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Scripture Reading: Matt. 1:18-20; Luke 2:1-7; Matt. 2:11, 13-15, 19-23; Luke 3:23, 31b; 1:31-33; 6, Matt. 1:16b, 12; Jer. 22:30; 23:5
In the two preceding chapters we have seen four main points related to New Testament service. Such service should be absolutely different from religion, and there should be nothing of human effort. It should be conceived of the Holy Spirit, and it should bring forth Christ. The birth of Christ means the bringing forth of Christ.
In the preceding chapters we have seen only Mary’s side of the birth of Christ, but there is another aspect — the side of Joseph. Mary’s side reveals to us four main points of New Testament service. With Joseph there are, in addition, two main aspects in bringing forth Christ — the aspects of coordination and guidance. In the New Testament service we need coordination, and we also need guidance. These two things could not be divided or separated.
Mary conceived Christ, but she needed the cooperation from Joseph’s side. In other words, Mary needed Joseph’s coordination. It would have been extremely difficult for Mary to go on without Joseph. Without him she had no protection, and there were enemies attempting to kill the child conceived by her. Therefore, Mary needed the cooperation and coordination of Joseph in order to obtain protection and receive guidance as to what she should do and where she should go.
Not many of those who study the Bible have realized the need of coordination on Joseph’s side for the birth of Jesus. However, in the New Testament service, coordination is always required. New Testament service is not an individual matter. It is a service of the Body and therefore a service of coordination.
If you have read the two preceding chapters on the New Testament service, you now may be ready simply to be a virgin, so single and simple to conceive Christ of the Holy Spirit and bring Him forth. This may be so, but you still need Joseph. You should not think that you are so adequately prepared that you need nothing more. Regardless of how wonderful you are, you still need Joseph. The Lord may grant you the favor of conceiving Christ, but the Lord will not grant you the leading and guidance so that you will know where to go and what to do. For this, you need the coordination of Joseph.
Mary conceived Christ, but where was she to deliver Him? She was a resident of Nazareth, but Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. How could this be? As a young virgin living in Nazareth, how could she go to Bethlehem to deliver her child? The prophecy must be fulfilled that Christ was to be born at Bethlehem. Of course, the prophecy that Christ should be called a Nazarene was easily fulfilled, because Mary was living in Nazareth. However, to have Christ born in Bethlehem was not so easy.
I say again, regardless of how wonderful Mary was, she still needed Joseph. Mary was in Nazareth, but the delivery had to be in Bethlehem. How could she accomplish this? The only way was by coordination. It is so interesting to see that after the conceiving of Jesus, everything concerning the birth of Jesus was related to Joseph. Caesar made a decree that all the subjects of the Roman Empire must be registered according to their families. This occurred in order to provide for the birth of Jesus at Bethlehem, and it was accomplished through coordination. Without coordination Mary could not have gone to Bethlehem. Joseph was of the house of David, and the house of David had to be registered at Bethlehem. Therefore, because Mary was related to Joseph, both Joseph and Mary went to Bethlehem to be registered according to their house and family. Then, while they were there, the days were fulfilled that the child should be delivered, and Christ was born at Bethlehem. Christ was conceived by Mary in Nazareth, but He was delivered at Bethlehem according to prophecy. How was this accomplished? It could only have been done through Joseph’s coordination.
The angel of the Lord appeared to Mary concerning the conceiving of Jesus. However, when it was necessary to move from the land of Israel to Egypt, the angel did not come to Mary, but to Joseph. You may be indeed wonderful, but you are wonderful only for conceiving, not for moving. The leading and guidance of the Lord’s move does not come through you, but through another to whom you are related. If you would know the Lord’s will regarding your move and the things you need to do, you need Joseph. The conceiving was by Mary, but the leading was not given to Mary, but to Joseph. This is wonderful!
You may be today’s Mary, but you nevertheless need the coordination of Joseph. You may be absolutely out of religion and so much in the Holy Spirit to bring forth Christ, but if you do not have Joseph, you still do not know what to do, and you do not have the Lord’s leading. For the Lord’s leading, you need Joseph. The leading came to Joseph, not only for going down to Egypt but also for coming out of Egypt to return to the land of Israel. Mary was not considered in this matter. The angel appeared to Joseph.
When Joseph was bringing Mary and the child back to the land of Israel, he feared that the child might still be persecuted in the district of Judea. While he considered the matter, he received guidance from the Lord to turn from Judea to Galilee and settle in the city of Nazareth. This also fulfilled the prophecy in the Old Testament. All the prophecy concerning Christ being born in Bethlehem, His going down to Egypt and being called out of Egypt, and His being called a Nazarene depended upon the coordination of Joseph. Of course, to conceive Christ and to bring Him forth was the function of Mary. Nevertheless, to fulfill the prophecy of the Lord, which means to fulfill the Lord’s purpose, required the coordination of Joseph.
