God can keep men holy even in humble, coarse conditions. Nazareth was a trade route stopover. Godless values entered it from the Mediterranean, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Idols and altars around it received offerings and sacrifices to false gods and demons. Soldiers, prostitutes, bandits, and rebels used its streets. Amid economic ups and downs Joseph earned his way there with his hands. Maybe his religious training occurred only weekly and was far from the country’s best. Still, God chose Joseph.
Resident Alien
Joseph would rather be humbled by God’s plans than enjoy choosing his fiancÈe’s credentials, the conditions under which Mary bore their firstborn, the name of their son, keeping his poverty private, and choosing how and where to move.
When I first notified the IRS that we were now living in the United States instead of in Hong Kong, they classified us as resident aliens. Don’t laugh. When you become who Christ wants you to be, some people will see you as alien. After all, this world is not your home. People may say, “Oh, he’s so righteous” as if righteous means ugly or phony. Righteous is indeed alien to the world. Joseph was an alien to Nazareth’s drunkenness, immorality, thievery, and sedition.
License Reflection
I once kept a black license plate with the word “JESUS” in bright blue letters on my dashboard. Oncoming people could see it. It also reflected on the windshield. While I drove, I saw the world through “Jesus.”
"Jesus" means "God saves." This truth humbles us like God’s plans humbled Joseph. Do not kid yourself. Technology, techniques, medicines, constellations, politicians, educators, mediums, psychics, or entertainers cannot fix our mess. If sin were not so bad, God would not have come to us as Immanuel. Our bond to him and to each other spring from our badness, not our goodness; from our infamy, not our fame; from our lack, not our bounty; from our mediocrity, not our excellence. When sinning humiliates us, we find comfort in knowing we are his people, and that he has saved us and made us fruitful. |L
Gary D. Anderson is minister of Capitol City Christian Church in Boise, Idaho. He and his wife Joyce served Christ in Hong Kong for 18 years.
