“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid.” (Matthew 1:20)
Christmas stories typically focus on Jesus and Mary, but there is one Christmas character often overlooked. Joseph seems to only get a passing mention in the Christmas story. In fact, the Bible does not speak of him at all after Luke 2:50, when he and Mary lose pre-teen Jesus in Jerusalem and find Him in the temple with the priests three days later.
Luke describes Jesus’ arrival from Mary’s perspective, while Matthew describes it from Joseph’s point of view. Therefore, Matthew 1 provides the bulk of Joseph’s story. It picks up after the angel Gabriel visits Mary and tells her she will bear the Son of God.
Joseph’s Dream
Pregnant by the Holy Spirit, Mary approaches her fiancée, Joseph, with the miraculous news. Like most men’s expected reactions, Joseph does not believe her. Nevertheless, the fact that she was pregnant remained, and the consequences were unimaginable. If anyone found out, both families would endure incredible shame. Plus, under Mosaic law, he had every right to stone her for her infidelity. But Joseph, a gentle and compassionate man, had a different idea.
“Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.” (Matt 1:19, NKJ)
In Jewish tradition, if two people are betrothed, they are legally married; there is no engagement period. Once two families agree to a betrothal, the only two things left to do is have the ceremony and for the happy couple to consummate the union.
At this point, neither of those things had happened, so Joseph thought it better and easier to divorce Mary quietly. He had two problems, though—he still loved her, and God had a plan to fulfill. So God sent an angel to visit him in a dream.
“Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matt 1:20-21)
Joseph woke with a start. Knowing his dream came directly from God, he made a courageous decision every bit as audacious as Mary’s.
When God Interrupts
When Gabriel visited Mary and told her she would bear a child by the Holy Spirit, she was undoubtedly anxious about the invitation. She knew the possibility of shame and social stigma was almost inevitable. Yet, she chose to obey.
Joseph made a similar choice. Though he fearfully hesitated, wondering what the neighbors would think, he, too, chose to obey God. Together, they raised the most world-altering being in history.
Some may say Joseph had unusual or radical faith and exceptional courage, but he was an ordinary guy. He lived in Nazareth, a tiny town with an awful reputation (John 1:46), following in his father’s footsteps as a masonry carpenter and planning to live a quiet life with his little family. He had no idea that God had bigger plans for him.
Joseph’s situation is not unlike what many believers face today. Life seems to be going along fine, all according to how we plan it, but then God interrupts us with His own ideas. At the time, the interruption may be difficult to understand. Maybe we lose a job, face an undiagnosed medical condition, lose a loved one, or suddenly end a relationship. Maybe we will be forced to move to a new city or face an unexpected pregnancy like Mary and Joseph.
Life can have many twists and turns and ups and downs. But when we trust God and His faithfulness, we eventually realize that His plans are better than ours.
The Bible tells us His ways are higher than our ways (Is 55:8-9), and He always works things together for our good (Rom 8:28). We cannot know God’s mind and supernatural ability to see the future, nor can we always know what is good for us or what our purpose is. But God does.
He is a heavenly Father who wants nothing more than to show us His infinite love. And when He shows us that love by interrupting our human plans, all He needs is for us to respond in obedience.
Our obedience and trust in God’s love unlock blessings we never could imagine or attain on our own. It takes God to help us experience His best. We only need to say yes.
Joseph’s Family Curse
It is essential to know that God did not randomly choose Joseph. On the contrary, He was quite intentional. According to Matthew 1, Joseph was a descendant of King David’s royal line.
Some may question how that could be since God cursed Joseph’s bloodline in Jeremiah 22:30. At that time, God removed King Jeconiah from Judah’s throne for rebelliously worshiping pagan idols and encouraging others to do the same. He cursed Jeconiah further by rendering him “childless,” meaning none of his descendants would ever sit on the throne again.
“Thus says the LORD: ‘Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days, for none of his descendants shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David and ruling anymore in Judah.’” (Jer 22:30)
As one of Jeconiah’s descendants, Joseph was no longer part of a royal line, and his children would not be either, including Jesus. However, Luke 3 explains how God masterfully insured Jesus’ royalty.
Luke 3:23-38 details Mary’s genealogy. In verse 23, it says that Joseph, her husband, was the son of Heli. However, Heli was not Joseph’s biological father; he was Mary’s father, and her family descended directly from King David. When Joseph married Mary, her father “adopted” him, according to Jewish culture. Through that adoption, Joseph avoided the curse. And because of Mary’s virgin birth, Joseph was not in Jesus’ bloodline. These two directed events ensured that Jesus would be born into a royally descended, curse-free family.
Joseph had no wealth or fame, but because of his unwavering faithfulness to God and remarkable integrity, God chose him to parent the One who would forever change the world.
Obedience Leads to Blessings
Joseph could have resisted the angel and dismissed his dream as only a dream, but he did not. Knowing he faced challenging circumstances, he still obeyed.
God consistently calls His children to something greater, and He will use various methods to get the message across. But when He calls, believers need to respond.
Too often, people want confirmation like Gideon (Judges 6:11-27) or think they need to “wait on the Lord” when God has already spoken. They think they are waiting for confirmation, but what they want is a word they like and not what God wants. This is why it is vital to remember that stalling in our Christian walk is an act of disobedience, an outright sin. God wants us to walk boldly in faith.
Fear is often the first reason why believers stall in their obedience. It is reasonable to assume that Mary and Joseph also felt fear, but we must resist it (James 4:7). Fear is the work of the devil. Instead, we must remember God’s promise in Isaiah 41:10.
“Fear not, for I am with you. Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you. Yes, I will help you. I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”
Isaiah 30:21 is another tremendous promise of God’s love and faithfulness. When the way ahead seems complicated, He will always be with you, showing you the way and pointing you in the right direction.
“Your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” whenever you turn to the right hand or whenever you turn to the left.”
Joseph and Mary’s stories prove that God sometimes calls us to move out of our comfort zones. When those times happen, remember God’s devotion and dependability. He never fails. All He needs is for us to respond in obedience, trust Him, and say yes to His best plan for us.
Obedience always leads to blessings and growth in our faith. What is God calling you to today?
