Joseph, husband of Mary

Guido Reni's "St Joseph with the Infant Jesus"

The Person

As we start dusting off our holiday decorations in preparation for the Christmas season, I thought it would be interesting to look at Joseph, Mary’s husband.  It feels to me like Joseph is the forgotten man in the Christmas story; our attention falls (rightfully) on Jesus and even Mary.  Joseph just feels like the character to balance out the nativity scene with baby Jesus in the middle, Mary and Joseph on either side of Him. But it is important to note that fulfillment of biblical prophecy- a savior from the line of David[1]- actually comes from Joseph as he was the descendent of King David[2].  

Truth be told, the Bible doesn’t given us much information about Joseph at all.  We know that he had a familial connection to Bethlehem.[3]  Matthew 13.55 recounts that his profession was carpentry- when Jesus’s ministry took him back to His hometown, the people there were amazed at His wisdom and miracles, but “took offense”[4] because they knew His family and local connections.  The same passage relates that Joseph had other children[5].  From the Lucan account, we get the sense that Joseph was diligent and law-abiding.  He travels to Bethlehem to be enrolled for his taxes[6]. He followed the customs and regulations for naming, circumcision[7], and purification rites[8]. We had to be careful reading between the lines of the Bible, but I don’t think it is too far of a stretch to say that Joseph sincerely loved Jesus. The Lucan account of a young Jesus at the temple records that Joseph was filled with anxiety when they could not find Jesus[9] and later shared the astonishment of other onlookers.  At the very least, Jesus seems to have respected Joseph’s authority in the household.[10]

Joseph and Mary at the Manger- Getty Images (see credit above)

The Predicament

The best indication we get of Joseph’s character, and I think the aspect that holds a lesson for us today, comes from how he handled a difficult situation.  Matthew’s account describes Joseph as “just”[11]. The Greek word dikaios can mean “righteous”, “upright” or even “fair” but is used in the New Testament to describe God’s actions and standards, as well as describing people who live according to those standards.  This presented a difficulty for Joseph when he discovered that Mary was pregnant before they were married. Betrothal under Jewish law was almost the same as marriage. The woman would be called “wife”, she was subject to Levitical marriage law (including penalties associated with adultery) and could only be released from the betrothal by a certificate of divorce. My interpretation of 1.18-20 is that Joseph suspected her of adultery.  Although he would follow God’s standards and divorce her, and although he undoubtedly felt betrayed by her, Joseph didn’t seek a public revenge that could have made Mary an outcast for the rest of her life.  Instead, he planned to treat her as respectfully as the situation allowed[12].  This is what I think we should take from Joseph’s story and apply in our own lives: we are going to be wronged by people or perceive that we have been wronged almost daily.  It is inevitable and something we have no control over.  What we can control is how we respond.  We can follow Joseph’s example and respond to the situation as respectfully as possible.  Under Levitical law, he planned to handle the perceived wrong in a way that was more than fair.  Today, under the new covenant, we should think about the parable of the unmerciful servant and Jesus’s command to forgive not seven times, but 77 times[13].  We are called to forgive others from our heart[14], to show other mercy because we have been shown the ultimate mercy.  This season we will celebrate the birth of the Messiah and the gifts of grace and love.  It is my hope that we can share those same gifts with others, even those we feel have wronged us.

From all of us at FCC Grayson, we hope you have a wonderful Christmas season while remembering the true reason for our celebrations.  This can be a difficult time of year for many people.  We hope others see Christ reflected in you over the holidays and that you reach out to us if you need anything.

-        FCC Grayson Men’s Ministry

Joseph, Jesus and Jasmine by Geoffrey- Getty Images (see credit above)

[1] 2 Samuel 7, specifically v 16. See also Acts 13.23 (Isa 55.3)

[2] See Matthew 1.1-16 & Luke 3.23-38. It is important to note that both gospels present the virgin birth and are just recording that Joseph was Jesus’ legal/foster father. The names in the gospels are different between David and Joseph due to the writers tracing lineage through different sons of David- Matthew followed a royal line through Solomon, while Luke followed through Nathan, who was born to Bathseba.

[3] Matthew suggests he lived in Bethlehem and moved to Nazareth because of the tyranny of Archelaus in Judea (Matt 2.22&23), while Luke says he lived in Nazareth then traveled to Bethlehem to enroll his family (Luke2.1-5, 39). Most scholars reconcile the accounts by assuming he was working in Nazareth just prior to the birth of Jesus.

[4] v 57

[5] v 55&56- James, Joseph, Simon, Judas and at least two daughters. The pseudepigraphal Protevangelion and Death of Joseph say that Joseph was a widower when he became engaged to Mary and later died at age 111.

[6] Luke 2.17

[7] v 21

[8] v 22-24; see v 41 where it also recounts Mary and Joseph travelled to Jerusalem yearly for the Passover

[9] v 48

[10] v 51

[11] Matt 1.19

[12] Even after the revelation by the angel, Joseph did not consummate the marriage until after Mary gave birth…another indication of his upright character (see v 25)

[13] See Matt 18.20-22

[14] v 35