No Good Deed Goes Unpunished
Advent is a time of hopeful anticipation. Christmas is a time for Celebration! I would like to write to you today about the Nativity of our Lord Jesus and the role Joseph played in this life-changing event. There are very few times that Joseph is mentioned in the bible. In fact, almost the only times he is mentioned is in the story of the birth of our Lord.
Let's take a look at Joseph. He was a man who was literally blind-sided by his fiance. In his mind he chose Mary because she possessed those qualities and virtues that he thought he wanted in a wife, then she hit him with the big news! Now I'm sure today nobody would even bat an eye at the situation, but in those days, people were very proud of their faith and virtue. Finally, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him not to worry, that Mary's story is true. From that moment on Joseph dedicates himself to his new wife and child. They become inseparable. Mary chooses to travel with her husband to Bethlehem for the census, knowing full well how difficult this trip will be on her, not to mention Joseph, who has to walk about 1000 miles on rocky terrain! Imagine travelling along and hearing your wife scream out in pain as she is sitting on a donkey ready to give birth. He runs frantically looking for a place for his family and all he comes up with was a stupid barn! Now, I'm going to interject a comment here. If my husband made me travel for 1000 miles on the back of donkey 9 months pregnant and then at the moment of excruciating pain helps me off the donkey and sticks me in a smelly (I dont want even imagine what it must of smelled like!) barn to give birth to the son of God, I don't even want to tell you what comments would be spewing from my mouth at that moment. But...Mary is Mary, and I'm sure at that point she could have cared less.
Back to my story. So, he not only found her a place to have the baby but he probably delivered the baby himself! Wow! The other amazing thing is, when Harod decided to kill all the newborn male babies, again the angel appeared to Joseph and told him to flee and to take his family into Egypt. Again, if I were Mary, I would have said, "I don't care you go, but I'm going home to my Mother!" Nope, she trusted Joseph like Joseph had to trust Mary...and the rest they say is history.
So why the title "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished?" Because Joseph did everything he was told and when it really mattered, he had to count on God to provide for him, his wife, and for the child, and what did God provide? A stinky barn and manger? What kind of providing is that? We would have never given our children a stinky barn to have our grandchild in. Soooo, no good deed goes unpunished. Even after he did everything he was told it would seem as though God punished them. Ahhhhh, but did He? In that barn there was delivered a powerful and mighty king, though nobody would have believed it. Soon, shepards and Magi were there to give "witness" to this king and to see the greatest of all in the most humble of places.
Isn't that the real message of Christmas? In order to be great, one must first be humbled. Humility is not the opposite of greatness it is the necessary ingredient for greatness and our good deeds are not punished (even though it may seem as though they are), they are masqueraded in humility.
Once we are born we are all on our way to the cross, so that when we are called we can stand in the glory!
Glory to God in the Highest, and peace on earth! Merry Christmas!
Let's take a look at Joseph. He was a man who was literally blind-sided by his fiance. In his mind he chose Mary because she possessed those qualities and virtues that he thought he wanted in a wife, then she hit him with the big news! Now I'm sure today nobody would even bat an eye at the situation, but in those days, people were very proud of their faith and virtue. Finally, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and tells him not to worry, that Mary's story is true. From that moment on Joseph dedicates himself to his new wife and child. They become inseparable. Mary chooses to travel with her husband to Bethlehem for the census, knowing full well how difficult this trip will be on her, not to mention Joseph, who has to walk about 1000 miles on rocky terrain! Imagine travelling along and hearing your wife scream out in pain as she is sitting on a donkey ready to give birth. He runs frantically looking for a place for his family and all he comes up with was a stupid barn! Now, I'm going to interject a comment here. If my husband made me travel for 1000 miles on the back of donkey 9 months pregnant and then at the moment of excruciating pain helps me off the donkey and sticks me in a smelly (I dont want even imagine what it must of smelled like!) barn to give birth to the son of God, I don't even want to tell you what comments would be spewing from my mouth at that moment. But...Mary is Mary, and I'm sure at that point she could have cared less.
Back to my story. So, he not only found her a place to have the baby but he probably delivered the baby himself! Wow! The other amazing thing is, when Harod decided to kill all the newborn male babies, again the angel appeared to Joseph and told him to flee and to take his family into Egypt. Again, if I were Mary, I would have said, "I don't care you go, but I'm going home to my Mother!" Nope, she trusted Joseph like Joseph had to trust Mary...and the rest they say is history.
So why the title "No Good Deed Goes Unpunished?" Because Joseph did everything he was told and when it really mattered, he had to count on God to provide for him, his wife, and for the child, and what did God provide? A stinky barn and manger? What kind of providing is that? We would have never given our children a stinky barn to have our grandchild in. Soooo, no good deed goes unpunished. Even after he did everything he was told it would seem as though God punished them. Ahhhhh, but did He? In that barn there was delivered a powerful and mighty king, though nobody would have believed it. Soon, shepards and Magi were there to give "witness" to this king and to see the greatest of all in the most humble of places.
Isn't that the real message of Christmas? In order to be great, one must first be humbled. Humility is not the opposite of greatness it is the necessary ingredient for greatness and our good deeds are not punished (even though it may seem as though they are), they are masqueraded in humility.
Once we are born we are all on our way to the cross, so that when we are called we can stand in the glory!
Glory to God in the Highest, and peace on earth! Merry Christmas!
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Great story Joyce. Joseph got a few mentions in the bible after Jesus's birth, but it is the mother who seems to get the credit. Nothing changes.... :)
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