Joseph and Baby Jesus

QUESTION: Joseph and Baby Jesus - What was Joseph's role?

ANSWER:

The story of Joseph and the baby Jesus offers a powerful account of Joseph’s entrusted role. In the Gospels, we are given the story of Mary’s miraculous conception and what is known worldwide as the Nativity. We can see from this record that Joseph was indeed to play a vital role as guardian of our Savior.

Every birth is truly a miracle and every newborn baby is a gracious gift from God. But over 2000 years ago the world was given the most miraculous birth of all -- God sent His Son in the flesh to be born to a betrothed couple from Nazareth. Mary, a young virgin, was visited by a heavenly messenger and told that she was chosen to bear the Son of God through the Holy Spirit. Joseph was a very faithful man and obeyed the Laws of God. Naturally, Joseph assumed Mary had been unfaithful and according to law she could have faced death for such a shameful act. He loved Mary but decided he must divorce her.

Then the Lord sent another messenger (or angel) to speak to Joseph in a dream. God confirmed Mary’s story of this divine conception (Matthew 1:19-20). Joseph was fully convinced and accepted task God lay before him.

• Joseph faithfully and obediently took Mary as his wife (Matthew 1:24).
  
  
• Joseph honored Mary’s virginity until after the birth (Matthew 1:25).
  
  
• After the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, Joseph took the child according to Mosaic law to the temple in Jerusalem to be presented to the Lord (Luke 1:21-27).
  
  
• Joseph received another visit from an angel and obeyed the warning, fleeing to Egypt. This was an escape from Herod’s decree to kill all the males under the age of two (In hopes of destroying the young Messiah. (Matthew 2:13-14). After Herod’s death, the Lord instructed Joseph to return to Israel where Jesus grew into an amazing and wise young boy beyond his years (Luke 2:39-40).

Joseph was a loving man who obediently took care and charge of the infant and his mother in every way a natural father would have. He protected them, provided for them, and raised his son in the ways according to the Hebrew faith. He sought and obeyed God in every way to care for the baby who would become known as Jesus Christ. God indeed seems to have chosen Joseph as well as Mary.

Joseph in the Bible - Learn More!