Matthew 1.20 20 But after he had considered this, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “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. (NIV)
There is a very important fragment in this sentence that
we would be wise to heed: Joseph, son of David. This reminds of us the royalty
of the tribe of Judah and from whom the true King would come.
Now, not everybody in the family is noble. Joseph was
ignoble. I looked up ignoble and found its alternate meaning is: of humble origin or social status.
Joseph was of humble origin and social status. If what we know of him is
correct, he was a carpenter (an ancient version of the modern handy-man) not a shepherd, or involved in the agronomy of the day. Nobody in those days looked up Joseph’s
name on the registry of Who’s Who of the Tribe of Judah; it just wasn’t there.
But the angel of God called him for what he really was:
Joseph, son of David. David, of course, was the great king of Israel. David was the called
king on the heels of Saul’s disastrous monarchy. David was the healer of the
nation. David was the uniter of his people. And David was from the Tribe chosen
for the dynasty of God (See Genesis 49.8-12). And Joseph was a descendant of
David.
But Joseph wasn’t Jesus’ father. Jesus was born of God.
But Jesus was born into a family whose lineage was from the Judaic tribe. Mary’s
lineage was also from the tribe of David; the tribe of Judah. Mary, too, was
ignoble – but Mary was also of royalty.
Much is made today of celebrity. Much is made of who’s
who. and who has. and who does. Our world has no shortage of movers and shakers;
the rich, the famous, and the pretty. Tons of money is spent on entertainment,
sports, and other venues for showing off who’s in and who does. But all of that
isn’t royalty – it’s an industry of pop culture. All of that comes from man’s
doing, not the throne of grace which looked upon an ignoble couple whose marriage was
held in suspicion and whose Child was the True King of Heaven and earth. They
didn’t look like royalty; they didn’t act like royalty – they just loved God
the best way they knew how: ignobly.
I think that’s where I’m called to today: just to be me, and to love God the best I know how. There are many in this world who are
smarter, prettier, and certainly more favorable in the world’s scheme of
things; but I am called by grace to live as a member of a royal people whose
belief is in the Living God and in Jesus Christ Whom He has sent. Ignoble I am,
but chosen by God for His glory. I’ll take it!
Lord God, the beauty of Who You are is that You’ve chosen
the weak things of this world to show where Your favor truly is: upon the sons
and daughters who are not recognized by the world, but known by You, and called
by Your grace. May I live today not as what the world thinks I am or should be, but as who
You’ve called me to be: Your son. And may I reflect the light of Your Chosen
Son, my Savior, this day in all I do for You – amen.
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