JOSEPH OF NAZARETH
THE FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT
Little is known
about the head of the Holy Family, and reputedly ‘Father’ of our Lord Jesus, Joseph
of Nazareth.
There are many legends
invented around him from the first centuries to the middle-ages; and many hypotheses
proposed by critics that try to fill the empty periods of his life in the
collection of data we have in the NT, which do not fill a page.
We know Joseph
was from Davidic Royal lineage (Matthew 1:6,16; Luke 2:4; 3:23, 31-32). Through
him, and reputedly from Mary as well, so that our Lord Jesus inherited the
legal and blood line succession to the throne of David, eternally, since He lives
forever.
We know Joseph
must have been a Nazarene by birth, the same as Mary (Luke 2:4-5).
There are
different legends about his private life. Some say that he was a widower, with sons
and daughters (Matthew 13:56; Mark 6:3) who were older than Jesus, and that is
why they did not accepted Jesus at the beginning (John 7:5). Others say that he
was single, and had children with Mary afterwards (Matthew 1:25); and some others
say he was chaste all his life; but none of this is written clearly in the
gospels.
We know he became
betrothed to Mary. How old he was by then, is unknown. But he must have been a
common man in love with his fiancé, since he did this prior to any of them
knowing about Jesus, and the roles that would take over their lives for
eternity (Matthew 1:18; Luke 2:5).
We know he was a
believer (Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:22) and righteous (Matthew 1:19).
We know that
regardless how old he was, he was able to procreate, and strong enough to work
alone, support a family, protect it against all dangers, and walk for great
distances.
(Luke 2:1-5; Matthew
2:13-15).
We know he was a
faithful father to Lord Jesus, and a good husband to Mary (Matthew 2:22; Luke
2:41-51).
And we know he disappeared
from the gospels around the last year of Jesus’s public life (John 19:26).
APART FROM LEGENDS
and tales, this is what is given to us from the Gospels and nothing else.
WHAT WE CAN
GATHER, from this little information, is that Joseph demonstrated at least, 31
years of faithful service to God and Lord Jesus, by providing food, a home,
education, and protection against all adversities, even from armed men who tried
to kill them.
He sacrificed
his reputation as a decent man, by marrying a woman who was already pregnant,
but he cared little, since he knew he was serving God and his greater purpose.
He did not speak
much, unless in his role of protector, since the Bible has no input of his
sayings, even though, as a father, he must have taught Jesus to earn a living,
and the social manners of an adult Jewish male.
He risked his
life by openly opposing the royal authority who wanted to kill Jesus. Joseph
could have given Jesus up, or abandon Mary and her son to Herod, but he did
not. He risked his own life by protecting the Holy Family without a doubt.
Joseph proved to
be the best example of the servant faithful and discreet, who served GOD in
silence, being dutiful in everything he did, to execute the purpose of his
Creator.
Many more legends
have been created around the person of Mary, the mother of our Lord, as indeed
she was a good servant of God and his Son Jesus; but also was Joseph. He was a
crucial part in protecting a young mother and her new born baby from road criminals,
murdering kings, zealous religious men, while earning the daily living as a
tradesman, at least until Jesus could start learning the trade.
Joseph taught so
much to our Lord as a man, that Jesus must have never forgotten him, and must
have cried for him, like He never cried for Mary, since most probably died of old
age, and He saw him dead.
No glories of
later resurrection, or elevation to Heaven were written about Joseph, even
though he gave it all as a man. He could not be chosen to the mother of our
Lord for the simple fact that he was a man, but he served Jesus and Mary to the
max of his manhood.
He was the
golden hero of the faith indeed; and we Christians today, especially men, we
should imitate his example, putting God’s interests and our families, before
our own, as Joseph did, until all men of God meet up before our Father in
Heaven.
Omar Flores.
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