"Joseph the Husband of Mary"

Listening to one of my favorite (there's many of them, aren't they?) Christmas cds this past week, I heard a song that Michael Card wrote and performed called Joseph's Song. As I like to ponder what it must have been like for the young Jewish virgin girl, Mary, I also imagine myself in the story alongside another pivotal role player in this Christmas story. Little is said about the young man who God in His sovereignty chose to be the earthly guardian of His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ but what is recorded for us in the Scriptures, I believe, has insights for us concerning this son of Jacob from the lineage of David. The Bible says that he is Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus Who is called Christ.

I noted as I read the few Biblical references given to Joseph that he was a consecrated man. We are told that he was a just man, "a Hebraism suggesting that he is a true believer in God who had thereby been declared righteous and who carefully obeyed the law."  John MacArthur. At some point from the time that Gabriel visited Mary with the unexpected news, she had told Joseph and in Matthew 1, we see this consecrated man's contemplation and surely the two are always connected. Sidebar here, if you will-  this generation seems to fear and shy away from quiet times. We like noise, entertainment, and react often without thinking. It is said of Mary that she kept the happenings of this birth in her heart- she pondered over them and here, we observe her future husband doing the same thing, in thoughtful prayer, no doubt, concerning the news he has just heard.

Imagine, if you will, the conflict that is going on in his mind and heart as he contemplates the story he has heard from his betrothed. He, no doubt, has been working and building a place for Mary and is excited about taking her as his wife and building a life and a family together and now she has told him she is with Child. It seems that everything has changed within a matter of a few minutes. Life does that to us, doesn't it?  The law in Deut. 22 prescribed stoning if your betrothed (legally binding as marriage but no physical intimacy) commits adultery but I see Joseph's compassion as he does not want to make a public example out of his beloved but is thinking of just quietly giving her a bill of divorcement.  I love Joseph's cooperation with God. Here, in Matt. 1, after hearing from the angel the confirming words that Mary had already told him- "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost",  "Then being raised from sleep DID as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: and knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn Son: and he called His name, JESUS."  In chapter 2, the angel gave instructions again and said "Arise, and take the young Child and His mother, and flee into Egypt,... and the response is "When he arose, he TOOK the young Child and His mother by night, and departed into Egypt." And  again, when the angel told Joseph to take the Child and His mother and return to Israel, he OBEYED and they dwelt in Nazareth.

The home that God chose in which the Baby Jesus would be sheltered was headed by a consecrated, compassionate, cooperative carpenter. I wonder at what thoughts went through his mind in the carpenter's shop with the young Child at his feet. The wonder of it all- the carpenter Joseph showing skills to the Creator of everything. We cannot comprehend the humanity and the Deity wrapped up in flesh but it is a joy to ponder the thought! The Bible tells us in Luke 2 that when they (he and Mary) found the 12-year old Jesus in the temple answering and astonishing the learned that they were amazed.

In closing, Joseph must have been a courageous man as he knew some of the hardship and ridicule that would ensue from the moment he married Mary. After the temple experience, we don't see him anymore in Scripture other than one asking the question- "Is this not the carpenter's son?"  No, no, this is God's Son but I am blessed by Joseph's example, brief as it was. Maybe he didn't live very long because we know that at the cross, Jesus turned His precious mother over to the care of His beloved disciple, John.  My final thought and maybe I have taken some liberty here in this writing, is that length of life isn't the issue but rather, what we did with the assignment that we have been given by our gracious and Sovereign Lord.  I pray often when I pray these words straight from the Book of Psalms: "Show me Thy ways, O LORD; teach me Thy paths,. Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation: on Thee do I wait all the day."  I think Joseph knew and lived that Scriptural precept.  My prayer is that you have been blessed by thinking on this man chosen to be guardian of our Lord as He grew. A verse in Michael Card's song: " Lord, I know He's not my own, not of my flesh, not of my bone- but Father, let this Child be Son of my love."

Love the season, Deborah