The Most Scandalous Story Ever Told

(I would like to warn everyone in advance that since the Gospel lesson today is about Joseph and the pregnancy of his bride to be, this sermon is rated PG-13.)

Do you ever wonder why God has to be so awkward about how he approaches us?

In today’s Gospel lesson from Matthew we hear, “When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, Mary was found to be with child.  Joseph, her husband, being a righteous man was unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, so he planned to dismiss her quietly.”  He didn’t want the embarrassment in his life, so he was going to try to get rid of the whole situation without drawing a lot of attention to himself.

Now you know I can’t fault Joseph for thinking they way he did.  He had to be very unhappy with his wife-to-be.  I mean what person in the ancient Roman territory of Judea, would not be ticked off with a spouse who turned up pregnant.  Mary was pregnant even before the two had an opportunity to live together, let alone sleep. Who would not be angry at a situation like this, even now in this 21^st century?  Even today an adulterous spouse is grounds for divorce….  It’s just scandalous!  Not to mention when we think of an engaged couple, the male spouse to be finds out his future wife is pregnant; it is scandalous.  But let that same person find out his bride to be is pregnant by another person, even before the two have come together, he will be livid and want to get rid of this woman quickly.  Can you blame him; I mean who would want to father a child with a woman you aren’t sure you can trust? 

Why would God want to begin his earthly existence under these kinds of circumstances?  All knowing, all powerful, all seeing God comes into the world to take on flesh and blood and begins it all with a soap opera setting!  Well, He certainly got our attention!!

Last week we heard another passage from Matthew, “Blessed is any one who is not scandalized by me.”  Our translation says “Blessed is anyone who is not offended by me,” but the word is “skandalisqh” (SCAN DAL ES THEY).  The Gospel is filled with references to scandal and even the scandal of it all.  Our gospel reading today is prefaced by a genealogy of Jesus, tracing him back through Joseph to David and even to Abraham.  I could read it out for you now, but I’m afraid most of you would be asleep before I finished.  It outlines Jesus’ claims to a royal pedigree with a lot of begat such and such and fathered so and so, you know the type of lists I’m talking about.  Well since I have cut to the chase for you, one huge problem we see right off the bat is that Jesus isn’t actually Joseph’s son; he’s adopted!  He can’t really be a descendant because he isn’t really of the same bloodline, right?  He isn’t pure.  How can he be a descendant of David if he doesn’t have the bloodline?

And let’s not overlook that there are women included in the list—tsk, tsk! Remember women weren’t of value in this day and age.  Women were more like property, we can’t trace a bloodline through women.  Why this is another item for us to look down our noses about.  In fact, if we look closer and can get past the problem with women in his claim, of the four women listed in the genealogy, all four of them had less than reputable existences:  Tamar acted as a prostitute with her father-in-law!  Rahab was a prostitute!  Ruth was a crafty and cunning widow who did whatever was necessary to survive, including some less than virtuous things.  And then last but not least there is Bathsheba the wife of Uriah the Hittite, who liked to bathe on her roof so that her neighbor King David couldn’t help but notice her, and watch her bathe, and well of course he had an affair with her, which caused her to become pregnant, and then of course David would have to have her husband killed in order to save embarrassment and ultimately take her as a wife rather hastily.  Sound enough like a soap opera?  Why would God, the Almighty claim these kinds of women?  Why would God do such crazy things?

Well of course let’s get back to Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Joseph thinks she’s been sharing her goods, so to speak.  Don’t think the women in Nazareth didn’t know about the situation if Joseph knew.  They were very aware of her, say down at the village watering well.  Uhuh!  You know there were many scandalous things said and whispered about Mary and her situation, as she approached and left the well.  I’m certain she heard the giggling and laughter and some of the cruel remarks, probably even after Joseph married her.  You know its true, women… and men like to gossip about scandalous things.  All seeing, all knowing, all powerful, Almighty God…why would you claim such a heritage and make such a scandalous entry into the world? 

How scandalous do you think it was for Joseph to marry a woman who is carrying a child that isn’t his?  How scandalous was it for Joseph to discuss a dream about an Angel in public?  People aren’t that much different today than they were then.  People would be saying things about his sanity.  “That Joseph, you know he’s a few cards short of a full deck.  He thinks an angel visited him and he thinks his wife’s illegitimate son is going to save the world!”  Why if I cam in here tomorrow evening and told you all an angel had visited me in my dreams, most of you would begin to think, “nut job!”  What does this say about God and his methodology?