We all need to learn how to apply the principle revealed in this case. There are many cases in the church life which, in principle, are like this example. Mary was on the side of life and reality, and Joseph was on the side of position and move. The life and the reality of conceiving Jesus were with Mary. Joseph did not have these, but Joseph had the position as the head, and Mary needed to submit to him. Joseph had no reality to conceive Jesus, but Mary did not have the position to move. We need the reality in life, and we also need the position and move.
Now let us apply this principle to the church life. Suppose some brothers are going to clean the meeting hall, a job that requires the skill these brothers have. However, these brothers are not the leading ones in this service group. The leading one is a brother who knows nothing about cleaning. He simply does not know how to clean the floors, the windows, the ceiling, or any other part of the hall, and he really does not know why the church put him into such a position. When it is time to do the cleaning, all the brothers who have the skill need to come to this brother who knows nothing about cleaning to ask what they should do. He does not have the skill, but he has the position, a position those who have the skill do not have.
The problem is that all the Marys think they do not need the Josephs. They think they can conceive, but Joseph cannot do anything; therefore, they ignore him. If this is the case, the church life is immediately killed, and Christ cannot be brought forth. The cleaning of the hall then will be a problem. They may do a good work, but nothing of Christ will be conceived and brought forth. There is the real need of coordination.
Perhaps a certain brother knows how to bring people to the Lord. He has the knowledge and ability to preach the gospel. However, he needs to know where he should go to preach and what he should do to carry out his burden. He needs to go to Joseph. Surely Joseph is not as qualified as he is. This brother has the ability to preach, but here is a brother who cannot preach, yet God gave him as a Joseph to the gifted brother to be over him and to guide him. If they coordinate together, Christ will be brought forth in the gospel for the building up of the church. The question is whether the gifted brother will take such a one as his Joseph. Today’s problem is that the able persons are not willing to submit to those who are not as able in certain aspects as they are.
Do you think that all the elders in a local church are all-inclusively sufficient? In the church there are many things to be accomplished. Those who have been with us in Los Angeles for some time realize now that the church life is not so simple. Today we have so many serving with us in many different service groups, yet there are still some aspects and areas of service which have not been taken care of. How could four or five elders be all-inclusively sufficient? They cannot do everything. If I were one of the elders, there would be many things that I could not do. For instance, if we were going to have a love feast, I would not know how to cook. You should not think that as an elder I can preach, I can teach, I can visit others, and I can do the cleaning work. No one is all-inclusively sufficient. There is the need of coordination with all the members of the Body.
Suppose there is a sister who excels in cooking, and the church is preparing to serve a meal to some guests. Not one of the elders knows anything about cooking, but this sister knows all about it. What should she do? She has the cooking ability, but she does not have the cooking guidance. She does not know what day to do the cooking or how many to cook for. She has the reality and the life of cooking, but she does not have the position and guidance for cooking. She needs the elders to be Josephs to her.
I believe that by these few simple illustrations we can understand how we need to apply this principle in everything. Here is a brother who takes the lead in the work of the children’s meeting in the church. Do you think he is all-sufficient and able to execute all the aspects of the children’s work? It is impossible. I believe that if he were asked to care for the little ones in the nursery, he could not do it. However, some of the sisters are fully qualified in this matter. There is the need for coordination.
Today there are many gifted ones who can be compared to a Mary without a Joseph. They could even be compared to divorced women, because they think that they have the ability, the ministry, the gift, and the function, and that they need no one to lead them or coordinate with them. It even seems that they are wives who need no husbands. This is the situation among too many Christians today. Such a situation is somewhat like a broken home, but the church life is surely not a broken home. The “wife” in the church life may be quite capable; yet she is willing to submit to those who are not so capable but who have the position. This is basic. This principle is not only for our families but also for the church. We need all the Marys, and we need all the Josephs. We need the qualified, able Marys, and we also need the Josephs in their proper position. We need someone who has the ability, and we also need someone who has the position. Without the able ones, there is no life, and without those in position, there is no direction or guidance. Without Mary, there is no way for Joseph to conceive Jesus, and without Joseph, Mary does not know what to do or where to go, even though she has already conceived Jesus.
We thank the Lord that many of the blessings that have been brought into the church life have come simply through the proper coordination. There are many things that I cannot do, not only in this country but also in my homeland. It has only been through proper coordination that the blessing has been brought in. We need to realize that we need coordination regardless of how much we are able to do or what kind of position we have. This is the Lord’s wisdom in the New Testament service.
By what way could we have the Body life and the proper church life? There is no other way but by Mary and Joseph coordinating together. There is the need of Mary in the aspect of the reality of life, and there is also the need of Joseph in the aspect of the position and move. When we put these two together, we have the bringing forth of Christ. Then God’s purpose will be fulfilled.
