The challenge of the unexpected
OPINION
Genealogy mattered to Matthew. So he began his gospel by tracing Jesus’ ancestors from Abraham to Joseph, thus proving Jesus Christ to be both the Son of David and the Son of Abraham. As the son of Abraham, he is a Jew. As the son of David, he is the long-awaited
Messiah. The promise of the Old Testament has been fulfilled in the coming of Jesus.
While that is indeed a reasonable explanation of who Jesus is, we dare not miss the “unexpected” elements of Matthew’s story. Quite unexpected is his inclusion of women, especially Gentile women, in his genealogy. He mentions Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Matthew wants us to understand that in bringing salvation to the world, God has used women for centuries, and now in a startling way he has chosen Mary to be the mother of the Savior.
Nothing could have been more unexpected than the announcement that virgin would give birth to a baby, and that the child would be the Messiah. Even more surprising was the news that Mary’s pregnancy was the work of the Holy Spirit.
No one was more shocked by this news than Joseph. All he wanted to do wd marry a lovely young woman named Mary. Suddenly his plans were changed. Mary was already pregnant even though he had not yet slept with her. As he puzzled this alarming news, an angel came to his rescue. Then, without arguing or doubting, Joseph agrees to do as the angel directed. Such extraordinary obedience takes my breath away.
Thus did Joseph, a humble carpenter, become a remarkable role model in the art of handling the unexpected. He believed the angel. Putting his fears and questions aside, he did what he was told to do. Because Joseph was obedient, God’s plan worked perfectly.
It is worth noting that Joseph never speaks. He listens; he obeys. Some of us, who talk too much, should observe, perhaps with a chuckle, that one may sometimes serve the Lord without filling the air with words. Actions, deeds of love and mercy, do speak louder than words.
To live life well we must learn how to handle the unexpected. God has designed life so that the unexpected is actually normal. Life is simply like that; things keep happening that we had not planned on. We must learn how to handle the interruptions that are not unexpected to God.
When the fast ball we expected turns out to be a curve ball, we must adjust quickly so we can hit the ball. When life dishes us a lemon, we must find a way to make lemonade. The key factor is trust. When circumstances change, we can either blame God or trust God.
Obviously God allows changes to occur, so the challenge is to trust God no matter what – confident that always and forever God is with us, always working for our good. Is that not what Jesus meant when he said, “I am with you always”? The disciples believed that was what Jesus meant. We can too.
By the time I was 20 I had answered God’s call to the ministry and married my childhood sweetheart, Dean. A year later we had a handsome baby boy we named David. With college behind me, I entered seminary at Vanderbilt to prepare for pastoral work. Life was sweet. We had little materially but enough to live a comfortable life. Everything was going our way.
Then the unexpected hammered us. David, now two, was diagnosed with leukemia. There was no cure. “All we can do,” the doctor said, “is make David as comfortable as possible until the end.” I asked how long he had to live. Doctor Forte Bridges said, “Two months to two years.”
Our world was no longer comfortable. In seminary I was studying “the Man of Sorrows.” Now I was a man of sorrows. Overnight my life changed. One day I was an inquisitive student, eager to learn. The next day I was an angry student, desperately trying to believe that “God is love.”
Questions pounded my brain. If God loves me, why is he allowing my son to die? What has this innocent child done to deserve this suffering? How can I help my son understand why I allow the nurses to keep giving him blood transfusions? I can still hear David begging me to not to not let the nurses hurt him with the needles they were sticking in his arms. I had never experienced such agonizing helplessness, and I was becoming more and more angry with God.
Somehow, by the grace of God, Dean and I kept the faith. Despite the tears, and the bewilderment, we trusted God, even though we could not understand why David had to die. We began to learn that obedience is not easy. It was not easy for Joseph long ago. It is not easy for any of us. We were learning why the song says, “God never promised you a rose garden.”
Now, many years later, it is clear to me that trusting God is always the right thing to do. Trusting God is never wrong. Ultimately, life makes sense only when we trust God. So there are times when we must smile and remember that when the manure of life is piled high around us, roses will flourish in manure. Then, with help of our indwelling Savior and Lord, we can make roses grow in whatever unexpected garden we must tend.
Joseph handled well the unexpected changes in his life. He responded with courage, trusting that God’s plans were better than his own. We can do that too, because we know that what Joseph believed is true: God is with us! His name, after all, is Emmanuel. Glory!
