Joseph December 11, 2025 By: Donna Chisholm Schoening There are a dozen or more men in the Bible named Joseph. The most famous three of these are Joseph the son of Jacob, Joseph of Nazareth, and Joseph of Arimathea. Most of us are familiar with Joseph the son of Jacob because his half brothers sold him into slavery and ultimately he became second in command over Egypt. We do not often hear of Joseph of Nazareth referred to as such because he is more commonly referred to as the “earthly father of Jesus”. The often lesser known of the three is Joseph of Arimathea. This is the Joseph who buried Jesus after He was crucified. The Bible does not provide a lot of information regarding Joseph of Nazareth. We know he: lived in Nazareth, was in the lineage of David, was a carpenter, had children, and was ordained by God to be the earthly father of Jesus. He was Jesus’ step-father. We also know that he was alive until Jesus was at least twelve years of age but then there is no further mention of him in the Bible. He was not present at the crucifixion. Interestingly the name Joseph means “God will increase”. Knowing this was the name of Jesus’ earthly father tells me God is concerned with every little detail of our life. Think about the increase of blessings that came through Jesus coming to earth. Jesus’ coming to earth brought salvation, eternal life, forgiveness, peace, hope and abundant life. Joseph had a vital part in Jesus' life. We are introduced to Joseph of Nazareth in Matthew 1. Joseph is espoused to Mary. Being espoused was much more than what we know of as “being engaged”. Espoused was a formal and legal binding agreement to marry. There was a process to end this relationship and not just a parting of the ways. Luke 1 tells us that Mary is visited by an angel and told she will be the mother of the Christ Child. Mary goes to visit her relative Elizabeth for three months. We know she was expecting a baby when she arrived because Elizabeth commented on the “fruit of her womb”. It is found out that Mary is with child before Joseph could have possibly been the father. Mary was told of the news that she would be mother of the Christ child but Joseph was not provided the information until AFTER it was learned that Mary was expecting a baby. Luke 1:30-33, 42 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. 32 He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. 33 And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Mary comes back to her home town and it is discovered that she is now expecting a baby after being away for 3 months. Joseph knows he is NOT the father. According to Jewish law, Mary was subject to death by stoning. 42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!
Matthew 1:19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly. Joseph’s being a just man caused him to put someone else above himself. He was unwilling to publicly embarrass Mary. He was going to just quietly put her way so as not to bring further harm to her reputation or worse yet have her stoned. Even though Philippians had not yet been penned, he practiced the concept of not being selfish and putting others first. This is a quality of being righteous or just. Philippians 2:3-4 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Had I been Joseph I would have likely acted quickly to resolve the situation in an attempt to “salvage” my name and not allow the pain to endure. I would have probably expeditiously put Mary away privately in hopes that the “story” would go away. However, Joseph thought about it. He did not make a rash decision. He gave time for God’s plan to be manifested to him. Proverbs provides a warning to those who act hastily. Matthew 1:20a But while he thought about these things, Proverbs 21:5b But those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty. Then the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and told him the Child Mary is expecting is conceived of the Holy Spirit and he is to name Him Jesus because He will save His people from their sins. Remember never before and never since has a child been conceived of the Holy Spirit. Every human ever born, with the exception of Jesus, had an earthly biological father. Every person born, except Jesus, had DNA from an earthly father and mother. The Jewish people were expecting the person to save them to be a king, not born to a carpenter’s home. In spite of this, Joseph demonstrated believing God which is another quality of a just and righteous person. Matthew 1:20-21 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Psalm 9:10 And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You. Joseph’s obedience astounds me! He was aroused from his sleep and went and did what the angel of the Lord commanded him. He did not rationalize it, think about it, or even contact Mary to get more details. He doesn’t even do a budget to determine if they could afford a baby. Joseph simply obeys! Complete obedience is another quality of a righteous and just person. Matthew 1:24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, 1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous. During Jesus’ young life Joseph continued to be obedient to God to protect Jesus. Joseph moved his young family to Egypt to escape Herod’s murdering of the baby boys two years old and younger. Joseph was going to go back to Israel but then feared because Archelaus was in power so Joseph moved to Nazareth to protect Jesus. Matthew 2:13-14 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” 14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt. Matthew 2:19-23 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, Joseph knew that children are a gift from God and therefore needing and deserving protection. Protecting Jesus, is more evidence that Joseph was a righteous and just man. Psalm 127:3 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, The fruit of the womb is a reward. Even though Joseph’s life took a path that he did not anticipate, Joseph did not stop being a righteous and just man. As a result of obedience to God, he was willing to marry a person that could have been stoned and move more than once to protect the child. Truly, Joseph did not grow tired of doing the right thing which may be why God chose him to be Jesus’ earthly father. Galatians 6:9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. The prayer for my life and those reading this is that we will learn from Joseph to be righteous and just in a modern world.
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