An obscure carpenter raising the Son of God

  • Shelly Webb
  • December 8, 2010
  • 294
                        
Chances are if you attended any kind of church service this month you’ve heard a reference or two about the Christmas Story. You’ve probably heard Mary’s name mentioned several times in sermons and hymns. You may also have heard the mention of wise men, shepherds, angels and even the wicked King Herod. There is one person however that seems to remain, nameless many times during the nativity scene. His name is, Joseph. It seems Joseph sometimes plays the role of the unsung hero in the Christmas Story. For some reason the gospel writers, all four, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John seldom mention or link Christ to Joseph in their text. But why is he overlooked and played down so to speak? Well, Pastor Doug Gray of Grace Brethren Church in Millersburg thinks the reason for this is to completely focus on the fact that Christ was the son of God, not the son of Joseph. “Since our first father, Adam, sinned,” Gray explained, “each of us inherited sin at birth. David confirms this by saying, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psalm 51:5). God is angry with our sinning and therefore condemns us to die. We are helplessly condemned. But God did not leave us in this helpless state. God came to earth as the man Jesus. The Bible tells us that He was “without sin”. But how is it possible that Jesus was without sin? Well, if Joseph had been his father, he would have passed along inherited sin to Jesus. But Joseph wasn’t the father, God was! So Jesus was born free from sin and that perfection allowed Him to die in our place as a perfect sacrifice. Because of this the Gospel writers give very little ink to Joseph and understandably so.” Even though very little is written about Joseph, he is still a great example to look to and showed the kind of honor and integrity that every man should aspire to possess. “Joseph was a man who loved and feared God more than he feared man,” Gray pointed out. “Joseph made many sacrifices that are often overlooked. His business would have suffered when he did not obey the Torah ordering Mary to be stoned. When he received direction from the angel to protect Mary and Jesus by taking them to Egypt, he did so obediently. If he had a carpenter shop this would have been closed and his career put on hold for several years until he returned. He put God and His will first.” All that is really known about Joseph from the Bible is that he was a Jew and a carpenter. Gray says that by that information alone, we may assume he was a part of the synagogue and had a carpenter shop but reminds us that is speculation. “Most Bible scholars believe Joseph had died before Jesus’ ministry began,” Gray added. “If Joseph was no longer alive, then Jesus, being the eldest son, would have been responsible for the care of his mother. This is suggested as Jesus, on the cross, transferred this responsibility to John. Joseph was Jewish and a carpenter, that is really the only facts given Biblically.” One other big lesson Gray sees in the life of Joseph is that God does not call us to be extraordinary… just faithful. Joseph was faithful in every aspect. “God used a carpenter to raise and protect His own Son, the Savior of the world,” he said. “I would challenge men to follow Joseph’s example. Do what God has called you to do: faithfully look after your wife and children and work hard at where ever God has placed you. Second, learn to love and fear God. You don’t have to be a pastor to hear from God. He spoke to a carpenter and a bunch of fishermen so he will certainly speak to you!” Gray believes it’s important for men to lead the prayers before meals and to pray over their children at night. He also challenges men to “get into a good Bible study to learn God’s word” and to “set a good example by seeing to it that your family gets to church every Sunday”. “Through such actions God will speak and direct you as to how best to lead your family,” Gray said. “Listen to Him, he will direct you just as he directed Joseph.”


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