I have always wondered what the relationship between Jesus and Joseph was like. Whenever Jesus uses the word "Father" in the Bible, it was always referring to God. What about his earthly father? Did Joseph love him like a son? I can't imagine he considered Jesus a bastard child, but Jesus wasn't his; what was it like? Did Joseph even live long? He was rarely mentioned in Scriptures. What we do know is that he was a righteous man to whom God entrusted Mary and Jesus when they were most vulnerable.
Joseph's faith is no less amazing than Mary's. Mary knew her pregnancy was immaculate, but Joseph had plenty of reasons to doubt. God sent Mary an angel with news; but he spoke to Joseph only through dreams. Mary just had to receive the news and things were happening to her while Joseph had to believe the messages in his dreams and take actions accordingly.
Matthew 1:20-25--He took Mary to be his wife in spite of her mysterious pregnancy.
Matthew 2:13-14--He took Mary and Jesus to Egypt to escape Herod's sword.
Matthew 2:19-21--He returned to Israel after Herod died.
Matthew 2:22-23--He avoided returning to Judea and took the family to Nazareth instead.
Without Joseph's active response to God's call, our picture of the nativity might be a different one today. Joseph is a neglected hero in the Christmas story; he is an example of faith in action, an essential response to the Christian's call.
What kind of script are we writing with our faith?
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment