St. Joseph the Carpenter, Jesus' earthly father.

March 19 is the Feast Day for St. Joseph the Carpenter, Jesus' earthly father

I feel a kinship with St. Joseph: we both were old men who became fathers.

• I was 43, and he was probably about the same, caught up in his work and living day to day without any vision for the future.

• Then he met Mary, a beautiful, pure girl who was way out of his league.

• How excited he must have been, falling in love when he thought it impossible.

What joy he must have felt when an angel told him, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take to you Mary as your wife!" Read on and learn why!

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The New Testament opens with a genealogy in Matthew 1. It begins with the patriarch Abraham, runs through Isaac, Jacob, Judah, King David, Solomon, and the royal line of Judah up to the Babylonian captivity, and then resumes with Zerubbabel and his descendants ending up with “Joseph* ( 50 BC? - 20AD?) the husband of Mary* ( 18 BC? - 41AD), of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” ----Matthew 1:16

An asterisk* after a name means the person is in SPIRITUAL LIVES

It is amazing that his line of forefathers is remarkably intact even through those 400 years of silence between the Old and New Testaments. We do not know how these records were preserved, but it seems that Matthew (? - 68) may have gotten this material through Joseph somehow. There are accounts in Matthew, such as the content of Joseph’s dreams, that could only have come from Joseph or someone he told them to (humanly speaking).

Nevertheless, Joseph’s descent from Abraham* (1996-1821) and David* (1085-1015 BC) marks him as one in the line of the promises of the Lord to those great men of faith and shows that God had chosen him for a most important role in the plan of salvation.

That role was to be the earthly father of the Lord Jesus Christ* (4BC-30AD). What an honor that was! And what a huge responsibility! Trust and obedience were key characteristics of this strong but humble man, who quietly stands in the background, performing the office of a father to this Child so mysteriously born! I think it is very difficult for a man to stand in the background while his wife takes center stage, and yet this was Joseph’s place.

He was “espoused to Mary,” and in the Jewish culture of that day, this was almost equivalent to marriage; a divorce was required to end the engagement. Shortly before they were to be married, Joseph learned that Mary was “with child.” You can imagine his dismay. According to the Law of Moses* (1571-1451BC), this was a betrayal worthy of capital punishment:

Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you. Deuteronomy 22:21

But Joseph did not activate this process: Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.

But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,

Behold, a virgin shall be with child and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him and took unto him his wife:

And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS. Matthew 1:19-25

We learn no more of Joseph until the wise men from the east who came to worship Jesus were warned not to let the blood-thirsty King Herod* (74-4BC) know where the Child was: And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying,

Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son. ---Matthew 2:13-15

Then Joseph brought Mary and Jesus back to Nazareth, where He “was subject to them.” Luke 2:51

He quietly raised Him to manhood, taught Him his trade, and fulfilled his call to be the earthly father of the One Who was Lord of all.

We only have these words from Matthew about Joseph.

Is this not the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brothers, James and Joses and Simon and Judas,  and his sisters, are they not all with us? Then, from where does this man have all these things? And they were offended in Him. --Matthew 13:55-57

Luke adds this insight, probably from Mary, about Jesus' being lost and found in the temple:

And seeing Him, they were amazed. And His mother said to Him, Child, why have you done so to us? Behold, your father and I have looked for you, greatly distressed. 

And He said to them, Why did you look for Me? Do you not know that I must be about My Father's business? 

And they did not understand the word which He spoke to them. 

And He went with them and came to Nazareth, and He was subject to them. But His mother kept all these sayings in her heart. -- Luke 2:47-51

Notice Jesus was subject to Joseph and Mary, and his adoptive father brought Him up well.

What a fine job he did in training this Son to grow up in this world. They were a poor family, offering turtle doves as a sacrifice, and lived in a poor city, Nazareth. Nevertheless, Joseph brought up his large family well.

He seems to be the best father the Bibe shows us; Being a faither in a difficuot job,, and a high calling even (especially?) for men of God.

1. Adam's sons fought and one killed his brother;

2. Abraham disowned his son Ishmael:'

3. Isaac's family was divided, brother against brother;

4. Jacob's family was torn by jealousy and violence

5. Moses ignored and abandoned his sons:

6. Aaron's sons were drunkards

7. Eli's sons were adulters who sexually abuse women who came to worship

8. Samuel's sons were not up to the job and did not walk in his ways.

9. David's sons raped his daughter, killed one another, and rebelled against him.

   
   

How godly, faithful and true is Joseph when we look at the results and Result of his fathering!

What an important role fathering is!

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While the world await­ed God’s re­deem­ing love—

Came to Jo­seph, dream­ing, Ga­bri­el from above:

God would have you take this vir­gin as your wife,

For the Child with­in her is the Lord of Life!

Lo! the wea­ry fa­mi­ly tra­vels on its way

To the Ho­ly Ci­ty for the night to stay.

Called for an ac­count­ing un­to Beth­le­hem—

There would the Mes­si­ah bloom from Jes­se’s stem.

Since there was no place for them to set­tle down—

They, with beasts of bur­den, rest­ed on the ground.

And in David’s ci­ty ear­ly that next morn,

Clothed in hu­man ves­ture, Word of God was born.

Jesus Christ, our Sav­ior—born up­on this day:

Ox and ass sur­round Your bed of gold­en hay.

In the hum­ble sta­ble, man­ger for Your rest—

Sleep now, in­fant Je­sus, as the world is blest!

• File:Guido Reni - St Joseph with the Infant Jesus - WGA19304.jpg

• Created: 1620 -Public Domain