And Jesus, whoa, let’s not forget Jesus.  Jesus’ whole life will be scandalous.  His very birth compromises our notions of goodness.   Jesus is the descendant of prostitutes and liars, his lineage isn’t acceptable by human societal standards.  Jesus will be born in a feeding trough for animals.   When Peter rebukes Jesus for his first prediction of the Passion, Jesus says of Peter, "You are a scandal to me!" When Jesus instructs his followers not to cause the "little ones" to sin, he tells them not to "scandalize" the little ones. When Jesus speaks to his followers at the Last Supper, tells them that they will "fall away" on account of him that night, he says that they will "be scandalized" by him.  Jesus will say and do things his whole life that people will find scandalous.  He will die on a cross the death of a common thief or murderer, robbing him of dignity even in death and burial.  In death he is scandalous and humiliated for all to see….  And out of all these things and more that are scandalous about Jesus, there is this thing about him rising from the dead his disciples will begin to tell stories about.  It’s just Scandalous!  The whole thing, who would believe such a scandalous tale?  It doesn’t make sense in our world, how can a king be a pauper?

This passage of the Gospel asks us to find in the advent of the Savior something that scandalizes even us, as it scandalized Joseph. Where in this narrative and in the Incarnation do we find the place that makes us say, “No, wait, I can go this far, but no further. If you ask me to do this, I cannot continue to walk with you.”  Where is the place in the story where we fall away?   Where is the place where we put Jesus quietly away, not wishing to shame him, but not wishing to associate with him, either?

But wait… I forgot… I’ve got all of these things back here in my closet… skeletons lurking and waiting… things I don’t want anyone to know about.  I have things I did that I am ashamed of and things that would be too scandalous for me to be accepted.  I’ll bet everyone in this congregation has skeletons in their closet.  Even if you have lived your life like a saint, there are things that you are ashamed of and afraid to tell others openly. 

Maybe God knows more about me than I think he does.  Maybe God knows more about us all than we can ever fathom.  God knows how jaded my past actually is.  God wants me to rest at ease with my past and turn towards tomorrow with my head held high… in the knowledge that all things are forgiven, because only a God who enters into life with so much scandal can meet us in the depths of our earthly existence and raise us up.  Only a God willing to see us for who we are and love us in our times of darkness would live a life that might be a scandal to others.

Isn’t it wonderful our God can take these circumstances of scandal and make a mockery of them?  The greatest story ever told is really the most scandalous story ever told.  Our God is so great we can’t even begin to understand the ways.  Our God comes into the world in a situation none of us would be proud of, and lives a life of a wanderer and the death of a criminal.  Isn’t that wonderful?  To accept him, we must be willing to accept these uncomfortable and scandalous things about Jesus, so that our own flaws and scandals will be undone.

It seems that God can only come to us in the scandalous, because sometimes it’s all we know and understand.  We have a natural tendency to scandalize, to make victims, and scapegoats.  It is no less true in the Incarnation than in the Crucifixion. Paul said it this way, "God chooses what is weak to shame the strong. God chooses what is foolish to make foolish the wisdom of the wise." If we are not scandalized by the Incarnation, we aren't looking closely enough.  Everyone should be made aware, over and over again of how similar our lives are with Joseph—good, but still entangled in scandalizing others, and scandalizing ourselves at God's self-revelation in Jesus.  Joseph is virtually silent in the Gospels, virtually irrelevant to the story, except that without him there is no initial acceptance of the beginning of the story.

I’d like to leave you with this little irony and you can call it what you like; fluke coincidence, happenstance, Holy Spirit.  This morning I hadn’t really decided how to end this sermon and someone walked up to me and hands me a story on a piece of paper, it ended by reminding me of this:

Jesus had no servants, yet they called him Master.

Jesus had no degree, yet they called him Teacher.

Jesus had no medicines, yet they called him Healer.

He had no army, yet kings and rulers feared Him.

He committed no crime, yet they crucified Him.

He won no military battles, yet he conquered the world.

Isn’t that scandalous?  Yet… isn’t it wonderful.  Our God can take any circumstance and make it holy, including yours.  God can meet you where you are and let you know of places far worse than you can imagine.  Do not fear those who look down their noses at you or laugh behind your back.  Do not fear being scorned or even hated for being who you are.  Do not be ashamed of anything in your life, past or present.  Hold your head high in the knowledge and love of God, because your sins past are forgiven.  The past is the past, the slate is clean we need only to worry about tomorrow and today.  Allow these last few days in Advent to prepare you for the new beginning which is Christmas.  Love the Lord, listen faithfully and be aware that “God’s ways are not our ways.” 

In Jesus’ name I offer this~

AMEN!