Don’t we wish we knew more about Joseph? Wouldn’t it have been nice to peek in on at least a few snippets of conversation here and there between Joseph and Jesus, to further illumine their relationship for us? But alas, the Holy Scriptures do not provide such conversations. After the temple incident when Jesus was twelve years old, Joseph just seems to disappear from the pages of history. As I was meditating about this on a recent walk, my thoughts began opening to a greater speculative understanding about why scripture might offer us only a scant amount of information about Joseph—even though he played such a key role in the early life of Jesus.
What we do know about Joseph is rich and meaningful, and it occurred to me that the totality of his story really is there. We just need to sift through the highlights, which might just give us the ability to fill in the gaps of his “conspicuous absence” in later years. Above all, Joseph was an honorable and righteous man. When God chose the Virgin Mary to bear our blessed Savior, it wasn’t as if Joseph was merely along for the ride. Much to the contrary, God was choosing Joseph as well. In fact, scripture teaches us that the promised Messiah would come through the bloodline of David, which points directly to Joseph. So they were both equally chosen to be the earthly parents of Jesus. God ordained this specific descendant and his wife; no one else that came before them and no one else that would come after them.
What an incredible honor that God would entrust His only begotten son to their care. We all know how important it is for a child to be raised on a good and solid foundation. This is what God already knew Jesus would experience. Though it must have been hard to let him go, God was able to fully trust this young couple to provide all that Jesus would need growing up. Their kindness, compassion and humble obedience to God would lead the way.
As we read the first chapter of Matthew, it seems the outstanding character of Joseph knows no bounds. Mary and Joseph fell in love and were engaged to be married. At some point along the way Mary becomes pregnant. Joseph, completely unaware this child was conceived through the Holy Spirit, knew there had not been premarital relations between the two of them. In the face of this news, he does the unthinkable—he plans to dismiss her quietly because of his unwillingness to expose her to any public disgrace. What a stunning insight into the character of Joseph, a man whose actions prove his integrity.
In the midst of what must have been gut-wrenching pain, grace was being offered. Feelings of betrayal and humiliation would be a perfectly understood human response in this situation. However, Joseph is not just any other man and his reaction is tempered with mercy, compassion and sensitivity to another’s shameful embarrassment.
Joseph chose not to expose her infidelity, which would have carried deep implications for her life. She would have been branded as an adulteress, declaring her unfit for marriage; she may even have risked being stoned. So Joseph, despite his own pain and anguish, chose to elevate her needs above his own, so that none would be the wiser and her reputation would remain intact.
He who had been disgraced, chose not to disgrace her. It takes quite a man to be faithful to the one who was unfaithful, to honor the one who had dishonored him. What a beautiful image of the self-sacrificing love that was about to be revealed to the world. We can see in Joseph hints of the coming Savior—a turning of the cheek, a willingness to endure pain to keep another one safe. There is little left to wonder at God’s choosing of this extraordinary man. He who lived in humble obedience, holding fast to his convictions and never wavering.
Fortunately, an angel appears to Joseph in a dream and confirms the true nature of Mary’s pregnancy. Joseph responds faithfully and immediately takes Mary as his wife. The next step he takes is the incredibly holy act of self-denial. He remained celibate until Jesus was born. Joseph held a deep love for Mary, and I am sure he would have had a strong desire to consummate their new marriage. But righteous Joseph also loved the Lord and was willing to deny this natural, God-given pleasure. Even though he was overwhelmed with love for his new bride, he was consumed with passion for his Lord. The sheer sacredness of the situation demanded a deep and holy reverence for God.
Once we give thoughtful consideration to what scripture has revealed to us regarding Joseph, it doesn’t seem quite so odd that Joseph would fade into the background—particularly once Jesus begins his public ministry. This humble and gifted carpenter never vies for the spotlight; he would never think of boasting about raising the Messiah or interfere by giving testimony about all that he knows. No, this man does things quietly and reverently. He knows his place in God’s plan.
Joseph fully understood more than anyone (aside from Mary) who Jesus was and why He was sent. That is precisely why he must recede…the focus needed to shift toward Jesus and His Heavenly Father, not his earthly one. It was critical for others to understand that relationship alone; focusing on his deity rather than his earthly experiences.
I truly believe that this wise and caring man knew that the role God had chosen for him, had now been fulfilled. So just as when Joseph had wanted to dismiss Mary quietly, he was now humbly withdrawing himself in the same honorable way. Before, it was all about Mary’s honor, not his own. Now it is all about honoring the Lord for who He truly is, and so it is time to step back and allow Jesus to fulfill the purpose for which He had been sent. While some speculate that Joseph had long since passed away, there is no historical data that confirms his death. If Joseph had fallen ill, Jesus may have healed him in the privacy of their home.
Truthfully, we really don’t know all that much about Mary either. We do know that both Mary and Joseph experienced angelic visitations, and were swift in their obedience to the messages that were brought to them. While Mary was present at critical times in her son’s adult life, the most significant interaction took place at the wedding feast when Jesus turned water into wine.
Obviously, Mary knew His ability to perform miracles, otherwise she would never have asked this of Him. This would be His first public display that would launch His ministry. There would be no going back from this revelation about Him. Jesus didn’t think His time had yet come to do this. Mary thought, or perhaps knew, that it was. Either way, Jesus defers to his beloved mother.
In those days it would have been a huge faux pas, a disgraceful embarrassment to run out of wine for your guests. There was a social stigma attached to it. So Mary turns to Jesus amid those big stone jars full of water. This was about so much more than wine being poured for the guests, it was the pouring out of His life for the world. The wine has run out and the guests are growing restless…and sinners, aware or not, are growing restless for redemption.
The symbolic sweetness of this first miracle matches the most delicate, precious sweetness of His ultimate offering. The wine that Jesus blessed and was now being served to the wedding guests, was the best they had ever tasted. They were shocked at it’s goodness. Normally you serve the best wine first, then once the guests are giddy with drunkenness, then you bring out the inferior wine because at that point they don’t even care. But here, the best wine was reserved for the end of the evening. And in the end, we shall also partake of the very best that God has reserved for us, through His son, Jesus Christ. We too, will be shocked at it’s goodness. For now, we sip only at the foretaste of what is to come.
God knew fully well what He was doing when choosing Mary and Joseph. Each of them were equally important in carrying out God’s honorable task of raising the Christ-child. Perfect man was given the perfect gift of these two earthly parents. When we think about biblical heroes of the faith, Joseph isn’t one that typically leaps to mind. But when we examine his character—his goodness, faithfulness and obedience, we can glean so much! Like Joseph, we need to lose ourselves in obedience to God. We recede, so that Christ can prevail in all that we do. The smaller we become, the easier Christ can be seen at work in and through us.
Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now. John 2:10
The best is indeed yet to be…Hallelujah! Praise our Redeemer’s holy name.