When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Matthew 1:24
Read carefully the accounts of Jesus' birth in Matthew and Luke. Do you see what I see? Do you notice anything? Maybe something about Joseph?
Joseph, the man chosen to be the earthly father of the Son of God . . . never speaks. Not a word. There is no recorded testimony from him in the biblical record.
I find that so interesting! What we see from Joseph, then, is a man of character, a man of obedience, a man of action .
When Mary told him she was pregnant, Matthew writes, "Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly." [1:19] This was a man who had every legal right to shame and shun Mary, but we see his character in that he wanted to handle this matter discreetly, quietly.
When the angel said to him, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit," [1:20] Joseph "did what the angel of the Lord commanded." By all appearances, he immediately took Mary as his wife. There's no record of him consulting with his parents, or the priests, or even his friends. He simply and quietly obeyed God.
After Christ was born, an angel came again to Joseph, warning him of a plot to kill the baby: “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” [2:13] Matthew tells that Joseph got up that very night and took his family to Egypt. He quietly jumped into action and protected his family.
Do you see a theme here? Joseph might not have been a quiet man; he might have had a loud, booming voice with an infectious laugh. But I also see a man who didn't argue with God; a man who obeyed without second thought; a man who didn't seek out opinion or validation from others.
That's a man with a quiet grace. That's the kind of [wo]man I want to be! Joseph's life, the small amount that we know of it, teaches us about humility, grace, and a gentle and quiet spirit.
Joseph is important to the Christmas story, because - although he had nothing to do with the conception of the Messiah, this baby - he had everything to do with keeping him safe, with his very life! Yes, God could have simply eradicated this baby's enemies with a wave of his hand. But . . .
But what an honor for Joseph, that God allowed him to protect His child. In turn, God allowed Joseph to honor Mary, and church and historical tradition account for many more children together, and although it seems Joseph died years before Mary, there is no reason to think that their marriage was not good, holy, unique.
I wonder - the moment Joseph the father came face to face with God the Father. You know, my imagination can run wild, but I can just see Joseph running to God, thanking Him for this precious gift, this life he was chosen to lead. I can see him turning, and seeing his son - his Son! - in all his radiant glory. I almost see Joseph take a step back in awe, and stumble, and Jesus reaches out to steady him. And that embrace that follows - oh that embrace! I hear Joseph telling God, and Jesus - thank you. Thank you.
And I hear Jesus saying . . . thank you, Father. Thank you for obeying OUR Father and for raising me and loving me and protecting me.
Do you realize that no one else in the history of man will ever have this same experience? Just Joseph. And although he never spoke in these stories, his character, obedience and action speaks louder than any words.
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