This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about. His mother, Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph, her husband was faithful to the law and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Matthew 1:18-20, 24
Randy and I have collected over the years several different holy family and nativity sets. As I put them out each year, they are sweet reminders of places we have been where we purchased them or special family keepsakes. Through the years, the Josephs in different sets seems to have suffered a great deal of abuse (usually at my hand) in the form of broken staffs, cracked arms, or in one sad case, total and complete destruction. My daughter commented one year that I shouldn’t worry about the Joseph, “After all, he didn’t have a big role anyway!”
As I began this year with another Joseph accident which required Gorilla Glue, I thought about Ashley’s words and did some digging into who Joseph really was and what made him special enough to be the earthly father of Jesus. Why Joseph?
In the gospel of Matthew, we learn that Joseph was a carpenter by trade, but that probably wasn’t all he did. It is believed that in addition to carpentry, he was probably also a gardener and raised animals. As a carpenter, Joseph probably didn’t work steadily, but he rather did work where skill was required. Jesus grew up as the son of a carpenter, and Joseph taught his son these skills. Joseph was a simple, honest, hard working, God fearing man who was loyal and kind.
Joseph is known to us as only a background figure in the narratives of the Gospel, but his wholehearted devotion to Mary even in the face of possible slander by his neighbors, and his total self sacrifice when he left everything to flee to Egypt to protect Mary and his son, shows us that he was worthy of God’s trust in him.
The three times we have a record of God speaking to Joseph, it is through an angel of the Lord appearing to him in a dream. Each time when he wakes up, he immediately obeys this messenger of God.
God chose Joseph first because he was obedient. He accepted Mary as his wife, took her to his home, and lived with her platonically until Jesus was born. Joseph didn’t know whether to call the baby junior or father, but in the end, he obeyed the angel who told him to name the child, Jesus. After all, what would he name a God that he could cradle in his arms? This name indicated his mission which was to save the people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21) Lastly, the angel instructed Joseph to name the child personally. This step acknowledged Jesus as his own son under Semitic law. Now Joseph’s ancestry as a descendant of David transfers to his son.
God also chose Joseph because of his integrity. God honored this man of integrity by entrusting him with a great responsibility. Imagine how hard it would be to choose someone else to raise your child. Joseph had to be the ‘stand in” father for God on earth, and he had the integrity, love, and mercy to make it work.
Finally, God chose Joseph because he was faithful. He was a righteous man who lived out his beliefs in his actions. Even when he felt he had been wronged by Mary, he held fast to his trust in God and showed his sensitivity to someone else’s shame. Joseph responded to God with obedience and self control.
In the end, God chose a devout man who was full of faith, just, merciful, and one who loved and carefully cared for both Mary and his earthly son, Jesus.
This Christmas when I look at the different renderings of Joseph around our home, it will be with a different kind of appreciation and respect for the man God chose. Why Joseph? It was Joseph because he was righteous and trusted God. Joseph didn’t always know the details, but he acted in faith knowing God would lead him to the next step! What a great example for us all!
A special Merry Christmas to all fathers who “stand in” for God and are righteous, faithful, and obedient.
When Joseph and Mary had done everything required of them by the law of the Lord, they returned to Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong: he was filled with wisdom and the grace of God was upon him! Luke 2:39-40