The Obedience Of Saint Joseph

The birth of Jesus is another biblical event we are so familiar with that it becomes easy to overlook the details. Yet the particulars reveal so much about God’s plan of salvation. In the birth of Jesus, we see the lives of Mary and Joseph, the Davidic dynasty, and Jewish custom come together in a singular moment that forever changed the history of humanity. What was closed through Adam’s disobedience was opened through Christ’s obedience. But for that plan to unfold, it also took the obedience of Mary and Joseph.

Gospel - Matthew 1:18-25

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,

but before they lived together,

she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.

Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,

yet unwilling to expose her to shame,

decided to divorce her quietly.

Such was his intention when, behold,

the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,

"Joseph, son of David,

do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.

For it is through the Holy Spirit

that this child has been conceived in her.

She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,

because he will save his people from their sins."

All this took place to fulfill

what the Lord had said through the prophet:

Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,

and they shall name him Emmanuel,

which means "God is with us."

When Joseph awoke,

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him

and took his wife into his home.

He had no relations with her until she bore a son,

and he named him Jesus.

Scriptural Analysis

Matthew opens his retelling of the birth of Jesus by referring to him as Jesus Christ. Using this formal title is intended to focus the reader on Jesus’s identity as the Messiah. It also connects this story with the genealogy, which emphasizes Jesus’s messianic identity.

There are important details in the introduction of the story that are easy to overlook. First, Mary was betrothed to Joseph. Betrothal is not like a modern-day engagement. It is the first part of a two-part ancient marriage process. A betrothed couple would exchange consent before witnesses and would be considered legally married. However, they would not live together. The wife would remain with her parents for up to a year. The bride would then go to live with her husband and the marriage would be consummated. Matthew specifically tells us that Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but they are not yet living together, and it was during this period that she conceived: before she and Joseph lived together.

Betrothed couples were considered legally married. Therefore, Mary being found with child through the Holy Spirit would have caused a great dilemma for Joseph. The description of Joseph as a “just man” tells us that Joseph was a man of the law. The law specifically stated that a betrothed woman found not to be a virgin was to be put to death, “I the thing is true, that the tokens of virginity were not found in the young woman, then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones.” (Deuteronomy 22:20-21) However, in first century Rome Jews could not carry out capital punishment under Roman law. Therefore, a public trial and divorce was the normal recourse in cases like this.

Joseph was faced with a really challenging problem. It is easy to glance past this portion of the Gospel quickly, but that temptation should be resisted. Rather, it is necessary to appreciate what Joseph was faced with. There are three competing viewpoints with regard to the decision Joseph is faced with.

1. According to one view, if Joseph found Mary pregnant and knew he was not the father, he might have suspected adultery. He would be expected to bring Mary to public trial and accuse her. However, Joseph was not willing to do that. So, he decided to divorce her quietly. A written bill could be written and signed by two witnesses, making the problem go away quietly

2. A second view hills that Joseph that It was possible that that Mary may have been with another man. Even if this was nonconsensual, Jewish law said she was no longer suited for marriage. Therefore, this is why he was divorcing her quietly.

3. A third option supported by Thomas Aquinas is known as the “reverential fear” theory. Marty told Joseph about her conceiving by the Holy Spirit and he responded with religious awe over the mystery of what God is working in Mary. Joseph decided to release Mary from her obligation not out of anger not out of shame, but out of a humble holy fear that he is unworthy to be the husband of Mary.

Now, we turn to Joseph’s encounter with the angel. The angel greets Joseph, calling him Son of David. This calls attention to the royal heritage and the crucial role Joseph plays in passing on the Davidic descent to Jesus. Much is at stake if Joseph leaves Mary; therefore, the angel needs to reassure Joseph that God’s plan is unfolding in this. The angel tells Joseph not to be afraid and to take Mary into his home (the second stage of marriage). The angel assures Joseph that Mary’s pregnancy did not come about by another man but through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Joseph had a very important role to play in the birth of Jesus. He is not an afterthought in all of this. Joseph is to name the child. This act of naming a child in the Jewish culture is to claim the child as your own. Thus, when the angel tells Joseph that you are to name the child, the angel is telling Joseph that you are to claim the child as his own. As his legal son, Jesus would have all the hereditary rights of a son, including those of Joseph’s royal Davidic descent.

In Matthew’s presentation of Jesus’s genealogy, we were already told the child’s name. The angel instructed Joseph to give the child the name of Jesus. This name foretells of his mission, which is to save his people from their sins. This statement is extremely powerful. Not only does it tell us that Jesus brings salvation, but it is salvation from sin.

The Old Testament name Joshua, from which we get Jesus, means Yahweh is salvation. The fact that Jesus is the one who brings salvation is an intentional association of Jesus with Yahweh. Second, many people expected salvation from political oppression. Rather, the salvation announced is from sin.

Now, we have the first quotation about fulfillment in Matthew’s gospel. Matthew announces that Mary’s conceiving of Jesus is the fulfillment of a prophecy from Isaiah. Matthew quotes from the Greek Old Testament, which he will do throughout his Gospel. This particular prophecy came during a crisis for the people. Enemies threatened to invade and remove Ahaz, the king of Israel. With the David dynasty in question, Isaiah foretold of an heir that would be the sign that the kingdom would not end.

Joseph was obedient and did as he was commanded. Matthew highlights Joseph's perfect obedience by recalling how Joseph took Mary into his home and named the child Jesus. Matthew notes that the two did not have relations until Mary bore a son. The Greek conjunction translated “until” does not imply that she had relations after. It refers to up to the birth of Christ. Matthew is trying to underscore Joseph’s lack of involvement in Mary’s pregnancy.

Daily Application

As we examine this passage, Joseph’s role is one of the first things that jumps out to us. There are no words from Saint Joseph recorded in the Bible: none! He remains a silent character, yet his faith in God is a model for us all. Mary was betrothed to Joseph. That means they were considered married in all things except conjugal relationships. At the time of Jesus, a betrothal typically lasted 12 months. In a town the size of Nazareth (the population was a maximum of 1000 people at the time of Jesus), people would have known when Mary and Joseph were betrothed.

Joseph was faced with a scary reality. Either people were going to think that he violated the law and had relations with Mary, or they were going to believe that Mary cheated on Joseph again, violating the law. Either way, for Joseph to remain with Mary, his character would be questioned. To make matters worse, a Jewish male baby was given his name on the eighth day of his life during his bris. This is a semi-private ceremony. People would know that Joseph named the baby, and, as was mentioned in the scriptural analysis, that act of naming is stating that the baby is yours.

There is no way that Joseph’s reputation was not tarnished in Nazareth by the birth of Jesus. Any small business owner will tell you that your reputation matters. Joseph’s tarnished reputation would impact his ability to find work and provide for his family.

Yet despite the inevitable hardships, when the angel spoke to Joseph and revealed God’s plan to him, he trusted. He obeyed God and allowed his life to be used to unfold God’s plan. Consider what that meant. Joseph likely had plans for his life. He had dreams of what his marriage to Mary would be like, of the family that they would create together. He set these aside to obey God.

Obedience is perhaps the most challenging part of following the Lord. It necessitates setting aside our will to follow his. That can be painful, but we must remember that God is never outdone in generosity. Our obedience to him is always met with unfathomable gifts from him. Again, that does not mean it is always easy, and that does not mean that doing his will is going to be easy, either. He commands us to take up our cross, which is heavy. What it means is that what we have to sacrifice, what we have to suffer, and what we have to give up to follow him is far less than what we will gain in the life of the world to come. Saint Joseph knew this as he obediently followed God.