(Editor's note: this post was originally published Dec. 15, 2010.)
As we celebrate Christmas, we are reminded of specific people, things, and events that surround God the Savior’s glorious entrance into the world. The most prominent is usually the manger scene and our focus is placed on Mary, who is certainly a major participant in this divine event. But what about the man God the Son chose to be His earthly father?
I have always had a curious fascination with Joseph and the role he played. Much more is written about Mary than her husband and, unfortunately, her status and significance has been un-Biblically elevated by the Catholic Church. She would be the receptacle through which the Lord would come, but not the deliverer or intercessor, as they would have you think. The Messiah she would carry and give birth to would die for her sins as well as the sins of others.
In my mind, the blessing that was poured out upon Mary was no greater than the blessing Joseph received from God. The Lord entrusted His feeble infancy and fledgling adolescence to the watchful care of this poor carpenter. And Joseph accepted the responsibility of loving, nurturing, providing for, and protecting Jesus until He physically matured (Matthew 2:13-15). Until that time would come, it was Joseph’s responsibility to raise up and teach Jesus as his own son, even training Him in his chosen trade of carpentry.
Joseph’s age is not mentioned, however. We know Mary’s approximate age to be between 13 and 19 because girls were then considered mature enough to marry at this age due to their child-bearing ability. Any unmarried woman beyond her teen years was not as desirable, and she may have been considered an old maid of lesser value, her ability to produce offspring lessened by her age. Because it was common for an older man to take a young girl as his wife to insure progeny, Joseph could have been middle-aged when they married. This is not to say that he was, rather to give us a possible explanation for his lifespan as compared to Mary's as recorded in Scripture.
In the Jewish culture, when a man chose a wife, he became “betrothed” to her. In other words, a promise of marriage was struck and a year-long engagement ensued. Joseph probably looked with joyful anticipation to the day when his marriage vows would be fulfilled. But, what must have crossed his mind when Mary, the virgin that had been betrothed to him, came to him and revealed she was pregnant with not just a child from another man, but a child she claimed was from the Holy Spirit? Surely, Joseph would have thought she was attempting to cover up infidelity by concocting a wild story, or that she was insane.
As Mary recalled the unbelievable account of the angel Gabriel’s visit to her, proclaiming her as the “favored one” of God (Luke 1:28), Joseph’s discomfort had to have been just as great as Mary’s. Although she believed Gabriel’s pronouncement, she felt “greatly troubled” over his words (v29), and it probably added to Joseph’s doubt over her mental state. For Joseph to hear her say that God had chosen her to bear His Son Who “would reign over the house of Jacob forever,” establishing an eternal kingdom of which there would be no end (v33), nothing short of quickly relieving himself of Mary would be prudent. It would have seemed such an exaggerated tale given the fact that the Jews believed the Messiah would physically reign over Israel, and Joseph's economic status was a poor one. Wouldn't the long-awaited King be born in less humble circumstances, in spite of what was evident in their holy scriptures? How could he believe what Mary was telling him? And to top it off, what would he tell his family, his friends, and worse yet, the synagogue leaders?
But because Joseph was a “just man”, he was also a merciful one. As he “considered” the situation he found himself in and his choices (Matt.1:20), there is reason to assume he sought the counsel of the Jewish synagogue leaders. He could have chosen to settle the matter using the stricter punishment the Law provided. Instead, Joseph chose to spare Mary from death or further “public disgrace” by divorcing “her quietly” (v19), and to try and pick back up the pieces of his shattered life.
Through all the turmoil Joseph was experiencing, there was one thing left for God to do as He set the stage for His human birth. In a dream, the Lord assuaged Joseph’s fears, doubts, and certain heartbreak by encouraging him to take Mary as his wife. God assured Joseph that the things Mary had told him were true. The Son she bore would be the long-awaited Messiah Who would be sent to “save His people from their sins" (Matt. 1:18-21). And, as God did with Mary in His declaration to her in Luke 1:31, He also did for Joseph, giving the Child's Name: Jesus, “the LORD saves”.
From this point on, Joseph became God the Son’s adoptive earthly father.
This account gives us a glimpse into the lack of understanding Mary and Joseph had of just Who their son truly was. They had been told by Gabriel and God that the son they would raise would be a king. But up to this point, they probably still believed that He would physically reign over Israel in the manner of King David, as did even the teachers Jesus was found with and who were also waiting for the Messiah. Many years would go by before the realization of Jesus' true purpose would come to fruition, and witnessed only by Mary as she watched Him suffer on the cross and rise three days later. But as any good son would do, Jesus "...went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them…And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.”
Although Scripture tells us little of the man Joseph, if we read between the lines, much can be determined by what little is said. He was a righteous man of great faith. His heart was full of compassion and love. He was unquestionably obedient to the tremendous responsibilities God placed upon him. And he chose public humiliation over disobedience to the Lord. Although Jesus was God incarnate, the Creator of all things known and unknown, as with any earthly father-son relationship, Joseph undoubtedly influenced the Son of Man as He matured, teaching Him not only what was necessary to provide for one’s life and maintain a respectable position within the community, but also about virtue and mankind’s responsibility to God through obedience and adherence to the Law and the Jewish rituals. These were the things any good Jewish father would desire to teach his son, and Joseph would have been that kind of father.
Because so much focus is placed on her, we tend to attribute Christ’s earthly rearing to Mary and her efforts. It is clear that of His two parents, she alone was with Jesus at the end and there is no mention of Joseph. But let us not forget that without Joseph, who was also God’s other divine choice to lead His family, the events surrounding the Lord Jesus’ life may have been dramatically different. God chose him for a reason, and Joseph understood the seriousness of his responsibility and assumed the role perfectly and with great devotion to God.
The account of his life and purpose in Scripture may be short or lacking other noteworthy mention, but Joseph's role in God's divine plan should never be found insignificant. He faithfully fulfilled God's purpose for placing him on earth. He was the father to the young Jesus that God planned and expected him to be.
And for this, Joseph received his crown.
I hope you will take a few moments and listen to the following song that was written to perhaps reflect Joseph's emotions and wonder for the Gift with which God graced the world.
Merry Christmas, everyone.
