Brief synopsis of the readings: In this passage from Isaiah God spoke to Ahaz and told Ahaz to ask for a sign that will “be deep as the netherworld, or as high as the sky!” But Ahaz declined and didn’t want to tempt God. Isaiah then responded that this will be the sign: “[T]he virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel.” Matthew’s Gospel describes when Joseph learned that Mary was pregnant. He didn’t wish to expose her to shame and decided to quietly break the engagement. But an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him to “take Mary into your home. For it is through the Holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.” The angel told Joseph to name the child Jesus and he “will save his people from their sins” and reminded Joseph of the prophecy in Isaiah. When Joseph awoke he did as the angel said.

Sometimes I don’t think we give Joseph enough credit for his role. As Christians we’re going to spend the rest of our existence attempting to square the reality that Jesus is fully divine and fully human. Oftentimes we err on the side of exploring his divinity and just as often we hone in on this passage from Isaiah foreshadowing the virgin birth, as if a child born of a virgin is somehow holier or more divine. This is unfortunate because the ability to create new life through sex is the most divine thing we humans can do. A virgin bearing a child is indeed a miracle but it is not better or holier than the usual way, despite what we may have been told in the past.

And so if the focus on Mary may lead us to look more toward the divinity of Jesus maybe looking at Joseph can give us new insight into the humanity of Jesus. We don’t know much about Joseph, at least from Scripture, and that allows us to try to fill in the blanks a little. We read about Joseph only in the early narratives in Matthew and Luke. Joseph is never mentioned in Mark and has only a few passing references in John and he disappears from all 4 Gospels during Jesus’ ministry.

Because we read about Mary and not Joseph during Jesus’ ministry some have speculated that Joseph had died by the time Jesus grew up. Also, Catholics believe that Joseph and Mary never married (or at least never lived as husband and wife) and when there are references made of Jesus’ siblings it is suggested that Joseph may have been widowed at the time of his engagement to Mary and had children from a previous marriage. As I said, this is all speculation but it’s worth at least thinking about what Joseph was like.

But we do know that Joseph knew Mary was pregnant and he knew he wasn’t the father. We can only imagine how that conversation went; Mary consented to carry Jesus but she somehow needed to explain to her fiance that the father was nobody. However much of the story Mary explained it’s clear Joseph was not buying it. I can see him feeling so devastated and betrayed that he would want to put it all behind him and move on with his life. Scripture says that he didn’t want to expose her to shame but it’s hard to imagine that between his breaking the engagement and her pregnancy it wouldn’t make news. Nothing gets tongues wagging faster than an unmarried pregnancy.

Scripture also tells us Joseph was a “righteous man” and I think we can all agree. However he envisioned his life with Mary, this wasn’t it. The angel may have directed Joseph to accept Mary into his home but he (like Mary) could have declined and a lesser man certainly would have. And let’s be clear about this: this wasn’t simply a matter of raising another man’s child. This entailed the journey to Bethlehem, Jesus’ birth in a barn, and exile into Egypt. Joseph’s yes put his own life in danger. We’ll read about this the Sunday after Christmas but Herod will learn about Jesus and try to kill him. I’ll talk about this later but a refugee family fleeing for their lives do not have an easy time of it, then or now.

We assume it’s possible Joseph had died before Jesus reached adulthood and we have no indication of how long Joseph was present in Jesus’ life. But if they lived as a family it was likely Joseph taught Jesus about carpentry and also much more. Jesus proclaimed a kingdom where the poor are cared for, where widows and orphans are supported, and justice is key. Of course this comes from divine intervention but I don’t think this was Jesus’ only source of learning.

My grandfathers were woodworkers and I can tell from their stories that this was not an easy way to make a living. Carpenters need broad knowledge of the textures of different woods, how their grains affect the way a piece of wood will react to tools, and how a finished product will look. It takes learning, patience, and years of training. If Jesus learned that trade from his father he also must have learned how to work with others, how to find beauty in his craft and how to do quality work.

It’s not a stretch that as Jesus learned how to treat wood he also learned how to treat others. A good carpenter, and indeed a good person, treats others with justice. Joseph is described as a righteous man and that almost certainly affected his son. We don’t know how much Jesus knew of his conception but a man who raises a child who is not his son is indeed a righteous man and that must have rubbed off on Jesus.

And so, as we look to the birth of Jesus, let us never forget that he was not raised in a vacuum but in a family. Whatever happened in Jesus’ life that is not recounted in the Gospel made a difference. Jesus’ divinity does not mean that his humanity is of no value. Whatever happened to Joseph I hope he knew his role in Jesus’ life.

I hope we do too.