In the church life we need the proper coordination with so many Marys and so many Josephs. It is a sad situation when the Marys will not take the Josephs, and the Josephs will not take the Marys. We need both to have a proper bringing forth of Jesus. The Bible says that the birth of Jesus Christ was in this way. It is only in this way that we could bring forth Christ, that is, by the proper coordination of Mary and Joseph.
Now we need to go on from coordination to the matter of guidance. It is so clear that guidance came out of the coordination. A virgin with a child is certainly not becoming, and Joseph intended to send Mary away secretly (Matt. 1:19). However, while he pondered these things, he had a dream.
Some of the translations render this word “trance” instead of “dream.” It was not an ordinary dream but more like a vision or a trance. While Joseph was pondering these things, he received a vision from the Lord. Then he was led to take Mary as his wife. Who brought Mary to Bethlehem? Who brought Mary with the child to Egypt? Who brought them back to the land of Israel? Who brought the child with the mother to settle in Nazareth? Joseph! All of these moves were with Joseph, and all the guidance came through Joseph.
We also need to see in this picture how submissive Mary was. She was so much graced with the Lord’s mercy, yet she was so humble and submissive to Joseph in everything. She had the ability to conceive, but she did not receive any leading from the Lord concerning the necessary moves. The leading to move came only to Joseph.
If we would be a Joseph to receive the leading, we need to be outside the realm of our mentality. Joseph intended to send Mary away, and while he pondered these things, he saw something as a vision that had nothing to do with his mentality, something outside the realm of his mentality. We need to learn not to analyze so much in the realm of our mentality. Then we may receive the leading to do something that is absolutely against our natural way of thinking.
I really appreciate Joseph. Suppose the angel of the Lord were to come to you and tell you to take Mary, who has a child in her womb, as your wife. Would you take her? You would probably tell the Lord that this was against nature and would damage your reputation in society. Then you would tell Mary that you simply could not take her to be your wife. If this was the case, you could never be a Joseph. To be a Joseph, we need to be delivered from reasoning in the realm of our natural mentality. In the church life, many times when we follow the leading of the Lord, it may seem that we lose our good name, and we may be completely misunderstood.
When we consider all the steps of the Lord’s leading with Joseph, we need to realize that not one step was easy for Joseph to take. Mary had a child in her womb, yet Joseph was asked by the Lord to take her as his future wife. Do you think this was easy to do? It appears that both Mary and Joseph were poor people, living in a despised district and a small town. Then a decree came that they all must be registered in their hometown. Today this may be easy, but in those days it was not so easy, especially for poor people. However, the Lord had sovereignly moved in the heart of Caesar to issue such a decree. Therefore, it was necessary for Joseph to go to the hometown of his relatives and to take with him his future wife who had a child in her womb. Of course, they would ask Joseph who she was and when they were married. Then Joseph would have to tell them that they were not married yet. Just consider the situation. Not one step was easy to take.
Then after Jesus was born, another leading from the Lord came that Joseph should take the child and his mother to Egypt. No doubt Joseph thought he had traveled enough, but now he must go far away to Egypt. We need to remember that they were poor, and this was a long, hard journey. Joseph may have wondered how long they were to stay in Egypt. The Lord simply told them to go and stay. They might be there a month, and they might be there a year or longer. It is difficult to move when you do not know how long you will stay in the place to which you are moving. This was a real test for Joseph, but he did as he was told.
It may have been only a short time after they arrived in Egypt that the angel appeared to Joseph again and told him to go back to the place from which he had moved. If I were Joseph, I would think that the Lord was quite troublesome. He had barely settled in Egypt, and now the Lord was asking him to return to Israel. He did not even say to what city in Israel they should return. This no doubt was hard for Joseph, but this is the way of the Lord’s leading.
The Lord tells us one step at a time, never two steps. When He wants us to take the second step, He will tell us. We should not ask about the second step, but simply go ahead and take the first. We want to know not only the second step but even the steps in eternity. We want to know everything. The Lord, however, told Joseph only one step at a time.
Therefore, Joseph returned to the land of Israel. Then, hearing that the son of Herod had come into power, he was afraid. At that point he received another vision from the Lord that he should go to Nazareth. Step by step, Mary received the leading of the Lord through the coordination of Joseph. Eventually, everything was fulfilled which had been prophesied in the Old Testament. The child was born in Bethlehem. He was brought down into Egypt and brought back out of Egypt to the land of Israel. Then He settled with His parents at Nazareth. All of these steps were necessary for the fulfilling of the Lord’s purpose.
We all need to learn the lesson of coordination. Whether we are a Mary or a Joseph, we need one another. Mary and Joseph need to work together to bring forth Christ in an adequate and perfect way to fulfill God’s purpose. This is the way of New Testament service. The New Testament service in the church life is a service of coordination in every step to fulfill the Lord’s purpose. We all need to learn this lesson if we are to be useful in the Lord’s recovery. It is really something to see Mary and Joseph working together in such a wonderful coordination. This is the reason for the Lord’s leading in every step of their move. We all need to apply this governing principle to our service in the church life.
