Matthew 1:18-25 Joseph

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit. And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly. But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins." Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a son, and they shall call  his name  Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us ." And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus. [Matthew 1:18‭-‬25 NASB]

 It's worth noting the authorship of the book of Matthew. Matthew was Jewish, a tax collector, and one of the twelve apostles. Being Jewish, he wrote to a primarily Jewish audience. So, many of the things he references are within the framework of first century Judaism.

One thing that stands out is the patriarchal nature of Judaism. Unlike Luke, Matthew pays only a passing reference to Mary's role in the birth of Jesus. Joseph, as patriarch of the family, is the one with whom Matthew is concerned. In fact, what we learn of the nature of Jesus' birth comes from God's interactions with Joseph.

Mary and Joseph were betrothed, but not yet married. Betrothal at the time was more binding than modern engagements. Either party can break off an engagement at any time and for any reason. But the betrothal required a divorce to be broken, and only for cause.

The fact that Joseph found Mary to be pregnant indicated that she had committed adultery. Joseph was ready to divorce her until an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream and explained that Mary had been conceived by the Holy Spirit, and was still a virgin.

We know very little about Joseph. Only that he was a carpenter, that God considered him to be a "righteous man", and that he was obedient to God. We tend to exalt Mary in the Christmas story, and portray Joseph as a hanger-on, somewhere in the background. But we see in this and the following passages that Joseph was truly a man of God, and a man of faith.

Far from fading into the background, he was a leader for his family. He heard from God, and obeyed without question, and without asking for proof.

Mary was chosen to bear Jesus, but Joseph was chosen to raise Him.

Fatherhood is often a thankless job. Consider the dad who takes the time to toss the football with his son, encouraging him, and sharing his experience and wisdom in sports. What does the son say when he finally hits the pros? "Hi, Mom!"

In church pageants every Christmas, Mary gets the spotlight, while Joseph stand quietly in the background looking on. Somehow, I don't think Joseph would mind. He didn't seek glory for himself. He simply obeyed the word of God, and loved and protected his family. He understood that it wasn't about him.

For the men who read this, we will do well if we can follow Joseph's example. Obey God's word. Love your family. And remember, It's not about you.