We don't know a lot about this Joseph. He was a carpenter from Nazareth--a small town 80 miles north of Bethlehem. He was a 'behind the scenes' type of guy. In the midst of very dramatic events surrounding the birth of Jesus, he is often forgotten. It is kind of like the custodian or the people in charge of facilities where big functions are held--when all goes well, these folks aren't noticed or appreciated. But if something falls apart there is a wild scramble for their help.
Joseph was an honorable man. He was engaged to Mary when he received the devastating news that she was pregnant. If he ditched her and made it public, she could have been stoned to death for adultery. So, he was planning to quietly break the engagement. Joseph had 3 dreams surrounding the birth of Jesus--when Mary became pregnant, after the visit of the Astrologers before the flight to Egypt, and in Egypt when the coast was clear for Joseph, Mary and Jesus to return to Nazareth. Immediately after he got the 'ok' from God in a dream to marry Mary, he did so.
Over 2000 years ago everyone in the Roman world was notified to return to the place of their birth for a census. It was compulsory and needed to be done asap. So Joseph had to appear before a government official in Bethlehem. In spite of Mary being in the later stage of her pregnancy, they travelled from Nazareth to Bethlehem, likely with a caravan of other travellers for safety and companionship. The route they took may have taken as long as 8 or more days. This was truly a scary journey for the young and pregnant Mary.
Men, put yourselves into Joseph's shoes. His knowledge of pregnancy and midwifery was probably pretty minimal. We don't know the details of the delivery of Jesus other than the birth happened in a place where people don't normally sleep--perhaps a temporary stable for animals of guests attached to a famer's house. The shepherds in the nearby hillside got the news directly from the angels during the night and promptly went to visit Jesus.
Joseph had a very important role in God's plan of redemption. So much so the genealogy in Matthew and Luke includes Joseph as the stepfather and guardian of Jesus--. We see a lot of emphasis these days on 'plan to protect' the vulnerable sector. God had a plan to protect Mary and Jesus. The stakes were high. The evil one was out to get rid of Jesus, the Messiah, right from his conception and birth. Joseph took cues from the angel after the Astrologers visited Jesus to "...flee to Egypt" because King Herod went on a rampage to eliminate any challenge to his reign.
During the covid-19 season, the beginning of the end is in sight with vaccines. In the meantime I want to do my part to protect myself and others from this virus by following health guidelines. We pray that it won't be long before we can focus on face to face meetings with our Muslim friends. We have Good News to deliver that's even greater than the 'warp speed' vaccines!
Dear God, I want to be a Joseph to whomever you have called me in your 'plan to protect' and 'plan to proclaim' your message to the world. Amen.
