Let's Witness a Troubled Romance in Nazareth, Part 1

Mary and Joseph, the parents of Jesus, are often typecast as an idyllic Jewish couple that brought a remarkable baby into the world. Yes, they were perfectly suited for the divine assignment, but we tend to overlook the manner in which their pregnancy was announced. Imagine the embarrassment, the fear, when Joseph discovered his fiancé was carrying a child.

No doubt he was mystified and deeply troubled. Today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindoll recreates this first century story that led to Christmas Day. Chuck titled his message, Let's Witness a Troubled Romance in Nazareth. Those who are not familiar with their Bibles may not realize that the Christmas story is contained in a very small section of the New Testament. There are a number of verses that refer back to various events related to it, but the story itself is best told in the first two chapters of the Gospel by Luke and in the first chapter of the Gospel by Matthew. I want to read for you out of Matthew chapter 1, beginning at verse 18 down to the end of that chapter, that gives us a brief snapshot of what became, for Joseph, a very major issue in his life. Easy for us to forget that as we think of the Christmas story, thinking it's all placid and simple and flowing so easily, but not so for this couple who were engaged to be married. Matthew chapter 1, beginning at verse 18, tells that story.

I'm reading from the New Living Translation. Matthew 1, 18 begins, This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. Joseph, her husband, was a good man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly.

The Greek says simply to divorce her quietly. As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Joseph, son of David, the angel said, Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Verse 24, When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded, and took Mary as his wife. But he did not know her intimately until her son was born, and Joseph named him Jesus. Simple story, and yet miraculous in that this conception was in the womb of a virgin named Mary. Joseph, son of David, the angel said, Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, son of David, the angel of the Lord commanded, and took Mary as his wife, for the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Verse 25, Yet in thy hearts we shine, the earth has been bright. The hopes and fears of all of you are met in thee tonight. Holy child of Bethlehem, listen for us we pray. Lest thou dost in heaven turn in, before him house to play. We hear the Christmas angels, the great lives by his hand. Hold now to us, all by witness, our Lord Emmanuel. O there, O angels sing, glory to the King!

Son of Bethlehem, listen for us, the great lives by his hand. O there, O angels sing, glory to the King! O there, O angels sing, glory to the King! O there, O angels sing, glory to the King! O there, O angels sing, glory to the King! You're listening to Insight for Living.

To search the Scriptures with Chuck Swindoll, be sure to download his Searching the Scriptures studies by going to insightworld.org slash studies. Today's message is titled, Let's Witness a Troubled Romance in Nazareth. Courtship stories are fascinating stories.

They're fascinating because no two are ever the same. The human interest in stories of people falling in love is delightful to hear. And every time couples tell their story, it's always a little different, no two stories are the same. One man described it like love at first sight. He said, I saw, I knew, we met, we married, just like that.

I'm not sure it was exactly like that, but that's the way he described it. Others take a while, and maybe that's your story, where you were not really that much alike, and your differences kept you perhaps at a distance for a while, and then there were some areas of interest that you enjoyed together, and then over the months and maybe even years as time passed, you began to realize that you really could make a go of it together, and you fell in love and ultimately you were married. It took a long time, but you finally realized that was the one for you. There are others who say, I thought I knew the one I was marrying, but I didn't really discover who he was or who she was until later. After we had married, I found out who the person really was. I dusted off an old story recently that illustrates this beautifully of a couple that was celebrating their golden anniversary. They spent 50 years of marriage, and in their community, they were known as the harmonious couple of the community. Their home was tranquil, and it was a study in cooperation in this relationship together. Well, that got the attention of a newspaper reporter who visited with them and wanted to know the secret of their harmony, their tranquility. The husband said, I'll tell you, I'll let you know when it got started.

