The Night Jesus Was Born: Behind the ScenesSýnishorn

JOSEPH: ALWAYS BEHIND THE SCENES

As we all know, Joseph was Jesus’ earthly father, but not biologically, since Mary became pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

But what else is there to know about Joseph? The Bible doesn’t tell us much about him, even on the night of Jesus’ birth. It never records a single word he spoke. He was always behind the scenes! But we do get glimpses into his character, and it’s easy to see he was a humble man who obeyed God.

We see that Joseph was a kind, self-sacrificing man. He had a legal right to divorce Mary when he found out she was pregnant, but he intended to do it quietly (Matthew 1:19) without bringing disgrace upon Mary or her family. He could have acted severely, but he chose to offer love and mercy, even when he thought he had been wronged.

Joseph had several angelic visits behind the scenes. No one saw them but him. After an angel appeared and encouraged him to wed Mary anyway, Joseph immediately obeyed (Matthew 1:24–25). On the night of Jesus’ birth, we know he was there, caring for Mary.

Later, an angel again appeared and told him to flee to Egypt because King Herod wanted to kill Jesus. Again, Joseph immediately obeyed (Matthew 2:14–15). After Herod died, an angel appeared and told Joseph to return to Israel, which he did (Matthew 2:19). Joseph never failed to obey God’s direction.

People often referred to Jesus as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55), indicating that Joseph was well known for his craft and he worked hard to provide for his family, doing what he could to help Jesus grow in “wisdom and stature” (Luke 2:52).

Joseph isn’t mentioned in any of the stories of Jesus’ adult ministry, which indicates that he probably died sometime before Jesus launched His public ministry. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He committed the care of His mother to John, which suggests that Joseph had indeed passed away by that time (John 19:26–27).

Although the Bible doesn’t give many specifics about Joseph, we know enough behind the scenes to see that he was special. Imagine God, before Jesus was born, looking down to choose the man who would raise His only begotten Son, the Savior of the world.

It’s obvious that while Joseph was just an ordinary person like you and me, his integrity, compassion, faithfulness, and obedience provides an example we can all aspire to.