The Man Who Raised Jesus
Matthew 1:18-20 NKJV
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. 20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
We don't know much about Joseph. We know he was the husband of Mary and the man who raised Jesus. We hear more about Mary when Jesus began His ministry, but after Jesus was twelve, we don't see anything more about Joseph. But we can discern a few things about him from our verses for today.
Mary was found with child by the Holy Spirit. We read that casually, but it had to come as a shock to Joseph. To be betrothed was everything but the consummation of the marriage. This was considered a done deal. But Mary was found with child. I am sure that Mary, trying to explain the reason for her pregnancy, sounded like the words of a crazy person. But Joseph was a just man.
The word 'just' means right or righteous. Joseph was a man who would do what was right. And even though it appeared that Mary had been unfaithful to him, he did not want to make her a public example. Even though in a sense she had shamed him, Joseph did not want to shame her. For someone who had been wronged to not want revenge is a noble characteristic. Joseph was a man who would do what was right and just, not what satisfied his feelings.
While he thought about it, Joseph was not rash. He did not move impulsively. He was thinking about the right course of action regarding Mary. So he was obviously a man with some discipline and self-control. How many people would have responded with a knee-jerk reaction after being wronged? But Joseph waited and thought about what to do that would not hurt Mary. He was hurt, but didn't want to see her damaged.
God must have had confidence in this man to entrust him with raising Jesus. And even though we don't know too much about him, we can see that he was a good man, a godly man, a kind man, and a disciplined man. All of those qualities reveal someone who can be trusted to do the right thing.
Application
Joseph may not be as famous as Mary. We may not know too much about him. Yet he had a major role in the upbringing of Jesus. We tend to pay attention to the people who are the most well known. Yet behind the scenes are the countless number of believers who will never be famous but will display the character that makes a difference. Only Heaven will tell of the impact they had.
Prayer
Lord, I don't have to be famous to make a difference. May I be known as a just person who does the right thing and handles Your people the right way.