Joseph is described in the Bible as a righteous man who sought to follow God’s law. This means that his life was regulated by the moral standards of the Word of God. I think it is safe to say that he lived every day in the awareness of the will and guidance of God.
When an angel brought a message from heaven, he was obedient to God’s call. He was to assume his role as the fatherly provider and protector of the infant Jesus and his virgin mother Mary. Joseph was faithful.
Caleb Saenz has written, “Joseph is to be Jesus’ earthly father, but his choice to receive that calling is less a one-time acceptance and more a daily choice to follow through with his new identity and the responsibilities it entails.” There can be no doubt that Joseph took seriously those responsibilities. His influence was a righteous influence.
The degree to which Joseph’s influence shaped the human life of Jesus is a mystery. The Bible is silent on this matter. But since Jesus was also a carpenter (Mark 6:3), we may assume that he learned this trade from Joseph. Like Joseph, our Lord was a “righteous” carpenter. May not the quiet strength, the healthy masculinity, and the courage we see in the human Jesus be, in some sense, attributable to the faithful example of Joseph?
Hebrews 5:8 tells us that Jesus “learned obedience.” How can it be said that the Son of God needed to “learn” anything? Yet in his humanity Jesus experienced the developmental stages of childhood in submission to his parents (Luke 2:39-40, 51-52). And the man whom God appointed to be the human guardian to the child Jesus was a faithful, humble, righteous man, a carpenter named Joseph, the husband of Mary.
It seems likely that Joseph died before Jesus began his public ministry. He is absent from the references to Jesus’ family we find in the gospels. His earthly work was done. He was faithful to his calling. It was a big task — to provide, to protect, and to teach. The extent to which Joseph taught Jesus by passing on his beliefs is unknown. But he fulfilled his fatherly role as a faithful man.
Joseph is an example to us. Like him, we want to say “yes” to God’s will for our lives, whatever that means. The U.S. Army recruits thousands of volunteers every year with such challenging words as these: “As a soldier . . . you’ll experience things you never thought possible and go places most people only read about.” Joseph said “yes” to God. If we do that, God will use us too.
Joseph’s example also reminds us to evaluate our lives. Joseph was “a righteous man.” He navigated his way through a world of sin without being stained or polluted by it. When we are tempted to make moral compromises, we need the grace of God to resist temptation. “God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13).
Joseph was a man of influence. He doubtless had a significant influence in the life of Jesus in his youth. You and I have influence, too. God is calling us to use it to influence others toward his Son and the salvation he offers to the world.
Joseph was not a theologian, a priest, or an apostle. But as a humble working man, a decisive man, a courageous man, and as a man of faith, he had a role in changing the world.
Pastor Randy Faulkner