Joseph is a man we know very, very little about. This carpenter of Nazareth stood with Mary in a difficult time, a time when she and he would have been greatly misunderstood.
The first chapters of Matthew and Luke provide the details surrounding this young couple. They were betrothed. The contract for their marriage had been agreed upon, but they had not come together yet as man and wife. Into this poor, but seemingly neat and tidy world comes Gabriel, from the Throne of Heaven. This angel’s message to Mary is this: “Fear not, Mary, for you have found with God. And behold you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.”
And so Mary was found with child, and Joseph, a kind man, thought to terminate the marriage without fanfare. He refused to make a display of her. This revealed the heart of mercy in this man, and also his love for this woman. By the law of Moses, Mary would be counted to have committed adultery and been subject to stoning. The evidence was there to see.
As Joseph made his considerations, the angel of the Lord spoke to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.” Notice the way Joseph is addressed as “son of David.” The gospel of Matthew begins with the declaration of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David. This first gospel of our New Testament was given to speak to the Jewish population regarding the Person of Christ.
A Messianic Expectation
The Jewish people now under the government of the Roman Empire carried an Messianic expectation for their King. This King would, of course, be from the line of David, the dynasty settled in the books of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, and Psalms.
Jesus, Son of David, and Joseph, son of David — it had to be this way for the fulfillment of the prophecies and promises proclaimed centuries before. The Son to come from Mary would save His people from their sins, the carpenter was told.
Did Joseph buy into the divine plan? He did, for he awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded, taking Mary as his wife and did not consummate the relationship till the Son was born. This brings us to what grew into a point of contention throughout church history. Did Joseph ever have sex with Mary? The Bible record here says that he did not know her until after Jesus is born. Later, in Matthew, we read the names of the brothers of Jesus and also that there were sisters who grew up in the Nazareth household.
the legend of mary
Things have been fabricated about Joseph in order to create an unscriptural portrait of Mary. Her status was elevated and she came to be viewed as one who was always a virgin and without sin as Christ was without sin. Yet, in Luke 1, Mary herself proclaims her need for the Savior. The legend of Mary grew to include the idea that she was assumed into Heaven; that is, her body was carried away and did not suffer decay as other human bodies. Nothing into the New Testament record remotely indicates this event.
As for the matter of Joseph, he came to be celebrated for his celebacy regarding Mary. On St. Josephy’s feast day, he is called a hero for never having had sex with Mary. Legend grew that Joseph was an older man and had children from a previous marriage, which covers the Scriptures relating to Jesus’ brothers and sisters.
“And he called His name Jesus.”
Joseph was a man of faith and integrity. His heart followed after the mission of God. He stuck with Mary and raised Jesus, despite the gossip that surely circulated through Nazareth and the regions populated by the Jews. Our New Testament’s begin with his family tree.
Great is God’s faithfulness to those who answer His call no matter the consequences and circumstances.