No nativity is complete without the man hand-picked by God to be the step-father of His Son, namely, Joseph. What a responsibility! I often wonder what kind of thoughts ran through Joseph's mind as Jesus was growing? What kind of man was he?
Very little is said about Joseph in Scripture. Most of what we know about Joseph is found in Matthew's account of the story.
His genealogy was impeccable.
His reputation was faultless.
In the spiritual arena, Joseph's way of thinking, feeling, and acting were "wholly conformed to the will of God" (meaning of the Gk word, dikaios, translated "just").
Physically, he was a strong man - a carpenter by trade (my husband comes from a line of carpenters, so this I know by experience, though, poor Bay, tends to be the black sheep of the family when it comes to building).
In matters of the heart, he wrestled to do right. It's obvious, where Mary was concerned, Joseph was torn between "law" and "love"...but above all, he was "unwilling to put Mary to shame" (that speaks of a pretty tender soul).
He was quick to obedience, yet patient in practice. As soon as the angel spoke to him in a dream, Joseph believed... His belief turned to quick action. True belief always moves to quick action. This is repeated about Joseph with every move he and Mary made.
On the other hand, Joseph was a patient man...He was willing to wait on intimacy. To me this speaks of great love, not just for God, but for his wife. After all, one of the first attributes listed for true love is patience.
These are my favorite God-words about Joseph:
When Joseph awoke form sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son.
Matthew 1:24
If I'm a Joseph, then I'm willing to wrestle with tension that often comes between "law" and "love." I am patient in practice as I wait on God's timing, but quick to obedience when God speaks.
Am I a Joseph?
Are you?
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