There are thirteen Josephs in the Bible, and three of them are very great men. There is Jacob’s son, hated by his brothers, who sold him as a slave to Egypt (Gen. 30ff). But God was with him, delivering him, elevating him to high office, and giving him much grace so that he forgave his brothers for their cruelty. They had meant it for evil, but God meant it for good.
Then there is Joseph of Arimathea, a converted Pharisee, who gave the fine tomb that he had prepared for his own burial to Jesus. There, our Lord’s grave-clad body lay until its resurrection (Matt. 27:57-60).
Then there is Joseph, who became the husband of Mary, the mother of our Lord. He is known for his exemplary life of obedience to God. Joseph is never reported as saying anything, and no one says anything to Joseph. No one at any point turns and addresses him. No human, that is. In fact, what little we have of Joseph’s biography is almost entirely a series of encounters with angels: four in total by which God spoke to him, and four times he heard and obeyed God.
- The angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph and told him that although his wife-to-be was pregnant and not by him, he must take her as his wife. (Matt. 1:18-24). Marry Mary! And Joseph did.
- Joseph was told to name the baby boy ‘Jesus’ (Matt. 1:21), and again he did, confirming what Mary had also been told.
- Joseph did not sleep with his wife until after the baby was born (Matt. 1:25). The Lord Jesus was going to be the fulfilment of the prophecy that a virgin would conceive and bear a son. Afterwards, all the joyful normal relations of husband and wife would take place, and Joseph would be the father of many children by Mary. Once again, Joseph did what God said.
- An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, telling him to quickly set off for Egypt, taking Mary and the boy-child Jesus there for safety as Herod wanted to kill him (Matt. 2:13-15). So, Jesus was taken to Africa as a refugee for a couple of years until Herod died, and it was safe to return home to Nazareth. Joseph immediately obeyed his God. The best way we can protect our families is by making it a priority always to be doing the will of the Lord.
A godly husband and father
Joseph worked to put food on the table where Jesus sat and ate. He maintained a roof over the house where Jesus was daily protected, and nightly slept in a warm bed, a home where he grew in wisdom and stature and in favour with God and people. For six days a week throughout his life, Joseph was no sluggard. God honoured the labours of the carpenter of Nazareth. Quiet diligence in a home where there was a godly male presence marked the carpenter’s family in little Nazareth.
Yet that did not save the family from fears and concerns. The 12-year-old Jesus went to the temple in distant Jerusalem with Joseph, Mary and the family, among a group of pilgrims. They attended the Passover festival, and when the events were completed, the caravan of people began the journey back toward their homes in Nazareth and the surrounding area. At one point in the journey, Joseph and Mary were shocked to discover that Jesus was missing (Luke 2:41-52).
Joseph is not blamed for being a careless and neglectful father. It was a common practice for religious families to travel together, and they were so well acquainted that the children of one family merged into the children of another. There were slumber parties in different homes, even in those days, and so Joseph and Mary did not notice that Jesus was missing for two or three days. ‘He is such a good boy!’ They were so confident in his dependability. They had raised their son very well, and they trusted him implicitly. With what fears did they return, walking all the way back to the big city to search for him? But they found Jesus absolutely safe, his heavenly Father completely protecting him. Jesus was talking with the learned scribes in the Temple. It is Mary who expostulates with Jesus about how concerned she and her husband had been for his safety. Jesus told them about the authority his eternal Father had over him.
We honour Joseph as a righteous man, a considerate husband, an obedient servant, a good citizen, a protector of his family, and a concerned father. Joseph is the pattern in the Bible for honourable manhood. He was a ‘man of God, competent and equipped for every good work’ (2 Tim. 3:17).
