Here, if he were judged at all, it would be by what he could do, how he sustained himself and helped others.”
–Zane Grey (The Rainbow Trail)
“So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.”
“So when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.”
–Luke 2:39 (NKJV)
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I have thought often of Joseph. He must have been an extraordinary man. The first thing we read about him, other than the genealogy is, “And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19, Amplified) Before God and before man Joseph was a just and righteous man.
Joseph had his plans set on a wedding, and having Mary as his bride. Then he found out that she was pregnant. We are not told how he found out; whether or not she told him, but the Scripture does say that “he thought about these things” (Matthew 1:20). He wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to act in a rightful manner. It wasn’t immediately after he found out that Mary was with child that he received an answer; it was while he was thinking about Mary, and the right thing to do. A dream came to him, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20, NKJV)
We do not see any questioning. We do not see concern or being fretful, but we see obedience and faithfulness on the part of Joseph. This was a man, who probably inside was in awe, who obeyed the voice of the Lord. He took on the task of being the earthly father of the holy Son of God. WOW! Think of the responsibility! It is a great responsibility to be a father. That is one of the major problems in our country today–the lack of fathers taking their rightful responsibility. There is one segment of society where 76% of families to do not have a father providing the leadership and the security that is his responsibility. Then, how many families have what we would call “dead-beat dads”? Men who are there in body only, but do not recognize their role as a father. Oh they may be a buddy to a child, they may take them places once in a while thinking that the occurrence makes them a father, but they are not there to guide, to discipline, to teach.
Joseph was a man who took on the responsibility to raise Jesus. He was a man who was very familiar with the Old Testament, and now it was his duty to raise the One who would bring in the New Testament. He must have been a man who was looking for the Messiah, and I wonder if he knew that he was raising the Messiah? Notice, Mary was visited by Gabriel to tell her the good news and of her being chosen, but it was to Joseph that the messages came. He was told to marry her, he was told what to name the child, he was told to leave Bethlehem, and he was told to return from Egypt. The word of the Lord came to Joseph and he acted upon it.
“And did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he [Joseph] called His name JESUS.” (Matthew 1:25, NKJV) Here we have a man listening to the word in a dream, knowing the written word, and was going to be responsible in raising the living Word. How about that for responsibility? Upon Joseph lay the responsibility of raising Jesus in the words of the Law. It was up to Joseph to name Him, to take Him to the temple and to present Him to the Lord. What we see following that is, “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” (Luke 2:40, NKJV)
In our day, the man of the house is to be ridiculed. He is to be mocked, and as C.S. Lewis said, made to be a man without a chest. No backbone in today’s society–that would not be true of Joseph. He would have been a hard worker, he would have provided for his family both in the area of security, sustenance, and spiritual. He was not rich, but he had a work ethic and he was a man of character. He was a man who might not stand out in the crowd, but he was a man who stood out to the Father. Upon this man–Joseph–was laid the burden and responsibility of raising His Son.
———————————-
I have thought often of Joseph. He must have been an extraordinary man. The first thing we read about him, other than the genealogy is, “And Joseph her [promised] husband, being a just and righteous man and not wanting to expose her publicly to shame, planned to send her away and divorce her quietly.” (Matthew 1:19, Amplified) Before God and before man Joseph was a just and righteous man.
Joseph had his plans set on a wedding, and having Mary as his bride. Then he found out that she was pregnant. We are not told how he found out; whether or not she told him, but the Scripture does say that “he thought about these things” (Matthew 1:20). He wanted to do the right thing. He wanted to act in a rightful manner. It wasn’t immediately after he found out that Mary was with child that he received an answer; it was while he was thinking about Mary, and the right thing to do. A dream came to him, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:20, NKJV)
We do not see any questioning. We do not see concern or being fretful, but we see obedience and faithfulness on the part of Joseph. This was a man, who probably inside was in awe, who obeyed the voice of the Lord. He took on the task of being the earthly father of the holy Son of God. WOW! Think of the responsibility! It is a great responsibility to be a father. That is one of the major problems in our country today–the lack of fathers taking their rightful responsibility. There is one segment of society where 76% of families to do not have a father providing the leadership and the security that is his responsibility. Then, how many families have what we would call “dead-beat dads”? Men who are there in body only, but do not recognize their role as a father. Oh they may be a buddy to a child, they may take them places once in a while thinking that the occurrence makes them a father, but they are not there to guide, to discipline, to teach.
Joseph was a man who took on the responsibility to raise Jesus. He was a man who was very familiar with the Old Testament, and now it was his duty to raise the One who would bring in the New Testament. He must have been a man who was looking for the Messiah, and I wonder if he knew that he was raising the Messiah? Notice, Mary was visited by Gabriel to tell her the good news and of her being chosen, but it was to Joseph that the messages came. He was told to marry her, he was told what to name the child, he was told to leave Bethlehem, and he was told to return from Egypt. The word of the Lord came to Joseph and he acted upon it.
“And did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he [Joseph] called His name JESUS.” (Matthew 1:25, NKJV) Here we have a man listening to the word in a dream, knowing the written word, and was going to be responsible in raising the living Word. How about that for responsibility? Upon Joseph lay the responsibility of raising Jesus in the words of the Law. It was up to Joseph to name Him, to take Him to the temple and to present Him to the Lord. What we see following that is, “And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.” (Luke 2:40, NKJV)
In our day, the man of the house is to be ridiculed. He is to be mocked, and as C.S. Lewis said, made to be a man without a chest. No backbone in today’s society–that would not be true of Joseph. He would have been a hard worker, he would have provided for his family both in the area of security, sustenance, and spiritual. He was not rich, but he had a work ethic and he was a man of character. He was a man who might not stand out in the crowd, but he was a man who stood out to the Father. Upon this man–Joseph–was laid the burden and responsibility of raising His Son.