Perhaps one of the most overlooked characters in the story of Christmas is Jesus’s earthly father, Joseph. I view him as a strong, silent character. After all, Mary was not the only one who had to overcome doubts, fear, public embarrassment, and hold tight to faith and the Lord. Joseph was also faced with the challenge of trusting God amid the turmoil. Joseph didn’t believe Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. That thought was too far-fetched for him.
Joseph believed he was betrothed to a virgin girl. Then suddenly, he’s told she’s pregnant, and he knows he’s not the father because he hasn’t laid a finger on her. When he learned of Mary’s pregnancy, he had to be angry, feel betrayed, and be deeply disappointed. He showed compassion for Mary by not exacting revenge and by deciding to handle the situation secretly so that Mary would not be publicly disgraced.
During that time, breaking off an engagement was much like our divorce process. Betrothed couples were considered married even though the marriage had not been consummated. So, in Joseph’s mind and in that culture, Mary was guilty of adultery. If a woman was guilty of adultery, she could be stoned or divorced. It was up to the husband to decide what would happen to her.
Joseph planned to divorce her secretly. I’m sure that at that moment, he felt he had no choice. The fact that she was a godly, honorable girl from a good Hebrew family, and was not a girl he or anyone else, for that matter, would consider wanton, probably played into his decision. At first, he did not think of his third option of staying in the marriage.
Before Joseph could act on his decision, just as the angel appeared to Mary, an angel came to Joseph in a dream. The angel told Joseph not to be afraid, just like he told Mary. He was instructed to take Mary as his wife because she was carrying the Son of God, and Joseph was told to name the baby Jesus. The angel said that Jesus would save His people from their sins.
The book of Matthew in the Bible states that when Joseph woke from his dream, he did what the angel of the Lord told him to do. It took a great deal of faith on Joseph’s part to believe what was imparted to him in a dream. He didn’t hesitate to put his faith in the Lord and now believed Mary was carrying God’s son. Joseph willingly accepted the role of father to raise the Son of the Almighty God. Think about what a responsibility that was and what an honor!
God knows what’s in every person’s heart, and He knew Joseph was an obedient and honorable man. Joseph loved God and raised God’s only son as though he were his own. Joseph had to know God intimately and have a personal relationship with Him to be even considered by God as a “stand-in” father.
As Joseph looked upon the face of baby Jesus, he must have felt unspeakable awe and overwhelming joy. He knew he was looking at the Savior of the world. Every day, Joseph would have the privilege of having God with him in human form and have a hand in raising Him to know His true Father. Yes, Joseph was a strong, silent character. He had to be strong in his faith and silent to hear God’s instructions.
When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. Matthew 1: 24-25