Father Figure

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins."

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. Matthew 1:19-21, 24

I want to ask you a question, and I want you to take a minute to answer it before you read any further: who is a man in the Bible you would like to have had as your father? Stop for a minute and think about it. Come back when you have listed two or three.

How hard was it for you to come up with your list? Frankly, while the Bible has accounts of men who loved God and did amazing things, I am hard-pressed to find anyone who lived with his life in balance. Some, like Abraham, were too preoccupied with their own legacy. Some, like David, did not know how to handle children, wives, or the people around them. Even Samuel was unable to figure out how to handle his children.

So let me propose someone who you might have enjoyed having as a dad. How about Joseph? No, not the Joseph who ended up ruling Egypt. Joseph the humble carpenter who was given one of the toughest jobs any of us can imagine—raising God’s son. Don’t forget that Joseph was half of the parental package God chose to rear Jesus. So what about him was so special?

Probably one of the biggest things I can learn from Joseph is to be willing to trash my dreams for my life if God asks me to. Joseph risked everything to accept what the angel offered him that night. So much for stability. So much for building a business. So much for reputation and community standing. Joseph gave it all up when he agreed to press on and marry Mary.

Nearly every one of us starts his adult life with a dream. Perhaps it is to have a tremendous career. Maybe to make a lot of money. Or raise a family. It might be to be a missionary to a third-world country. But when we come to Jesus, we must be prepared to die to even the noblest dream. That is the example Joseph set, and I believe that is the quality God was looking for when he chose Jesus’ earthly father.

Joseph was already pursuing other plans. But God intervened, and listening to Him became more important than listening to himself. I think that’s where Joseph began to be the father God wanted.