
2. Frederick Dale Bruner, The Christbook : a historical/theological commentary : Matthew
1-12 , (Waco : Word Books, 1987)
3. William Barclay, CD-ROM, Daily Study Bible Series, (Liguori, MO : Liguori Faithware,
1996) Used by permission of Westminster/John Knox Press
4. William H. Willimon, "Pulpit Resource," Vol. 31, No. 4, p. 51
5. Howard Chapman, Via PresbyNet, "Sermonshop 1998 12 20," #64, 12/17/98
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