Joseph

The most famous view of Joseph, the earthly father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is in the manger scene. We see a man...strong, supportive, humble...but he is also silent (he is not quoted in Scripture). Although he does not utter a word for us to hear, we can get a beautiful picture of a righteous man from his actions.

God sent an angel to visit the mother of His Son and they spoke face to face. The same angel spoke to Joseph, but in a dream. God chose Mary and with much less fanfare, Joseph too.

How would you describe him? He was betrothed but then finds that his fiancee has “betrayed” him (or so he thought). Even though the law would have allowed him to divorce her (and even have her stoned) with no questions asked, he planned to put her away quietly...so as to not add to her shame. After the angel's visit, he carried through with the marriage even though he still faced public humiliation. Given all this, he was still more than willing to stay in the background. In those days the man was the absolute ruler of the household and the family. And although I am sure Mary was a dutiful and submissive wife, Joseph understood she was the more important of the two...she was the Vessel. He loved his wife and his God to the point of foregoing one of his rights as a husband until after the Child was born and Mary healed. He knew there was a greater purpose to be served here.

He must have felt fear and anxiety...at first for the perceived betrayal by Mary and then later at the thought of raising the Son of God! Not only was he to be responsible for the most important child ever to be born, he faced the daily issues all poor men of that time faced. Caring for and supporting a family, providing for their needs, paying taxes. There were also much graver responsibilities in their lives...like protecting his defenseless (in mortal terms) child from a ruthless tyrant and becoming refugees in a strange land.

The last time Joseph is mentioned is when Jesus is 12 and at the Temple. Through it all we see a righteous man, a loving man, a strong, supportive man...the portrait of a man who puts his absolute and complete trust in God. It's no wonder he too was chosen.