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Joseph
Joseph has
probably been the most slighted person involved in the birth of
Jesus. After all, it seems his only role was to be the surrogate
father of Jesus. But there is much more to this man than meets the
eye.
Consider that
Joseph was betrothed to Mary and anxiously awaiting their wedding
day when he received shocking news:
Matthew 1:18 “… before they came together, she was found to be with
child through the Holy Spirit.”
Most red-blooded
men would listen to no explanations; the relationship would be
absolutely dead. Joseph considered this possibility:
Matthew 1:19 “Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and
did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to
divorce her quietly.”
In those days an engagement carried so much significance that it
took a divorce to sever the commitment.
No one would have
blamed Joseph had he taken steps to break his relationship with
Mary, but a phenomenon occurred that altered Joseph’s decision.
Matthew 1:20-21 “… an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream
and said, ‘Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home
as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy
Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the
name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.’”
What was it about
Joseph that caused him to reject his human inclination and to follow
God’s will? First, the Gospel writer tells his readers in
Matthew 1:19 “… Joseph her husband was a righteous man.”
Second, Joseph
obviously held strong faith in God and in Spiritual matters. Third,
Joseph was obedient to God’s will as evidenced in three passages:
¨ “When
Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him
and took Mary home as his wife”
(Matthew 1:19).
¨ “…he
had no union with her until she gave birth to a son”
(Matthew 1:25).
¨ “…he
gave him the name Jesus”
(Matthew 1:25).
Joseph’s
ancestral history is found in Matthew, and Mary’s ancestors are
listed in Luke. When comparing the two lines, one discovers that
they merge with a common ancestor—King David. Isn’t it beautiful to
learn that Jesus was to take the throne of David!
“…The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David…”
(Luke 1:32-33).
Whether one details the actual line of Jesus’ mother, or whether one
follows the legal line of His surrogate father Joseph, the ancestry
is the same from David all the way back to Adam. It becomes very
clear that the story of Jesus simply would be incomplete if it were
not for the faith and righteousness of Joseph.
By: Eli Borden |
