Where's Joseph?

You think Jesus ever asked the question, "Where's my dad?"

Ever think about that?

It's one of those mysteries that confounds me because it's discussed so little. After Jesus turned twelve, the gospels read like a "Where's Joseph?" book, except, unlike Waldo, there's no payoff. Even if you strain your eyes, you can't find a red-striped stocking capped Joseph lurking anywhere after Luke 2. When I bring this up, friends often retort, "Just because he's not mentioned doesn't mean he wasn't there."

Possibly. But you have to wonder.

• Did Joseph see his son turn water into wine at the wedding feast? (John 2:1-12)
• Was Joseph part of "his family" that called Jesus crazy? (Mark 3:20-21)
• Why wasn't Joseph holding Mary's hand at the foot of the cross? (John 19:26)

To be fair, Joseph may have died when Jesus was a teenager. Regardless, he's noticeably absent from the life of Jesus. Much like many of us today. Whether dads are physically or emotionally absent, many kids today are growing up without the presence of their biological dad. Some stats say it's close to 40%.

That's what happened to me as a kid. Maybe it happened to you. And you remember how difficult it was to grow up without dad. But just because you grew up with an absent dad doesn't mean you grew up with an absent Heavenly Father.

At times, Jesus may have wondered, "Where's Joseph?" but he countered it with, "Father, hear my cry."

It's common to blame, hate, or get angry about an MIA dad. It's UNCOMMEN to trust our Father for all we need in the midst of their absence. Over the next few days we'll see how God uniquely met Jesus' need for a dad and how we can step in and help guys who grew up asking the same question Jesus might have asked:

"Where's dad?"

Dee Lanier
Head Coach, UNCOMMEN

For more on being an UNCOMMEN role model, check out www.uncommen.org.