Family Tree Series - Joseph - EIC Rueil

By Pastor Jeff Walters.-

Introduction: The Family Tree & Joseph

We are continuing our series called Family Tree. This is the last Sunday in that series, and we will wrap it up on Wednesday night at our Christmas Eve service. I would love to personally invite you to be part of that this week. I will share a little more about it later.

In this series, we have been looking at some of the people who came before Jesus in his family tree, in his genealogy, his ancestors, and his cousins. This morning I want to consider, as briefly as I can and as fully as I can, a man from Jesus' family tree who we all know, but who does not get much time when we talk about Christmas. That man is Joseph.

We all know Joseph. If you have a creche in your home, Joseph is always there. Even if it is only Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, Joseph is always in the scene. We know some of the story that was read a moment ago, but we do not talk much about Joseph, and we almost never talk about him beyond Christmas.

A Personal Story of Adoption

Before we get to Joseph, I want to show you a couple of pictures and tell you a story. In late April 1968, a 27-year-old accountant ran out of his office in Amarillo, Texas, after receiving an urgent phone call. Family stories say he frantically told the people around him, "We just had a baby and I cannot find my wife!"

He did find her. And that baby was me. They had just been to Fort Worth, Texas, to the Gladney home for unwed mothers. A little boy had been born on April 20 to a university student, and this man and woman, my mom and dad, adopted me.

Here are a couple more pictures. This was my first Christmas. That is my dad. Then here we are a little older, enjoying one another in the backyard.

If you read the newsletter Friday night, you saw that I mentioned this message is personal for me today. It is personal because my dad and Joseph had something in common: They both raised a son who did not have their DNA, a son who was not their biological child.

Was Joseph Jesus' "Real" Dad?

Over the years I have often been asked, "Do you know your real father? Do you know your real dad? Do you know your real mom?" Jesus probably was not asked that question the way I was, but many have asked it since. Was Joseph Jesus' real dad? Luke seems to raise that question in his genealogy. He writes that Jesus began his ministry at about thirty years of age, "being the son, as was supposed, of Joseph." Luke is careful because he knows there is more to the story. Still, the community around Jesus knew him as Joseph's son. After Jesus fed five thousand people and walked on the water, the Pharisees said, "Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does he now say, 'I have come down from heaven'?" The people around him knew Joseph as his father.

By that point, Jesus knew who his true Father was. He had been baptized and God had spoken. Jesus knew he was the Messiah, the Son of God. He knew the miraculous story of his birth, that he was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and that his mother was a virgin. When I was asked about my real dad, I would say, "Absolutely. I know who my real dad is. My real dad was the man who raised me."

Jesus knew who his real Father was, and he also knew who his real dad was. A carpenter from Nazareth named Joseph.

Matthew says it in his genealogy in Matthew chapter 1: "Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ." Joseph was Jesus' dad.

Jesus was raised by Joseph. Joseph taught him his trade. Joseph provided for him and protected him. A real dad is the one who loves you, raises you, teaches you, provides for you, and disciplines you when you need it. Jesus never sinned, so I cannot imagine what that was like. I was not so good all the time!

Joseph was that kind of dad for Jesus.

Embracing the Scandal

Joseph's adoption of Jesus was different from my story, no question about that. But the reality is similar. Joseph welcomed a son as his own, knowing he was not biologically his.

The story that was read for us is a difficult one. Joseph and Mary were engaged, and in that culture, a betrothal was a serious commitment. It was as binding as marriage. You did not back out of it casually. Mary became pregnant, and that was scandalous, even dangerous. In that day, a woman could be punished severely for becoming pregnant before marriage. Joseph was considering ending the engagement quietly. The Bible says he was a righteous man, and he wanted to do what was right while also showing mercy. Then an angel came to him and explained what was happening, that the child was from God.

Joseph took Mary in, and he lived with the scandal. He lived with the questions. My mom and dad faced questions too, just different ones. They were never pregnant, and suddenly there was a baby. For Joseph and Mary, there was pregnancy without marriage, and all the talk that would come with it.

Joseph took Mary, and he took her son, and later he had other children with her, as we see in Scripture.

We do not have many details about Jesus' childhood. There are many years we know little about. But what we do know is that Jesus honored Joseph as his father, and that his brothers and sisters honored Joseph as their father. Jesus lived his life with a dad, a man who took him in as a son, even knowing he was not biologically his.

The Spiritual Principle of Adoption

There is an important spiritual principle here, and it has important implications for us. Adoption is a biblical truth at the heart of our salvation.

You may be familiar with adoption. It looks different around the world. It is often stressful, expensive, and filled with waiting and uncertainty. There are questions for parents: When do we tell? How do we tell? Do we tell? How will our child process it?

I have always known I was adopted. I do not remember the moment my parents told me. I just always knew. I never had crisis moments where I wondered who my biological parents were. My sister experienced it differently. Many children do. In Joseph's story, we see a picture of what God has done for us.

We are not naturally the spiritual children of our Heavenly Father. Our sin separates us from him. Ephesians chapter 2 says we were "children of wrath." That is strong language. It means we are not sons and daughters by nature.

