The Christmas Story: What Do We Know About Joseph?

Feature 3 – December 2010 – Grace & Truth Magazine

THEChristmasSTORY
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUTJoseph?

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” Matthew 1:18-19 NKJV

What do we know about Joseph, the one who stands in the background in the Christmas nativity scenes? What kind of man did God choose to be the earthly father of our Lord? We know he was a carpenter by vocation (Mt. 13:55), but what was he like in character? Was he just an “average believer” like most of us, or was he an outstanding man of God?

According to Matthew 1:19, Joseph was “a just man.” This is the same as saying that he was “a righteous man” (NASB). He was neither perfect nor sinless, but his life was characterized by consistently doing what was right before God. He was not only a good, honest carpenter, but he also exhibited outstanding moral qualities in every area of his life. Even though the Bible does not contain a lot about Joseph, his virtuous character and moral excellence emerge from the few verses that God has given us about him. As we study what the Bible has to say about “righteous” Joseph we should be challenged to follow his example.

A Man Of Love
Joseph was a man of love. We see his love demonstrated in his tender care and consideration of Mary, even under very difficult circumstances. Imagine Joseph’s predicament when he found out that his beloved fiancee was pregnant. Mary’s explanations about “angel announcements” and “Holy Spirit conception” were just too much to believe. With deep hurt and disappointment Joseph must have concluded that sometime during Mary’s three-month visit to her cousin Elizabeth (Lk. 1:56), she had been unfaithful to him. How could she have done this to the man who truly loved her? And then to not even confess and tell him the “truth”! She had insisted that this was all of God and had pleaded with him to understand. Joseph had never known such emotional stress, trauma and hurt.

At this point Joseph was left with two options: He loved God and he wanted to do what was right. According to God’s law (Dt. 22:23-24), Mary could have been put to death. Even if a public stoning was waived, at least she could have been denounced publicly. This action would also have the effect of protecting Joseph’s reputation. But Joseph loved Mary, in spite of her apparent unfaithfulness to him. There was no desire in his heart for any kind of revenge. For Mary’s sake he decided to keep things as quiet as possible and break the engagement privately. Because Mary had not been proven guilty, he had the option of dispensing with his legal rights. Maybe he thought Mary could go back to stay with Elizabeth, who lived some distance away. She could have the baby there and avoid a very painful scandal in Nazareth. Joseph was a man of love who wanted to do the best for Mary – even when he thought she had betrayed him.

Do we show the same kind of love that Joseph exhibited? What is our reaction when we believe a Christian friend has wronged us, or someone close to us has deeply hurt us? Do we look for an opportunity to get back at that person? Are we filled with anger and bitterness? Do we run away from the scene of our hurt so that we can just forget everything? Or do we continue to love that friend and try to do not only what’s right by God’s standards but also what’s best for the person who has stepped on us? This kind of love is never easy, but it is possible (Jn. 17:26).

A Man Of Faith
Joseph was also a man of faith. By this we mean that he was more than just a believer. Joseph lived and walked by faith in the living God. He must have spent a long time in prayer as he considered what to do about Mary (1:20). It wasn’t that he didn’t want to believe her story, but to believe it would take gullibility, not faith! A virgin birth had never happened throughout all the history of man – not even back in the miracle days of the Old Testament prophets!

It was at this point that an angel from the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. The angel confirmed everything that Mary had shared with him. She had been faithful. The conception was of the Holy Spirit. Mary was the virgin of Isaiah’s messianic prophecy (Mt. 1:23). Joseph’s fiancee was going to be the mother of the long-awaited Messiah! And he was to be the earthly father of this child, and was to name him Jesus! What unexpected good news! What unbelievable relief of soul! Joseph must have experienced reverent awe and ecstatic joy at the same time. He wasted no time in marrying Mary (1:24), giving concrete evidence of his faith in God. Can we imagine the beautiful and exciting reunion of this godly couple?

The faith of Joseph should be an example for all of us. Notice that he never questioned the angel or doubted the divine revelation given to him. Notice that the angel never questioned Joseph either, and did not rebuke him for his conclusions about Mary. God does not hold us responsible to believe the incredible without divine revelation. He is not looking for blind faith or gullible faith. He calls us to a rea sonable faith – a faith which is grounded in His revealed Word.

Joseph certainly would have known the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Messiah, and it was to these promises in the Word of God that the angel pointed Joseph (1:21-23). As Joseph believed the angel because the message was grounded in Scripture, so we should believe and not doubt what God has plainly declared in His Word.

Take the matter of our daily needs, for example. Do we worry about our security? Do we doubt God’s ability to take care of us and meet our basic needs? To walk by reasonable faith means that we should not doubt or get anxious about our needs, because God has plainly declared that He will provide “all these things” when we “seek first the kingdom of God” (Mt. 6:25-34).

A Man Of Obedience
Joseph was obviously a man of obedience. He readily obeyed the angel’s command to take Mary as his wife. But you may say that command was easy to obey. Wait a minute! Remember that Mary was at least three months pregnant at this time (Lk. 1:56). By marrying Mary, Joseph was taking upon himself all the accusations and stigma that were sure to surface shortly. But Joseph obeyed the angel’s message, regardless of the consequences.

A further example of Joseph’s obedience is seen in Matthew 2:13-14. Sometime after Jesus’ birth he was told by the angel to take his family to Egypt – quickly! Even though there were Jewish communities in Egypt at that time and even though God had provided the money for the trip through the gifts of the wisemen, it was still quite an undertaking. To travel by donkey with Mary and young Jesus to an unfamiliar country at least 300 miles away – and over wilderness terrain – was not easy. But Joseph obeyed promptly (2:14). Then after they were settled in Egypt, Joseph was told to move back to Israel. Again Joseph obeyed without asking any questions about their convenience or God’s timetable.

Are we like Joseph in our obedience to the Lord’s commands? Do we obey quickly, or do we practice partial and delayed obedience? What about the Lord’s command to share the gospel with our coworkers and neighbors, that many of us find so hard to obey (Mk. 16:15)? What about the area of our lusts, from which we are told to flee (2 Tim. 2:22)? Do we obey only when it’s convenient and easy? What about the sins of criticizing others and complaining about circumstances? It’s so easy to disobey in this area. Do we obey even when we don’t understand what God is doing in our lives? Do we trust the Lord even when tragedy strikes and the future looks like it’s up for grabs (Prov. 3:5-6)? Joseph is a tremendous model of what it really means to trust and obey.

A Man Of Patience
Finally, Joseph was a man of patience. We have already seen that he was not given to rash reaction. He thought through his course of action (Mt. 1:20). In verse 1:25 we are told that he kept Mary a virgin until Jesus was born. Whether or not this was also a command from the angel we do not know. Certainly the divine/human nature of Christ would not have been affected in any way since conception had already taken place three months earlier. But perhaps in view of the prophecy that a virgin would conceive and bear a Son, Joseph kept Mary a virgin until after the birth of Jesus. It doesn’t take a lot of profound insight to recognize that Joseph was a man of governed passions and disciplined patience.

The patience of Joseph needs to be practiced by Christians today. Impatience in the area of sexual desire has led to the downfall of many believers. If God gave Joseph patience in this area, He can give us patience as well. Remember, patience in all areas is part of the fruit of the Spirit who indwells and empowers every Christian (Gal. 5:22).

During this holiday season the figure of “Joseph ... a just man” will be in the background shadows of many nativity scenes. Let’s be reminded to follow his example of love, faith, obedience and patience.

By David R. Reid