Joseph: Man of Faith

18 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. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet:

23 “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel”

(which means, God with us). 24 When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, 25 but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18-25 ESV)

It’s a little late for a Christmas post, but technically on the church calendar we are still heading towards the Epiphany season, so I figured I’d write a little bit about how this part of the Christmas story can relate to our lives today. My pastor preached on this text this Sunday and I found within it some interesting things I think we can take away from it.

Obviously, Joseph is the most overlooked character in the Christmas story. Of course there is Jesus, to whom all glory should be given. We make much of Mary as we should, and we remember the wise men who sought Him and the innkeeper who turned Him away. Rarely, however, do we pay much attention to Joseph, and probably because of his steadfast, even-keel, and level-headed approach to the whole event of the birth of Jesus. For a second let’s look at Christmas through Joseph’s eyes.

Can you imagine being Joseph when he found out about Mary? I’ve never been engaged, but I think I speak for all men that a fiancé getting pregnant by some other means than her own fiancé is one of the worst things that a woman could do. What horror must have been running through his head when he discovered that his soon-to-be wife was pregnant…and probably from another man!

Most of us would have lashed out in sinful anger and vengeance against Mary, but the unenlightened “father” of Jesus did not. Instead, seeking his own honor and lovingly “unwilling to put her to shame” decided to do the honorable and just thing…the thing that would bring the least pain to this subversive Mary character. Perhaps this is a model for how we should respond to injustice done to us, both perceived and real.

Fortunately, God had bigger plans for Joseph. An angel of the Lord came and revealed God’s Word to Joseph and told him not to be afraid. He gave him specific instructions on how to handle the whole affair. Wouldn’t it be lovely if God told us exactly what to do in every situation like He did to Joseph here? But special times call for special revelation, and Joseph did what God said. This is the most important thing to take away from this passage. Here was a man who received the Word of God and acted upon it. In this case, that meant marrying a pregnant teenage girl against all other wisdom and worldly standards. Oh that we would be so willing to hear God and act upon what He says in full faith! Joseph, through the power of the Holy Spirit, was able to do so, even to the extent of not sleeping with his wife (not his fiancée any more!) until the birth of Christ. We too, through the Holy Spirit and God’s promise of future redemption, can become like Joseph in his faith in God’s Word. We would do well to remember that.