Advent Reflection: Joseph

Imagine men, if you will, your engaged to a women that you absolutely love. You have read all of the "true love waits" books that your youth pastor has given you. Despite of your desire for this woman, your desire for God is even stronger. So you wait. Then she becomes pregnant. What do you do? Do you yell at her? Do you call her every name that you have learned applies to "those kind of women"?

If your Joseph, the father of Jesus, you suppress your anger and hurt and still try and do right by Mary. You try and divorce her quietly. You struggle with the question of how to shield her from shame, instead of heaping it on. What you don't do though, is believe her story about God impregnating her. How can that be? God doesn't work like that! God would never make us endure that kind of shame for Him!

Then you sleep.

And you dream.

Mary, your love, is no liar. She is no slut. She was chosen to carry Immanuel.

Joseph was a good man. Better than most I know (including the one I see in the mirror!). I usally think he endured some rough times when Mary was pregnant. How small my perspective is! Galilee was a small town. Word travels in small towns. Even though Mary went to Elizabeth, I am sure that people heard the whispers; "Joseph and Mary are pregnant before getting married", "Is Joseph even the father?". This would be a tough road for a 1st century Jew.

But he was a 1st century Jew. That same pride that made the whispers so hard to endure, also had to endure Roman rule his ENTIRE life. He never experienced the nation of Israel in its glory. He never saw David. He never knew a free life.

Now he was going to raise Immanuel.

Joseph probably never saw the ministry of the child he raised. He never saw his little boy give Pharisees fits, or make the blind see. Yet he had hope that extended far beyond the wounded pride that was caused by the whispers. He saw the Christ as a baby. He taught Him how to be a carpenter, and was able to witness the spark of so much more.

Joseph is not given a lot of face time in scripture. He was probably a simple man. Not especially learned, or rich. Yet we know that his faithfulness was crucial for his wife and adopted son. His role in this season cannot be overlooked.