Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
0.15UNLIKELY
Disgust
0.11UNLIKELY
Fear
0.17UNLIKELY
Joy
0.52LIKELY
Sadness
0.5LIKELY
Language Tone
Analytical
0.51LIKELY
Confident
0UNLIKELY
Tentative
0.52LIKELY
Social Tone
Openness
0.73LIKELY
Conscientiousness
0.38UNLIKELY
Extraversion
0.26UNLIKELY
Agreeableness
0.77LIKELY
Emotional Range
0.52LIKELY
Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9
\\
\\
\\ 14
\\ | C |
hristmas pageants usually overlook one character.
Oh, sometimes he's given a walk-on part—walking beside a donkey.
Even the anonymous innkeeper attracts more attention.
But Joseph, the son of Jacob, the son of Matthan, was God's choice man to act as father to God the Son.
He was caretaker to Omnipotence.
According to Matthew's genealogy—a record of the legal heirs to David's throne—Joseph was a royal person, a potential king.
But royalty was not his only qualification.
He was a man according to God's ideal
Mr. Lewis, a free-lance writer living in Chicago, Illinois, is contemplating pastoral ministry.
\\ of manhood, an ideal that sometimes runs counter to our cultural conceptions of masculinity today.
We know little of his outward appearance.
From Mary's sacrifice of two turtledoves, we know he was poor.
A carpenter in Nazareth, he may or may not have had physical brawn.
But he had the moral and spiritual strength God esteems.
From Scripture's brief glimpses we see his sterling character ana brave obedience to God whatever the cost.
We first meet Joseph at a turning point.
Deeply in love, he anticipated marriage to his betrothed.
But after Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive by the Holy Spirit and bear the Messiah, she abruptly left town "with haste" (Luke 1:39), probably without telling Joseph.
MOODY ~/ DECEMBER 1981
\\ | Then, when Mary returned from her three-month If the decision to end the marriage was hard, an visit at Elizabeth's, he discovered shattering news: The angel gave Joseph an even more difficult course— |
\\ | one he believed to be pure was pregnant (Matt.
1:18-25).
He must have found her story of virgin conception incredible.He pondered his options based on the custom of the day.
He could publicly accuse Mary or divorce her |
\\ | marry her.
What conflict must have torn him!He must have still wanted to marry her, for the angel said, "Do not be afraid to take Mary" (Matt.
1:20).
At last, he was free to follow his heart.But this marriage carried a high price tag.
He |
\\ | privately.
The law required stoning (Deut.
22:20-21) would share Mary's shame and the neighbors' slander |
| or at least a trial (Num.
5:11-31).
A guilty woman would be cursed and denounced by her people.Modifications of the law probably eliminated stoning in this case.
Later rabbinic writings refer to a bill of divorcement delivered before only two witnesses.
Perhaps Joseph planned to divorce her this way on less serious grounds than adultery or by offering no charge at all.
|
for apparently violating the rules of betrothal.
How many would believe a tale of Holy Spirit conception if Joseph himself hadn't?
Joseph obeyed immediately, without question.
In fact, when he awoke he took Mary home as his wife, risking disapproval.
Because they did not consummate the marriage until Jesus was born (Matt.
1:25), Luke declares the couple still only betrothed (Luke
T2:5).
Perhaps they abstained to refute charges that \\ o understand his situation, we need to under- Joseph fathered the Child, \\ stand the three-stage Jewish marital custom.
What self-control it must have required for Joseph \\ First came engagement, a formal settle- to keep Mary a virgin.
Real men, the world shouts, \\ ment by the fathers.
boast of unbridled virility.
But how much more
If the children did not object, they entered be- strength it must have taken to wait more than six \\ trothal at the appropriate age through a formal cere- months to take her to himself, \\ mony in the bride's nouse.
The couple made mutual Joseph wasted no time in assuming his role of \\ promises before witnesses and the bride received family leader, both in civil and religious matters.
He \\ presents from the groom.
took Mary to Bethlehem to register for the census of
The betrothal, unlike our modern engagement, Augustus, fulfilling civil duty (Luke 2:1-39).
| About forty days later (Lev.
12:2-4) at the Temple, Joseph and Mary offered a sacrifice for her purification and presented Jesus to die Lord.
The law called for redeeming die firstborn son at the price of five shekels—about two ounces of silver (Num.
18:16).
Then they returned to their hometown, Nazaredi.
|
| /Tlx// t~/MmdjF anritxl//ci// high price tog.
//He uwhhhin ALnys/ |
could be broken only by death or divorce.
The two parties were called husband and wife (Matt.
1:19).
If one died, the other was a widow or widower.
| /mighlws/ |
| /sLaukrjor// dppamitly//liwhiting// tlx rules tjf//Ixtmthal//.
Howuunry//u wtlcl Ixfieiv d tole fj~///Holy Spirit conception//if Joseph himselj huhit?/ |
| */J/* |
A year later, die marriage took place when the groom and sometimes his friends went to bring the bride to his home for a feast.
After this, the marriage was consummated.
| oseph's greatest challenge in leadership came when he was called to protect the Baby Jesus from Herod (Matt.
2:1-23).
Joseph was with his family in Bethlehem again, this time in "a house."Had
neighborhood gossip made life in Nazaredi unpleasant?
Perhaps.
At any rate it appears Joseph and Mary moved to Bethlehem, because Joseph tried to return to Judea after the escape to Egypt.The magi found diem in Bethlehem, but we can't be sure iust when.
That Herod killed all infants two |
Mary's pregnancy obviously interrupted their plans for marriage.
For Joseph, to marry such a woman would dishonor a holy God.
That's why Matdiew calls him a "righteous man."
Surely Joseph knew Psalm 119:11, "Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against Thee."
He was sensitive to both die Word itself and what would honor God.
M ^~//~/ /hen die crisis came, he made not only a
m^l~/ righteous choice, but a merciful one—
/Y y /even in face of bitter disappointment.
Akhough he had done no wrong, he cared for Mary's and uncler was only based on the time die star ap-
feelings.
He chose the kindness of a quiet divorce over peared.
coldlegalism.
Warned of impending danger, the magi most likely
Tenderness is often viewed as unmasculine.
But a left Bedilehem in the middle of die night.
Joseph's
man controlled by God's Spirit shows kindness and sleep was also interrupted when an angel told him to
gendeness.
Only one secure in the Lord dares to lay take the Child and His mother and escape to Egypt,
aside carnal ideas of /macho /in deference to a woman's By morning, the family had vanished,
feelings.
Once again, Joseph had immediately obeyed God's
Joseph was diat kind of man.
He could have lashed instruction.
His leadership required great self-sacri-
out at Mary, but he resisted.
fice.
< .5
.5 - .6
.6 - .7
.7 - .8
.8 - .9
> .9