DAY 10: Father Joseph – A Just Man
“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream… When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.” – Matthew 1: 18-20, 24-25 ESV
The Nativity by Geertgen, 1490
My Thoughts:
We’ve seen how the Book of Luke tells the story of Christ’s birth from Mary’s perspective. Luke describes the Annunciation of Christ’s birth to Mary by the angel Gabriel, Mary’s visit to Elizabeth, and Mary’s Magnificat to God. In contrast the Book of Matthew tells the nativity story from Joseph’s point of view. As Matthew tells it, Joseph discovers that his betrothed wife is pregnant (and not by him) and he considers divorcing her. But he takes her as his wife after receiving an angelic message of his own in a dream. Just as it took a lot of faith and courage for Mary to obey God’s call on her life, it took a lot of faith and courage on Joseph’s part.
I found it interesting that in many of the paintings, images, and statues of Father Joseph— especially the older ones— he is always in the background or at work. In Catholicism Joseph is the patron saint of workers, probably because when he is mentioned by the Apostles Luke or Matthew he is doing something—leading the journey to Bethlehem, finding a place to stay, fleeing to Egypt, and so on. The last time Joseph is mentioned in the Bible is in the story of the Passover visit to the Temple in Jerusalem when Jesus is 12 years old.
The Nativity by Conrad von Soest, 1403
So let us today remember Joseph, the faithful husband who was always working behind the scenes.
Prayer (from Ephesians 3:16-18):
May God the Father strengthen you with power out of his glorious riches so that Christ would dwell in your hearts through faith. May you have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.
*Banner artwork based on Maria Panlilio’s Greeting Card.
