18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ[a] took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed[b] to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly.20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. (Matthew 1:18-20 ESV)
At this time of year we are focused on mother and babe as we think about the manger, the virgin birth and our savior’s coming. And rightly so, it is a pivotal moment in history and our faith. But let’s not forget Joseph.
Joseph was asked to do something unheard of in this day and time. He was to take a woman found with child and forget custom, social pressure and the potential ruin of his name to accept the situation. Yes, an angel came to him and told him about all of it, but think of telling that story today. Joseph was a rock, and we really do not get to know much more about him.
I have to believe that God had a special place in heaven for Joseph, for the man that raised God’s son as his own. The story is not really told, but Joseph went on to love and teach Jesus as any other father would a son. Did Jesus really have much need for this teaching? I suspect he did. God needed Jesus to learn about how hard the world could be so that he could connect more and more with human kind.
Joseph played a big role as each earthly father does in a son or daughter’s life. It is not an easy job, but it is a father’s job, and there are few trophies handed out for it. But we do it and we must approach the role quietly and with much love.