But because of Jesus, we are offered a new family. I cannot describe how grateful I am that God placed me in the family he placed me in. My parents chose me. They brought me in. Even my extended family welcomed me. My cousins never treated me as anything less than family. I have always been a cousin, a nephew, part of the story. That is a picture of spiritual truth. We are not natural-born sons and daughters of the King. We are outside the family. But because of Jesus, we are welcomed in.

Romans chapter 8 speaks of this. Paul says we did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear. Instead, we received the Spirit of adoption as sons and daughters, by whom we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Galatians chapter 4 says that when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons and daughters. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

That fullness of time is Christmas. It is what we celebrate this week. It is the moment Israel was waiting for, the moment all creation was waiting for—the coming of the Son of God, the birth of the Messiah. And the gift of God is life and family, a spiritual new birth, a spiritual adoption as sons and daughters of the King.

Legally speaking, adoption makes you a son or daughter. I have my father's name. Walters is my father's name. I had his home, his care, his heritage, and his inheritance. I was my father's son in every way. Spiritually, though, I was an orphan, a child of wrath. But the light of Jesus shined in my heart, and I became a child of God.

Twice Chosen

This whole service today points to that truth. We sing to our Father. We pray to our Father. Baptism is a moment of identifying with our Father and his family, the church. Communion is a reminder of what made that adoption possible.

My parents were not my choice. I did not get to choose them, any more than any of us choose our parents. But I am so glad they chose me. When I was baptized, my pastor told me I was blessed because I was "twice chosen." My parents chose me, and God chose me too. My parents came to get me. They drove to Fort Worth and picked me up. They drove me home and they did not know what to do with a baby! They followed a little book that said I should be fed every three hours. They pulled off on the side of the highway every three hours, woke me up, and fed me, because they thought that is what you do. I was a little over four pounds when I was born, a tiny little thing. And then they fed me every three hours for the rest of my life, and here we are.

They came to get me. They chose me. They took me home. God the Father has chosen you and is calling you to come to him. You have a choice to make. We all do. Many of you have made that choice. For others, today is a day of decision, to say, "Yes, I believe in him." My parents went through legal paperwork, but it was nothing compared to what adoption can require today. So much paperwork, so much time, so much waiting. God has made the way through Jesus Christ, and he calls you to believe.

Welcome Home

You remember the story of the prodigal son. A father had two sons. One demanded his inheritance early, left home, wasted everything, and ruined his life. At his lowest point he said, "I need to go home." He rehearsed what he would say: "Father, let me be a servant, let me come back."

As he came down the road, his father saw him. And the father did not stand there and wait. He ran to his son. The son tried to speak his rehearsed speech, but the father welcomed him home as a son.

That is the heart of the gospel.

• If you are a believer, I want to remind you of the day you heard God say, "Welcome home."

• If you have not yet believed, I want to remind you that God is running toward you. His arms are open. He wants to say to you, "Welcome home," if only you will come.

I would love to talk with you more if you have questions, if you wonder what it means to follow Jesus.

I hope today you see the story of Joseph and his son Jesus, and you see yourself in that picture. God is infinitely better as a Father than Joseph ever was. And you are infinitely more in need than Jesus ever was, because Jesus was the sinless Son.

One more passage. Ephesians chapter 1 speaks to this:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. He chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. He predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace. In Christ we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace."

God knew who my mom and dad would be before time began. And before time began, God knew you. He knows where you come from, where you have been, what you have done, your sin, your wounds, and your story. And he says, "I will send my Son. Come home."

Communion & Closing Prayer

We are going to celebrate communion today. Communion is a reminder we celebrate regularly to remember what Jesus did to make adoption possible.

• We take the bread, representing Christ's body, broken for our sin.

• We take the cup, representing Jesus' blood, shed as the perfect final sacrifice for your sin and mine.

  
  

We do this together, not only to remember, but also to remind one another. We look at one another and say, "Fellow child of God, we remember this together." That is why we do this in the church. If you are a follower of Jesus, we invite you to join us. It does not matter where you come from. It might be your first time here. You may have a different background. But if you follow Jesus, you are welcome at this table to remember what he has done.

If you are not yet a believer, I encourage you to use this moment to consider what we have talked about today. Pray about it. Talk to someone you trust. Ask, "What does it really mean to follow Jesus?"

In a moment we will distribute the bread and the cup. You will take the bread, and we will eat together. Then we will take the cup, and we will drink together.

Before we do that, let us pray.

Father, thank you for your word, and thank you for its truth. Thank you that you are a perfect Father, a Father who has seen us, known us, and loved us anyway. A Father who has reached out to us again and again, and who gave your Son so that we could have life. As we celebrate communion together, remind us of what Jesus did, so that we can live as your sons and daughters—something we could not do for ourselves, something you did by grace and mercy. Bless this time, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Preached by Pastor Jeff Walters at EIC Rueil-Malmaison. To provide a better reading experience, Artificial Intelligence tools were used to transcribe and lightly edit the spoken text.