Matthew 1:19 Joseph her husband, being righteous and not willing to shame her publicly, resolved to divorce her quietly.
Joseph, the earthly step-father plays a very minor role in the nativity play. He has no dialogue but would be seen dragging a donkey with pregnant Mary or gazing at the newborn Messiah whom he was instructed to adopt. We understand that he was a meager tradesmen. Jesus gets His professional title as “the Carpenter” from the vocation of Joseph. Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? (Matthew 13:55). The Greek word “tekton” is translated as carpenter, however, the more accurate interpretation of this word would be craftsman/builder. When we skim through the northern landscape of Israel it would be apparent that ‘wood’ was not the popular building material. Trees were scarce and expensive, hence there were only stone structures not wooden buildings. The Hebraic scholar James W. Fleming states that Jesus and His step-dad Joseph would have completed nine out of ten projects by chiseling or carving stones or stacking building blocks. Hence we can safely conclude that Jesus was not only a carpenter but also an artisan/stonemason before He launched into fulltime ministry.
Have you ever wondered why God entrusted an ordinary and uneducated artisan to be the step-dad of His Son Jesus? The piety and maturity of Joseph was much more valuable than skills, schooling or semantics to the Almighty.
Why Joseph, an ordinary, lower-middle class stonemason?
- Pious: The pious step-dad was the apt role model to Jesus. Jesus was not born in the family of the scholarly Teachers of Law, well-schooled Pharisees or in a stupendous palace. He was born into the family of a righteous, obedient, virtuous man. When the angel confirmed in a dream “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit” (Vs 20), he immediately took Mary as his wife, however, he did not consummate the marriage until the birth of Jesus. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave Him the name Jesus (Vs 25). God chooses the pious, patient and pure.
- Provider: Joseph willingly adopted the Messiah-King and provided for Him. Jesus was schooled unlike other tradesman. Education cost a fortune back in Jesus times. Not everyone could read and write. Joseph willingly provided for the adopted son from his menial earnings. He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as was His custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and He stood up to read (Luke 4:16). Joseph accustomed his children and Jesus to obey the law and to keep the Sabbath. God chooses the obedient and subservient.
- Protector: Joseph was the protector of Mary through her pregnancy and the childhood of Jesus. He took Mary and baby Jesus and fled to Egypt when Herod tried to kill the Child. Travelling was not easy on the course gravel roads during those times. They were exposed to heatwaves, bandits and the scorching desert sand roads. God chooses the zealous.
Joseph gave the legal rights as the firstborn to his adopted-son Jesus.
Matthew 1:24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife.
Prayer: Father Divine, like the silent side character Joseph, may my life impact others to make pivotal decisions and pious choices. Amen.
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