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<\/a>Find Out More About Manly Training Ministries<\/strong><\/a><\/h2>\nThe Bible doesn\u2019t really tell us that much about Joseph, the husband of Mary, the man that would one day become the stepfather of Jesus. Legend has it that he was an elderly widow. Supposedly that explains why he was able to honor Mary\u2019s virginity during the first months of their marriage and why he quietly disappears from the narrative sometime after Jesus becomes a teenager. But the Bible itself doesn\u2019t fill us in on those details.<\/p>\n
We know Joseph was a descendant of King David. We know that when Jesus was conceived, Mary was engaged to Joseph. We are told that he was a righteous man\u2014an observer of the Law of Moses. We can surmise that he was a kind man, since he was concerned about Mary\u2019s reputation and well-being as well as his own.<\/p>\n
We know that Joseph spent time living in Bethlehem, Egypt, and Nazareth. We know he was a carpenter, and we presume that he trained Jesus in that craft. We know he provided for the religious instruction of his family and fully participated in the rituals and pilgrimages of the Jewish faith.<\/p>\n
The Bible seems to indicate that Joseph and Mary had other children after Jesus was born. Not everyone agrees on this leading some to conclude, instead, that either Joseph had children by a previous wife, so that Jesus had only half-brothers and half-sisters. Others suggest that Joseph had no children and the brothers and sisters of Jesus to whom the Bible refers are really Jesus\u2019 cousins.<\/p>\n
There, that about sums up the facts of Joseph\u2019s life as recorded in the Bible. When plays are written about New Testament stories, Joseph\u2019s name never appears on the marquee. If he shows up at all, he\u2019s always part of the supporting cast.<\/p>\n
When it comes to Advent, John the Baptizer is the leading man. He is the Advent prophet. He is the one who comes to prepare the way of the Lord, and he proclaims a fiery message of repentance. John is flashy. John may not be worthy to untie the sandal of the One who follows him, but he is clearly a central part of the Advent narrative.<\/p>\n
When it comes to Advent, Joseph is a peripheral character indeed. He usually isn\u2019t mentioned at all until we get to Jesus\u2019 birth narrative on Christmas Eve. After all, somebody has to lead the donkey that Mary rides into Bethlehem. (Oh, wait a minute, the donkey is a legend, too.) Well, somebody has to find the manger.<\/p>\n
So why am I writing this article about Joseph just a few days before Christmas?<\/p>\n
Joseph isn\u2019t flashy. He isn\u2019t the central part of any narrative. He doesn\u2019t proclaim anything. He\u2019s an ordinary guy who\u2019s just doing his best to live an honorable life\u2014faithful to his God and his family, respected by his peers.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why. That\u2019s why I am writing about Joseph. Because, metaphorically speaking, most of us are more likely to find ourselves quietly leading a donkey over an uncertain path, wondering what the future might hold, than standing on a ridge, shouting at sinners. Most of us spend our lives as peripheral characters in the Gospel narrative. Most of us aren\u2019t flashy. Most of us are just ordinary folks doing our best to live honorable lives\u2014faithful to our God and families, respected by our peers.<\/p>\n
Besides, at Christmas we all could use a time of preparation and repentance, and it turns out that Joseph\u2019s story has a few things to teach about those very things. In Part two you will read about Joseph and the fact that he was preparing his life for a future that was not what God had in mind for him. We are all like that, more often than not.<\/p>\n
Sometimes the future you think you are preparing for is NOT what the Lord has in mind for you. Have you noticed that? Has it happened to you? How should you handle that? Find out tomorrow. Until then, Be A Man!<\/p>\n
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