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“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.” – Matthew 1:20
Often overlooked in the Christmas story is the incredible love of a man named Joseph, the human father figure for Jesus Christ, the Son of God. We know little about Joseph from the New Testament text. He is mentioned 16 times between Matthew, Luke and John’s gospels. His evidence of faith, trust and confidence in God’s ultimate plan of salvation for the world was nothing less than astonishing. We are all familiar with his situation – betrothed to be married to Mary and then discovering that she is pregnant. An incredible shock to any man’s emotional commitment to a woman.
What happened next though takes his status beyond that of most men. The law of that time allowed for the woman found guilty of adultery to be stoned to death. Surely, this had to be Joseph’s first reaction before Mary explained the circumstance of her pregnancy. What would your reaction have been, if in his sandals? His reaction demonstrates two things to me as a husband, father and follower of Jesus Christ.
1) He completely loved this woman. Did he fully understand everything that Mary shared with him? No. As a mere mortal man, he could not have grasped the fullness of the Immaculate Conception. It had never happened before, or since for that matter. He had nothing in the Torah or scrolls that could be referenced on how he should react in and what the protocol should be. Yet within his response he gave her forgiveness and refused the due punishment. Instead, he decided to quietly divorce her, which was also allowed by the law at that time.
2) Joseph was a God fearing man of knowledge and wisdom of the scriptures. God sent an angel to Joseph as captured in Matthew 1:20 above, and instructed Joseph to take Mary as his wife, and confirmed what Mary had said was indeed true. He trusted the word of God and had to have known from that very moment that he was a part of God’s plan. Despite his human emotion, logic and knowledge of things known in this world, he clearly heard God’s direction and was willing to follow it.
Upon the birth of the Christ child, what was Joseph’s role? How was he going to raise the Son of God in this world? Was he there to protect him from harm, teach him his craft of carpentry and to barter with the Romans over taxes? Was he expected to teach this boy of the scrolls, the word of God, how to pray and how to prepare the sacrifice during Passover? Was he supposed to teach him about love, taking a wife and building a family? Did he know enough from the prophecies of old to realize the ministry and horrible life his child would go through? What was Joseph’s role as Jesus earthly father with the knowledge that this boy came to earth with wisdom directly from the Lord?
As a father of 5 children I empathize with Joseph’s role and feel his heartbreak, as I envision him holding that baby in the manger that glorious night. I’m certain his eyes were filled with tears as he looked into the face of God’s Son. I’m sure there were tears of unbelievable joy and thanksgiving for God’s plan of salvation, and tears of shame, guilt and fear, as he wrestled with his own life choices up to that point. It still brings me to tears as I think about Joseph holding that baby, knowing that God had chosen he and his wife to raise this blessed child.
What happened next though takes his status beyond that of most men. The law of that time allowed for the woman found guilty of adultery to be stoned to death. Surely, this had to be Joseph’s first reaction before Mary explained the circumstance of her pregnancy. What would your reaction have been, if in his sandals? His reaction demonstrates two things to me as a husband, father and follower of Jesus Christ.
1) He completely loved this woman. Did he fully understand everything that Mary shared with him? No. As a mere mortal man, he could not have grasped the fullness of the Immaculate Conception. It had never happened before, or since for that matter. He had nothing in the Torah or scrolls that could be referenced on how he should react in and what the protocol should be. Yet within his response he gave her forgiveness and refused the due punishment. Instead, he decided to quietly divorce her, which was also allowed by the law at that time.
2) Joseph was a God fearing man of knowledge and wisdom of the scriptures. God sent an angel to Joseph as captured in Matthew 1:20 above, and instructed Joseph to take Mary as his wife, and confirmed what Mary had said was indeed true. He trusted the word of God and had to have known from that very moment that he was a part of God’s plan. Despite his human emotion, logic and knowledge of things known in this world, he clearly heard God’s direction and was willing to follow it.
Upon the birth of the Christ child, what was Joseph’s role? How was he going to raise the Son of God in this world? Was he there to protect him from harm, teach him his craft of carpentry and to barter with the Romans over taxes? Was he expected to teach this boy of the scrolls, the word of God, how to pray and how to prepare the sacrifice during Passover? Was he supposed to teach him about love, taking a wife and building a family? Did he know enough from the prophecies of old to realize the ministry and horrible life his child would go through? What was Joseph’s role as Jesus earthly father with the knowledge that this boy came to earth with wisdom directly from the Lord?
As a father of 5 children I empathize with Joseph’s role and feel his heartbreak, as I envision him holding that baby in the manger that glorious night. I’m certain his eyes were filled with tears as he looked into the face of God’s Son. I’m sure there were tears of unbelievable joy and thanksgiving for God’s plan of salvation, and tears of shame, guilt and fear, as he wrestled with his own life choices up to that point. It still brings me to tears as I think about Joseph holding that baby, knowing that God had chosen he and his wife to raise this blessed child.
How could it be, this baby in my arms
Sleeping now, so peacefully
The Son of God, the angels say;
How could it be
Tell me Father where I fit in this plan of yours.
How can I be father to the Son of God
All my life I’ve been a simple carpenter
How can I raise a king, how can I raise the King. (Michael Card, “Joseph’s Song”, 1991)
Sleeping now, so peacefully
The Son of God, the angels say;
How could it be
Tell me Father where I fit in this plan of yours.
How can I be father to the Son of God
All my life I’ve been a simple carpenter
How can I raise a king, how can I raise the King. (Michael Card, “Joseph’s Song”, 1991)
Prayer:Almighty God,
Your plan of salvation went through the lineage of David through Solomon and through Aaron in the pair of Mary and Joseph, respectively. In Your perfection You divinely brought these two together to raise and nurture Your Son in His life on earth. You brought Him into a relationship grounded in Your love, grace and mercy. Joseph was a man used for Your purpose, let us be so willing to do Your work. Let us get past the fears of the unknown and fully embrace Your plan in our life. Amen
Your plan of salvation went through the lineage of David through Solomon and through Aaron in the pair of Mary and Joseph, respectively. In Your perfection You divinely brought these two together to raise and nurture Your Son in His life on earth. You brought Him into a relationship grounded in Your love, grace and mercy. Joseph was a man used for Your purpose, let us be so willing to do Your work. Let us get past the fears of the unknown and fully embrace Your plan in our life. Amen
© Sondove Enterprises, 2013
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