This year I have been drawn to Joseph (whom one of my little kindergarteners at church swears name is JoFISH), the earthly father of Jesus, so often overlooked. The most detailed mentioning of Joseph is found Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus. Sure, you see him standing beside the manger in your nativity scene and see him walking next to Mary who is riding on the donkey in the Christmas pageant, but have you ever tried to see the story through his point of view?
Let’s first of all consider what a beautiful example of a MAN Joseph is. Something stirs inside me for the character of Joseph. Joseph is courageous. Joseph is called a righteous man. Pledged to be married to Mary, he finds out that Mary is with child before they came together, an act which in those times was social suicide at its worst form. In our society having a baby before marriage does not rattle everyone’s feathers (even though it should, for it is against God’s design and will), but the disgrace of this act in Bible times was detrimental. On top of that, what about the fact that Joseph must have felt cheated, concluding Mary was no longer a virgin, her purity tainted? Was he not worth the wait? The woman he was to marry, at this point in his understanding, had slept with another man. Stop and feel the weight of this situation. What would you do? Would you cover your own butt by throwing your fiancé under the bus? Many would be so worried about their reputation that they would do anything in order to avoid the humiliation. Would your anger swell? Joseph could have easily escaped the scandal by heaping more humiliation upon Mary, yet he “did not want to expose her to public disgrace” and therefore “he had in mind to divorce her quietly” (Matthew 1:19). WHAT AN ACT OF LOVE! Soak in the selflessness of this decision. Even when personally wronged, he had the quality of being sensitive to someone else's shame. Wow..you go Joseph! What a man of integrity (even if the world might have said differently)!
“Walking in obedience to God may result in humiliation and disgrace before men. When we obey God, even in the face of adversity and public shame, He leads and guides us.” So God sent Joseph an angel to let him in on the inside secret, that Mary was miraculously still a virgin, for it was the Holy Spirit who conceived the baby in her belly (um excuse me..HOW NEAT IS THAT?!). And then to find out that the baby was Jesus, the one who came to save people from their sin, the long awaited Messiah. I would have wet myself if I was Joseph. Yet, the angel comforted and commanded “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid..” (Matthew 1:20). So Joseph woke up and was obedient, “doing what the angel of the Lord had commanded him,” even though he was about to face much public humiliation. (Little did he know that the public humiliation he faced, His Son Jesus would face at a more extreme degree 33 years later on a cross. Joseph, too, was persecuted for the sake of the gospel..ever thought about that?!). Joseph did what was right in the Lord’s eyes, and therefore was blameless.
I’ve heard that after a couple has a newborn baby, for a long time they have a hard time leaving their baby alone with anyone else. It’s hard to entrust your child with anyone else. Imagine God the Father looking down on humanity to choose an earthly father for His one and ONLY Son..pretty big time huh? Joseph was an average carpenter, yet in God’s eyes he was so much more (the Christmas story show us this over and over again, that the things we think are average and common God uses for so much glory..a manger, a barn, Shepherds being the one chosen to hear the news and spread it, a teenage girl, a worried carpenter..need I say more? May this remind you that God can use YOU for noble purposes, no matter where you find yourself today). What trust God must have had in Joseph. What an honor!
Yet, this also stirred in me the question, “how did Joseph feel that he was not Jesus’ only father?” When Jesus was growing up and was left at the temple and his parents finally found Him, Jesus asked “Why were you searching for Me?...didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” (Luke 2:49). Although they did not understand what he was saying to them (Luke 2:50), I still can’t help but wonder how it made Joseph feel. Jesus was not in his house when Joseph found him…another father? I can see the confused look on Joseph’s face. I know at times when I mention someone being like a “second mom” to me my mother tends to tense up and become protective, because I am her one and only daughter. She becomes very territorial because of the love and the life she has poured into me. But on the other hand, my parents both know that I am not theirs, but my Heavenly Fathers. Yet, I wonder if Joseph understood this or if there was an internal battle when it came to fatherhood. Did Joseph know that his son was the Son of God?!
One last thing that I observe about Joseph is that he always followed the commands of the Lord concerning consecrating his child and presenting him to the Lord. Joseph was faithful in the little things. He rose up his child in the way he should go and passed on the carpentry trade to his son and raised him in the Jewish traditions and spiritual observances. (Not only did he do this for Jesus, but for his other children as well. Remember that Jesus had earthly siblings, too!). He also marveled at what was said about his son and was astonished when he found Jesus sitting in the temple asking teachers questions. You know, Joseph must have been so proud of his son, like all fathers should be.
MEN, take note of the MAN Joseph was. Women, look for a man displaying these qualities. And may we all turn our eyes to see the man standing next to the manger and learn a lesson on selfless love and integrity.
I encourage you to take a different look at the Christmas story this year. A blog I read mentioned a book called Touching Wonder: Recapturing the Awe of Christmas by John Blasé, that does exactly that. It “invites readers to experience the Nativity with fresh wonder. To Eugene Peterson’s The Message Bible translation, John Blasé adds his own storytelling voice, exploring the familiar events from multiple first-person viewpoints. What emerges is the intimate story of unlikely people—a frightened teenaged girl, a worried carpenter, a collection of senior citizens, a disillusioned young shepherd—meeting up with the divine as they bumble and stumble toward the realization that the little one just born is the One. This retold story of Word made flesh invites readers to react appropriately—with eyes opened wide in wonder, jaws dropped in amazement, and hearts rejoicing…” Here is a snippet from it where the writer writes some of what God might have thought that night as his son was born:
“Humans have been shouting their question for millennia: Why in God's name won't you show up? They say it when the moment seems to demand a force to do good: If you are God, then do something. But to show up in those moments would be to come in your name, not Mine. My ways are not your ways. ... She was brave. Only Joseph by her side, a cramped place to give birth, noise everywhere. And more. As she screamed out in pain, the Deceiver stood ready to devour My Son. The heavens shook with war. Michael and his angels reeled. Mighty One, do something!
I AM.”
This Christmas may we see the story of the cross through the lens of the manger. May we remember that Jesus is the Reason for EVERY season. Christmas is not a day, it’s a lifestyle.
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