Joseph and Living the Dream

I have been pondering the story of Joseph off and on for a number of months.  Not the Joseph with the coat of many colors, who lived an amazing life of trial and triumph, but the one with the plain, brown coat; the husband of Mary.  That Joseph.  The Joseph who is so easy to overlook.  Yeah, maybe we appreciate that he took Mary as his wife, even though he knew he wasn’t the father of the child she was carrying.  Maybe we admire the fact that he was willing to live with the gossip and criticism associated with her condition, and maybe we consider him a role model as a good father and husband, but if we look a bit closer, I think we will find there are some subtleties to be gleaned that have parallels for broader thoughts.

Perhaps the marriage of Joseph and Mary was one of opportunity for Joseph.  Perhaps he was attracted to her.  Perhaps he was going along with the wishes of his family, because this was a good match.  Whatever the background, we are not told.  All we know is Joseph happened to have the proper background, as a descendant of David, to be father to the king.

As the story goes, Joseph was betrothed to Mary, but when he found out she was pregnant, he planned to divorce her quietly.  Divorce seems the logical thing to do, if one wanted to maintain reputation.  And Joseph, to his credit, was going to do so quietly.  I can see how Joseph might not even think there was any other option.  When things got a little complicated and embarrassing, Joseph wanted out.  Divorce was the out. 

That is, UNTIL an angel appeared to him in a dream and gave him another thought.  The angel opened up a scenario and told Joseph not to be afraid to go there.  He invited Joseph to be “all in” in a happening he didn’t understand.  The fact that God used a dream and an angel to communicate with Joseph, speaks to me of God’s dream within a dream. 

God spoke because He had a dream for Joseph bigger than his own dream of having a family, a trade and a normal life.  God was setting something in motion that was monumental. He wanted to make sure Joseph had enough clarity to go there.  God is good like that; always inviting us further into our own story with dreams that are so big, they are hidden in His benevolence.  That’s why we have trouble discerning.  The pixels that make up the picture are spread out so far, they are undecipherable up close.  Some of us may have had an experience like that. 

I had a History teacher in ninth grade, Mr. McHugh, who asked our class some questions pertaining to a chapter we had read.  Kids were answering his questions, but not hitting the mark.  I could see where he was going, but being a very, very shy kid, I was always happy for someone else to answer the question, as long as I did not have to be the one.  But this time, no one did.

Finally, I could sense his frustration and I raised my hand.  I tied in the chapter we had been assigned with some insight that went beyond what he was anticipating.  In that moment, he was stunned.  He said, “You do not belong in this class.” He took me by the hand and led me down the hall to Mr. Wu’s class.  Mr. Wu taught the brainiacs.

He opened the door, interrupted the class and said, “She belongs in your class.”  However, because I was such a self-conscious kid, I was absolutely humiliated at the public display and never lived up to Mr. McHugh’s belief in my potential, because I did not believe it about myself.  The picture was too big.  I couldn’t see myself in that scenario. But, God has brought that memory up time and again, at critical junctures in my life to say, “This is what I believe about you”.

In Joseph’s  dream, the angel introduced him to a huge panoramic scenario with just enough information to keep him headed in the direction of his calling.  It was a five part word.  It all happens in a paragraph, so you have to pay attention. He called him: “Joseph, descendant of David”.  In other words:

1.       I am naming you.  No other name has significance now.  I know who you are, and I know your bloodline.  I’m calling you to awaken to who you are. That is what my teacher was trying to do for me.

2.       Don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife.  Don’t be afraid is the same directive an angel has said to countless men before Joseph with a call on their lives: Joshua, Abraham, Gideon just to mention a few.

3.       Carry on in the direction you were headed. Don’t let this current situation dissuade you. Go ahead and get married. Proceed as planned.  I’m here to tell you, nothing’s changed.

4.       Something you can’t understand and do not have a grid for has just happened.  I know you have no way to process what I am telling you, but I’m going to say it anyway.  That which is conceived in Mary is from the Holy Spirit.  Isn’t it like that when you know God has spoken to you?  You understand the words, but it makes no sense to the natural mind.

5.       This is what will happen as a result.  (He will save his people from their sins.) This is the culmination of history encompassing all that your people have been promised and have been waiting for.  And YOU are right smack dab in the middle of the story!  You are a central figure and you probably still won’t understand.......to be continued....