It began on our honeymoon. We went to the Grand Canyon, and while we were there, we rode pack mules down to the bottom of the canyon. She rode her mule and I rode mine, and we were on our way down, and her mule stumbled, and she said rather quietly, leaning forward, right into the ear of the mule, that's once. We rode on, and it got a little deeper into the canyon, and wouldn't you know it, that old mule stumbled the second time. And she said a little more firmly, that's twice. Just before we got to the bottom, we'd gone almost a quarter of a mile, and the mule stumbled a third time, and I suddenly remembered that I'd married a woman from Texas. She reached in her purse, pulled out a revolver and shot him, and the mule dropped, and I said to her, that was terrible.

What a dreadful thing for you to do with that poor mule. And she looked at me and said quietly, that's once. And he said, ever since then, we've lived a tranquil and very quiet, harmonious life together.

That's once. Now I'll suddenly change course and get very serious and say, there is no courtship more intriguing, more fascinating, than the one between Mary and Joseph of Nazareth. Unique in every way. You know some of the details, but the truth is, there is much about their lives of which we know nothing. We know nothing of their original families. We don't know about their mothers, their grandparents, their fathers, how their family responded when they got the news regarding Mary, and on and on I could go.

We don't know precisely what the neighborhood's response was. When they did Mary, rather hurriedly, breaking the betrothal and moving quickly into a marriage, we're left with our imagination. I mentioned earlier a betrothal.

The reason I do that is because that word is used when you get into the Scriptures even though it's not a word we use today. Our word is engagement or engaged. And really it's when the man gives the woman, he loves the ring called an engagement ring. Often that ring is given.

Sometimes the engagement doesn't work out. It isn't a huge scandal. But in ancient days when there was a betrothal, the whole community knew about it. And if there had been unfaithfulness, it was scandalous.

I'm getting ahead of myself. As Dr. Rari writes in his Rari Study Bible, although Joseph and Mary were not yet married, so sacred was the year of engagement or betrothal that they were by custom considered as if married. This explains when you read Matthew chapter 1 verse 18 that Mary is betrothed to Joseph and then shortly thereafter he is called her husband. See that in verse 19? That would be an inaccurate term to use for a man who is engaged.

Not in those days. For you see there was a bond, there was a relational cement that was set in place from the beginning of the betrothal. In brief, here's the way it worked. The Jewish couple went to the synagogue, met with a rabbi, told of their love relationship, their mutual agreement to be betrothed, their names would be entered into the public record of the synagogue, and they would be known from that time on, though not yet consummated in marriage, as husband and wife. She would be seen as his wife and she would be seen as her husband.

Now get this. Let's say she was sexually unfaithful to him during the betrothal year. It normally ran a full year. If she was, he had the option of a public declaration where witnesses would stand alongside him and she would be publicly shamed. In fact, before Roman law was enacted, the adulteress, as she was then known, would be stoned. That's how serious all that was.

There's another factor in all of this I want to get into because it ties in with things I want to say. It's amazing to me how the Christmas story revolves around Mary, and almost only Mary. How many Christmas cards emphasize Joseph or highlight him in the artist's rendering?

How about the songs? Mary, did you know? What about Joseph, did you know? But it's Mary, did you know?

Here's another one. What child is this who laid to rest on Mary's lap is sleeping? Didn't the baby rest on Joseph's lap as well? It's all about Mary. He's programmed to think mainly of Mary with the baby. Now, admittedly, Joseph has nothing to do with the conception of the child, but he figures into the story highly, as we shall see. But he just doesn't enter our mind when we come to the Christmas story. He's her husband, not the father, but he is her husband. But to be honest with you, going on the basis of tradition, who cares?

Well, I'll answer it quickly with two words. God cares. He cares so much that in the genealogy of Matthew, he traces Joseph back through his heritage all the way to the Jewish father of the nation, Abraham. Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.

The Greek reads, from whom Jesus was born. These details that emerge from his genealogy tell us the amazing story of Jesus' heritage and his miraculous birth that very first Christmas. You're listening to Insight for Living with a message from Chuck Swindoll titled Let's Witness a Troubled Romance in Nazareth. To learn more about this ministry, visit us online at insightworld.org.

