Jesus and Mary get most of the attention this time of the year. But, what would that first Christmas have been without Joseph’s influence?
I feel bad for Joseph. He gets the short end of the stick. It’s too bad. He was a stand-up guy. Let’s give Joseph his due this Christmas.
Here are four ways we should all be more like Joseph.
Joseph was honorable.
When Joseph found out that his fiancé was pregnant, he could have broken it off. Most of us wouldn’t have faulted him. But, he did the honorable, tender and compassionate thing and stayed by Mary’s side. What convinced him to stay? Read on.
Joseph feared God.
The first thing Matthew wrote about Joseph – his defining characteristic – was that he was faithful to God’s Law. He was exactly the kind of man who would obey the Lord’s words. When the angel appeared and told him that the baby was God’s Son, he chose God’s will. He feared God.
Joseph obeyed the law.
Joseph made the nearly 100-mile journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem because he had been required to do so by the Roman authorities. It was census time and even though the trip was a hardship, he did it. Ancient Scripture had promised that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem. Perhaps Joseph’s willingness to obey the law of the land was vital in that promise coming true.
Joseph sacrificed himself.
We don’t know much about Joseph beyond those early days. And, perhaps that’s for good reason. The story was never about Joseph. It was about Jesus. And, it was precisely Joseph’s willingness to sacrifice himself for the sake of his wife and God’s Son that makes him a man worth emulating.
Do you want to be like Joseph?
Do you want to be a man of action? A man of faith and obedience? A man who builds positive assets in the lives of the people he loves? I know I do. And, we can. Let’s take our cues from Joseph this Christmas. Let’s act honorably, fear God, grow in obedience and lead sacrificially.
Merry Christmas, men.
