Joseph Who?

Mary, the mother of Jesus. We all revere, some even worship, Mary so sweet, Mary so mild. She appears throughout the narrative of Jesus’ life in the Gospels.

But, who is this guy named Joseph? Mentioned a handful of times in the books of Matthew and Luke, and once in John. Over half of these verses reference Joseph only in the third person, as the “father of Jesus.”

There is little known about this man. We do know that this man was chosen by God, just as Mary was, to provide the footings on which the Savior of the world would grow and develop. We can infer that Joseph is a righteous and honorable man. He respected and cared for Mary, even when he thought she had cheated on him. He planned to divorce her quietly so as to not expose her to disgrace (Matt 1:18-19). Joseph took bold steps of obedience in response to God’s revelations to him in dreams. He protected his wife and baby from those who sought to kill baby Jesus, and he uprooted them from Nazareth  from Bethlehem, from Egypt. Who knows, he may even have had a hand in the dramatic delivery in the dirty stable on that world-changing night.

Jesus was known, early on, as “the son of the carpenter.” Jesus himself was trained as a carpenter by his earthly father (Matt 13:55, Mark 6:3). He trained the One who had spoken the universe into existence. He taught his Creator how to shape wood into tables, chairs and houses. Perhaps Jesus showed his father a thing or two about carpentry. Did Joseph intend to pass on the family business to his firstborn?

Just as the gospels begin to portray Jesus at the start of His ministry, Joseph disappears from the scene. At Jesus’ death, Mary is shown alone. Jesus gives instruction to John to care for his mother, most reasonably indicating that Joseph was no longer around to care for his wife (John 19:26).

What was the experience of the earthly father of the Son of God? As my pastor mentioned in a recent sermon, did he punish Jesus only to find later it was not his fault? A man of the scriptures, Joseph surely read to his family, but did he have to ask his three year old to explain to the family some of the more confusing parts of the Torah? Did Joseph have aspirations for his child any normal father would have? What about Joseph’s retirement plan? In a day and age where the children care for aging parents, did Joseph wonder what his life would be like in old age?

If Joseph was indeed around when Jesus began his ministry, did he encourage and support him? Did Joseph agree with Jesus when he confronted the Pharisees? Did he feel pain when Jesus was rejected in his hometown (Matt. 13:54-58)? Though it is apparent Joseph was not alive at the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection, how would Joseph have reacted?

Surely Joseph, the son of Jacob, belonging to the house and line of David, was a man worthy of honor. Anyone chosen by another man to raise his son must be of good repute. How much more the man chosen by God to bring up his Son on earth!

Why do we not see more of Joseph’s life portrayed in the scriptures? It may simply be a case of the importance of the revelation of Jesus’ ministry, but why does Joseph fade away without record in the Bible?

More importantly, what can be learned from the short biography we do see of this man, the father of Jesus? He listened to the voice of God and responded to God’s direction, even when it made no sense. He trained up and taught his son. He loved Mary and respected her. 

What of this great man who was chosen to as the head of Jesus’ earthly family? Surely his example is a worthy guide for those who today worship God. To those who seek to trust and obey Jesus, the son of Joseph, the Son of God.