In a moment, we'll hear a moving illustration from Chuck about his early years of marriage, so please stay with us. But first, it's important to remind you that these daily programs are available to a global audience because of the generous support that arrives during the month of December. To that end, we're calling on Friends Like You to join us in the all-out effort to bring God's message of Jesus' miraculous birth to all 195 countries of the world. At this very moment, while you're enjoying this program in your own hometown, Chuck's teaching spans the globe, not only in English, but often translated into local languages as well. Through Vision 195 and together with Friends Like You, we can implement the Great Commission of Jesus by making disciples through radio, our website, the mobile app, CDs, books, DVDs, the podcast, our live stream feed, and more.

While 2020 was filled with unwanted surprises, we're not deterred from this desire to pursue Vision 195. Chuck? A long time ago when our oldest children were still babies, Cynthia and I were living in the Northeast. Cynthia, whose father had been violently dysfunctional, was sinking into a pit of depression. She had seen one counselor after another. She had taken medications that doctors now know are in fact dangerous.

They didn't know that then. Everything we tried made things worse. We felt so alone. Behind our home was an alley.

One night as Cynthia slept soundly, and the babies as well, I went out for a late-night walk all alone. I got about halfway down that dark alley, and I just stopped. I looked up, and I cried out, Help me, Lord. I don't know what to do.

Please help me. I'm running out of hope. Have you ever been there?

Are you there right now? If 2020 has knocked you to your knees, you understand better than most. So listen to my next words closely. God is in that long, dark alley. He's not oblivious. He's not absent. He cares.

And best of all, He is working. In that alley, I couldn't fathom how we were going to make it through the next week to say nothing of the next year. How could the Lord set Cynthia free from such depression? I had no idea. I had no understanding that He would one day use her testimony to help others battling the same darkness. Many years ago, Insight for Living Ministries wasn't even a dream.

It wasn't even a blip on the screen. I had no idea the Lord would take my calling to preach and build a wonderful ministry. Under the leadership of my wonderful wife, who pulled out of that depression beautifully, having suffered through such dark days, she became a woman of strength and grit with a heart set on reaching all the nations. We had no clue, but God did. Our God is the God of impossibilities.

Believe that. He's the one who brings light. When everything around us is night, when all hope is lost, He brings back hope.

Christmas demonstrates that truth so well because in that first Christmas, God set His Son as Immanuel. The word means God with us. God is still with us in this year of loss and violence, division and pandemic. God is with us in our own long, dark alleys. In 2020, God is still weaving His sovereign tapestry to accomplish His divine will. Don't overlook Him. Whatever dark valley you're adoring, Jesus is still Immanuel. God is still sovereign.

He is able to carry out His plan when we can't see it. This Christmas, would you please join Insight for Living Ministries in proclaiming this calming reassurance worldwide? You can do so by sending your generous donation before December 31.

Would you do that? Your much-needed gift will bring light to others who this very day are stumbling through a dark alley of fear, disappointment, discouragement, and depression. They need to know, as Moses said to the Israelites in their moments of terror, do not be afraid, do not panic, for the Lord your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you. I'm counting on you for your gift. Thanks very much.

And here's how to respond. If you'd like to give a donation online, go directly to insight.org slash donate. If you're using the convenient Insight for Living mobile app, just click on the donate button and follow the simple instructions, or give a contribution by phone. If you're listening in the United States, call 1-800-772-8888. You know, some in our world feel all alone, afraid, uncertain about the future, and yet we can tell them the best news ever. So if you're listening in the U.S., please call 1-800-772-8888. You can also give online at insight.org. Join us again Friday when Chuck Swindoll continues to describe a troubled romance in Nazareth. That's next time on Insight for Living. The preceding message, Let's Witness a Troubled Romance in Nazareth, was copyrighted in 2019 and 2020, and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2020 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights are reserved worldwide. Duplication of copyrighted material for commercial use is strictly prohibited.