I think we sometimes forget at this time of year one of the key characters in the narrative of the Nativity of our Lord, and that is Joseph. Compared with Jesus and Mary, we don’t tend to hear that much about him in the scriptures. Yet, without his acceptance of God’s plan, and his devotion to both Mary and Jesus, the plan itself could not have worked as it did.
Joseph accepted a situation after the explanation from the angel in his dream that most would have found a way to walk away from. His betrothed, his soon-to-be wife was found with a child that he did not physically father. This is something that would have been hard to accept on so many different levels. As a man, he no doubt felt initial betrayal, jealousy, and hurt. The woman whom he loved appeared to have betrayed him in a most fundamental way. Yet, in the midst of all those human emotions and doubts, he stayed rooted in God’s word conveyed to him in the dream. Joseph was first and foremost a man of faith. He was a man committed to serving His Lord and placed that above all else, including his own personal feelings and emotions.
Joseph no doubt knew of the prophecies concerning the coming of the Messiah; as a man committed to God, he had certainly listened to the readings in the Torah. Yet like most of us, I suspect that he probably had a hard time initially grasping that all that had been foretold was going to come to pass through the direct participation of both Mary and himself. To say the least, this would have been a lot to take in for a humble carpenter from a small backwater town like Nazareth. Still, there was one overshadowing element that for Joseph made all the difference; God’s angel had appeared to him in a dream, and for Joseph that was enough. He was attuned to his God, and knew innately that this message could be trusted, so like Mary, he humbly accepted his place in God’s plan.
Joseph’s role was so crucial for many reasons. First of all, the child Jesus needed a physical father to grow up with, and his wife Mary needed a husband to care for them. This was critical for them to be able to participate in all the things needed to bring Jesus up as a young Jewish male, such as participation in learning the Torah, attendance at the Temple, and being there for the feasts that were such an important element of Jewish life with God at the center. There was also, though, the role of protector; in those days, Mary, like any woman, needed to be protected, and no less would the child Jesus. It was as brutal a world back then as it is today, and there were many dangers that they needed to be shielded from. Joseph’s commitment to this role of protector was absolute. He knew well his responsibilities and fulfilled them in the same unwavering fashion that he served his God.
There is much more for us to ponder each Christmas than the pleasantries of the season. There is a truth that needs to be kept always in the front of our minds. A truth that came from commitment, faith, and sacrifice. One that began with the acceptance of both Mary and Joseph as parents to the one who had been foretold so long ago, and who would, as a result of their acceptance of God’s plan, be born into this world and raised to manhood in order to save each one of us.
The Deacons Bench 