Joseph Did You Know?

Bethlehem, a long time ago …

He’s tired. The 90-mile journey was hard. The adrenaline of the birth is starting to wear off. He looks up and offers a prayer of thanks for the innkeeper’s wife. He laughs, I bet she didn’t know she’d be delivering a baby today. He shakes his head, wondering what he would have done without her. This isn’t really what he’d planned for the baby’s birth.

 

But then again, was any of this what he expected back when Mary said, “Yes”.

 

He sits, leaning against the barn’s wall. He peeks up, the night is clear, and the vast expanse of stars look down upon him. Those stars just might outnumber the flashes of doubt and fear he’s felt over the last nine months. The moments of having to battle the disbelief of his parents, his friends, his neighbors.

 

“Yes, Eema, there really was an angel. One met with Mary too, you know!”

 

“No, Abba. We’re not sending her away. Oh, and by the way, she’s moving in.”

 

“I don’t care what everyone’s been saying around the well. This. Is. From. The Lord.”

 

He closes his eyes. Puts his face in his hands. He thinks of the times when he was alone in his workshop, sheltered from the endless gossip, whispers, and jeers. Nine months of being shunned and pushed to the margins. In those instances of solitude, he could pray for strength and plead for the anxiety to leave. Another deep breath. Finally, he begins to let the joy sink in. I’m a father! But the joy is suddenly met with doubt. Fear rattles his bones. Uncertainty gurgles in his stomach. How on earth do I do this?

 

How do I raise the Son of God, he thinks? Shaking his head, I have to teach the Torah to its author!

 

He looks up. There’s a rustling coming up the path. He stands quickly, blood pumping, on guard once again. Tense. The hair on his neck perks up. A band of scruffy men, nearly a dozen he thinks, are approaching. Some are old, others much younger. Their status is declared by their stench. Shepherds for sure, he thinks. But something is off, they don’t appear as suspicious or threatening as he would expect. Their faces are glowing, with wide-eyed smiles. They stop mere feet away. The men stare at him for what seems like minutes. He can feel the tension melting because they are all radiating immense joy. 

 

“We heard there was a baby,” one of them says gruffly.

 

“You heard,” Joseph asks? “How?” 

 

Suddenly the stars above begin to shine even brighter. 

 

+++

 

I think God sent those shepherds for Joseph’s sake. 

 

It’s Mary AND Joseph, right? However, Mary gets all the attention. The Blessed Mother. The subject of numerous paintings and sculptures. Undoubtedly the most famous and beloved woman in church history. She’s with Jesus until the end of his life on earth. But Joseph? After losing and finding their twelve-year-old son in the temple, he becomes a footnote. He’s not mentioned again until Matthew 13 when Jesus is called the carpenter’s son. 

 

We don’t know Joseph’s age. The best guess is that he’s in his early 20s. Regardless, he was the man. He steps up big time. He obeys God, he stays the course and takes the hard road. Just think about how fast he had to grow up all while showing the faith of Abraham and the self-control of Jackie Robinson. And as a normal human, I’m sure he was filled with doubt, questions, worries, and fears.

 

We’re told that after the shepherds left that Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. What was Joseph doing? I hope he was treasuring and pondering too. I bet he was also guarding, protecting, and sleeping with one eye open.

 

After Jesus is born, the adventure really begins, and the stress multiplies. He smuggles Mary and the baby to Egypt. It’s full fugitive mode with Herod’s henchmen on his heels. Hopefully the gifts of the Magi paid for a nice VRBO with a view of the Nile. How many times did he look up at the stars, take a deep breath, and remember those shepherds? three years later they go back to Israel, and he’s relegated to postscript status, raising kids, and building Nazareth’s best dinette sets. Then he fades into the background, and as tradition holds, dies before Jesus begins his ministry. 

 

Joseph had a huge role to play, and I think those shepherds were sent not just to find the baby but to also give Joseph a divine blast of encouragement. An angel at the beginning and a band of shepherds at the end. Booster shots of courage. A message to say, “You’ve got this. I’m with you. I love you, but there’s so much more to do.”

 

Are you feeling like Joseph today? Is your faith and trust mixed with fear and worry? Stressed by finances or job loss? Is there a loved one battling sickness? Or is life just really hard right now?

 

Then today, think of Joseph, look up at the stars, listen for the chorus of angels. And remember those shepherds. They didn’t bring money, oils, or spices, but those unlikely good news-proclaimers brought bundles of courage, heaps of reassurance, and loads of strength to a guy when he required it most. Ask God to give you all you need. The same God who sent his son to be with us provided what Joseph needed, and he’ll provide what you need today. Take a deep breath, you’ve got this. Most importantly, your heavenly Father’s got this too.

 

Merry Christmas!