The Bible doesn't say much about Joseph, yet there is much that we do know of him. Joseph was handpicked by God to be the foster father of Jesus. And that says enough. What else do we know? He was a worker, reliable and faithful. Some of the following I got from a paper called "Sons of saint Joseph."
When he found out Mary was pregnant, and not by him, he suffered in silence. There was no outburst or rebellion to cover up his inner hurt, but responds to his crisis both justly and charitably. He resolves to break the solemn engagement rather than live a lie. That is justice. However, for Mary's sake, "privately". That is charity.
Joseph provided for Mary and Jesus: travel to Bethlehem, found shelter for the birth and later safety in Egypt from the murderous Herod. Nevertheless, Joseph could not afford a horse, only a donkey. He could not get a room at the inn, only a cattle stall. He may have thought himself a failure as a provider, as many a man feels today if he cannot afford to give his family "the best." He has not failed, he can be "the best." Look how Mary and Jesus turned out under Joseph's providence.
His work was for them, not for him. He was no work addict. He is not always in his carpenter shop, but he is always there for his family.
Even Satan cannot defeat this simple man. Satan inspires Herod to slaughter the innocents, as he inspires our modern Herods to the holocaust of abortion. However, Satan fails because Joseph obeys God's angel and provides for his family: two deeds of ordinariness that are more powerful against the forces of hell than anything else in this world. Take away all the Nobel Prize winners and humanity would still survive. Take away obedience to God, and loyalty to family, and even with a million Nobel Prize winners, humanity is doomed. These are the two traditional values most imperiled in our time.
When the threat passes, Joseph takes his family home. Travel to and living in a foreign land was no vacation then, it involved real hardship. Yet Mary and Baby Jesus survived because Joseph obeyed God. Had Joseph not obeyed God, Mary and a young child might not have survived.
The last thing Scripture says about Joseph is that Christ was subject to him and Mary and grew in soul and body (Luke 2:51-52). Obedience is food. Christ grew by obeying. Later He said, "Doing the will of Him who sent Me and bringing His work to completion is My food (John 4:34).
"Son of God though He was, He learned obedience through suffering" later at Calvary, because He had first learned it earlier in Nazareth. The perfect fruit was plucked on Calvary only because it had grown and been nourished under Joseph's and Mary's care. That is what parenting is: spiritual gardening.
Thus Joseph, like Mary, shares in the work of redemption. And so do we. That is the ultimate dignity of daily work and obedience. It saves the world. Our acts of love to God and neighbor can saves souls from hell, souls we have never met in this life, but hopefully will meet in the next life.
Like the angels, we are the unseen actors behind the scenes of the play, helping with the stage sets or the lighting, nothing spectacular, but necessary roles in the great drama of salvation. That is the significance of our daily work (and that of Joseph the worker).
Why did God pick Joseph to be the foster father of Jesus? Because as God knows all of us, He knew Joseph was reliable, obedient, faithful, and a worker. And what more can you ask of any father?
By George Konig
December 12, 2004
www.georgekonig.org
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