Meet Joseph

In the telling of the Christmas story, Joseph is the one that often gets less coverage. Luke gives us more information about the actual birth of Christ, and so it is usually to Luke we turn for the Christmas story. However, Matthew provides us with some insight into the background of what it would have been like for Joseph and Mary. Let’s begin with the scandal that Mary’s pregnancy caused.

Matthews tells us: This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly (Matt 1:18-19).

The problem for Joseph is that the girl he is going to share the rest of his life with is pregnant. Mary is pregnant, and consequently, Joseph doesn’t want to be with her. We aren’t sure how Joseph can be called Mary’s “husband” when they are not yet married and how they are not yet married, but Joseph can divorce her.

In Joseph and Mary’s culture, the couple is engaged by their parents, probably when they were young. Then they were betrothed in their synagogue, and one year later, they would be married. From the time of the betrothal, they are called man and wife, and only a divorce can separate them, although they do not live together or have sexual contact.

We are not told of any conversation Mary had with Joseph, but, you know, Mary shared with Joseph what had happened to her. She must have explained how Gabriel appeared to her and what he said. The angel informed her she would become pregnant and have a son. The Holy Spirit would make this happen. Joseph loved Mary, but you have to agree that this would be a strange story to swallow if you heard it from your pregnant wife.

Stop and think about this from Joseph’s viewpoint. How would you feel if you were in his situation? Would you be humiliated, angry, jealous, or just confused? Matthew doesn’t tell us. I can, however, tell you that he was likely flooded with a whole range of emotions. One minute he thought he could accept it, and then another minute, he knew he was being duped. What did he do? What could he do?

Joseph seems to be a thoughtful person who is not given to impulsive action. He thought seriously about the matter, and after being conflicted with this riddle of a situation, he “resolved” to do what was best for both persons:” When Joseph has considered his options so that he could stay true to his convictions and not shame Mary he chose to divorce her secretly. It was at this moment that God intervened. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “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 (Matt 1:20). We are not told who the angel was, but I think it was Gabriel because he has been the bearer of the Messianic birth news for 500 years; most likely, it was him.

Have you ever thought about the role of the Spirit in the conception of Christ? We cannot describe the biological process the Spirit worked in the virgin’s womb. Still, we know that the Holy Spirit made the preexistent second person of the Trinity into a human being.  This is the moment of the creation of Jesus’ body. Christ has always existed as the second person in the Trinity, but the Holy Spirit now conceived his body in Mary’s womb.

I think the Christmas story is so incredible because it is our story—a story God gave us. Mary is a willing servant that God uses, and Joseph is a man God could use even with all his struggle. God used them to be part of the greatest story ever told.

We, too, are part of God’s story—one that goes on right now. We are unaware of God’s existence, but we can be sure he knows what he is doing. Mary and Joseph didn’t know they would wind up in Bethlehem and Jesus would be born in a stable, but God did. They didn’t know they would have to flee to Egypt for two years, but God did. Christmas reminds us that God is in control, and he wants us to be part of the story if we are willing.