The Faith of Joseph

I’ve been thinking a lot about Joseph this holiday season. Joseph, the forgotten figure in the Christmas story. Poor Joseph, whom the Bible describes as a good man, apparently cheated on by the woman he loved before they even were married. What did it take for Joseph to obey the words of God and assist in bringing Christ to the world that first Christmas?

First, he had to set aside his own plan. Joseph had already decided what to do—he would divorce Mary quietly--and apparently it was a reasonable and appropriate plan since it is in this connection that the Bible praises him as righteous. Second, he had to swallow his pride—public pride in front of a community who thought he was a fool to marry the woman who had made a fool of him, family pride in the sense that he would now raise a child who was not “bone of his bone” and “flesh of his flesh,” and probably his personal pride as a man before Mary. What had he said to her when he first heard she was pregnant? He obviously hadn’t believed her story of a virgin conception since he was planning to divorce her. I expect he owed her a big apology and had to go and humbly beg her forgiveness before he could marry her. Finally, he had to act despite his fears. Have you ever noticed that the angel said, “Do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife?” Apparently Joseph was afraid to marry Mary. We don’t know exactly what Joseph feared but I can imagine: fear of marrying a promiscuous woman or a nutcase who thought she was bearing a god-child. Fear of raising another man’s child and bringing “bad blood” into his home. Fear of how his future children would be affected by their mother’s reputation and this illegitimate child living in their home. The only way he could obey was to trust fully and completely that what the angel had said was true (which would make his fears moot) or cast caution to the wind and say “OK, I’ll go for it. I think this is what God is telling me so I’ll proceed despite my fears” which of course is another form of faith.

There’s a lot of lessons we can learn from the attitudes of the characters in the Christmas story: the willing servant heart of Mary, the watchfulness of the Magi who traveled great distances to worship, and the shepherds who spread the word, but this year I think I’ll focus on Joseph who presents a perfect picture of "trust and obey." He quietly facilitated the introduction of Christ to the world at great cost to himself, his pride and his plans, despite his fears.