Joseph — a Christmas Hero
When I get to heaven I want to spend time with Jesus’s earthly dad.
I want to hear his voice and
thank him for how he quietly changed the course of history.
He isn’t recorded as having said anything profound, but his sons sure did.
That’s right he had more than one. James, the author of the book of James was incredibly wise. And Jude, another son and follower of his older step-brother as well.
The fact they later became followers of Jesus after his resurrection I believe was consistent with how they too were impacted by their earthly father.
Not to mention Joseph’s direct influence on Jesus of course.
And how could Mary have survived without Joseph protecting her, not just on their trip to Bethlehem, but also their flight to Egypt and then back to Nazareth?
And Joseph worked, as many fathers did and still do, to put food on the table, a home over their heads, and an atmosphere that enabled them to learn Scripture and connect appropriately with their little Jewish community.
My point is that Joseph in many ways was like his namesake the son of Jacob who saved his family from famine after first being rejected by his brothers and sold into slavery.
He was also likely very much like Boaz who took in Ruth and protected her in the Book of Ruth (one of my favorite Old Testament stories).
Is this far fetched?
Not at all. Remember John the Baptist was linked to Elijah the prophet because he demonstrated similar characteristics which set him up to proclaim the coming of the Messiah.
Jesus was given the skills of a carpenter from Joseph. I believe his character was consistent with the father described in Jesus’s parable about the prodigal son. The father in that story sacrificed himself for both his sons and did not worry what others thought.
Joseph did what was loving and was described as a good and just man. At first when he found that the woman he was betrothed to was pregnant initially planned to quietly divorce her so as not to make her the spectacle of derision of their small Jewish community. He was a man of tremendous moral strength. And when through a dream he learned that Mary was carrying the Christ child, he instantly accepted his and her situation without complaint.
We need more Josephs today — quiet godly men of conviction unafraid to do whatever is loving and true no matter the social media cost. These are good fathers who understand that their most important work is in their own families first.