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Profiles of Faith:Joseph and Mary:
A Faithful Couple
by Jerold Aust
God directed the archangel Gabriel
to deliver two messages to two married couples: Zacharias and Elizabeth and Mary
and Joseph. Elizabeth and Mary were cousins.
To Zacharias Gabriel said: "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard;
and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John . . .
(He will) make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:13,17).
To Mary Gabriel relayed this message directly from God: "Rejoice, highly favored
one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women! . . . Behold, you
will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.
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" (verses 28,31-32).
Much of the Bible is about Jesus Christ. Only a small portion of the New Testament
discusses His parents--Joseph, His stepfather, and Mary, His mother. Yet the New
Testament's details about their lives help enhance our understanding of these two
honored parents.
Joseph: Jesus' Stepfather
James Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible clarifies Joseph's lineage: "Every
Jew kept a record of his lineage, and was proud if he could claim royal or priestly
descent; Joseph was 'a son of David' (Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:4). His family belonged
to Bethlehem, David's city, but he had moved to Nazareth (1988, p. 529).
Some Bible readers wonder why the Gospels give two genealogies for Jesus. The simple
answer is that Matthew records Joseph's ancestors, and Luke records Mary's. Both
could trace their ancestry back to David and from him back to Abraham, fulfilling
the prophecies that the Messiah would be a descendant of Abraham (Genesis 12:3; Galatians 3:16) and David (2 Samuel 7:12-13).
Joseph was a carpenter. The Greek word is tekton, which was used of a versatile
and skilled builder or craftsman who worked with various materials including wood
and stone. Jesus, having learned the trade from Joseph, later used analogies based
on His experiences at Joseph's side to explain man's relationship to God and His
coming kingdom.
Note one such example: "Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them
will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock; and the rain fell, and
the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall,
because it had been founded on the rock. And every one who hears these words of mine
and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand;
and the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that
house, and it fell; and great was the fall of it" (Matthew 7:24-27; RSV). Friends
and acquaintances of Jesus knew He understood exactly what He was talking about.
Some months after Joseph's betrothal to Mary, he discovered she was pregnant. Joseph
erroneously assumed Mary had been unfaithful to him, but Joseph's subsequent actions
tell us much about his character and nature.
". . . When (Jesus)' mother Mary was going to be married to Joseph, before
they came together the discovery was made that she was with child by the Holy Spirit.
And Joseph, her husband, being an upright man, and not desiring to make her a public
example, had a mind to put her away (break their engagement) privately" (Matthew 1:18-19, Bible in Basic English).
As an honorable and humble man, as well as faithful in his observance of the Israelitish
ordinances and feasts (Luke 2:21-24,41), Joseph thought it best to quietly spare
Mary and her family disgrace by giving her a bill of divorce, breaking their betrothal.
However, after he had been informed of the truth by an angel (Matthew 1:18-25), he
treated Mary kindly. "On being summoned to Bethlehem by the requirements of the census,
he would not leave her at home to suffer the slanders of misjudging neighbors, but
took her with him and treated her very gently in her time of need" (Hastings,
p. 529; compare Luke 2:1-7).
Little Mention of Joseph
Joseph is mentioned only a few times in the four Gospels. Only one incident of
Jesus' childhood is preserved in Scripture. Luke 2:41-50 records that, when Jesus
was 12, His family attended the Passover feast in Jerusalem, as was customary (Leviticus 23:1-2,4-8). However, at the end of the Feast, as Joseph and Mary journeyed back
to Nazareth, they realized Jesus wasn't among their group.
Jesus had lingered in Jerusalem, although they had assumed He was traveling safely
with relatives and acquaintances. After a full day of travel they began to look in
earnest for their son, not finding Him anywhere.
Reflect for a moment on the trust that both Joseph and Mary placed in their 12-year-old
boy. How many of us would feel comfortable leaving a son or daughter of that age
alone on a long trip home, assuming he would travel safely among faithful family
and friends? Yet Joseph and Mary showed great confidence in their firstborn. This
incident shows how times have changed as well as the confidence of two faithful parents
in their teaching and training.
The worried parents returned to Jerusalem, where eventually "they found Him in the
temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them
questions" (Luke 2:46).
The men who listened as young Jesus discussed God's law with the teachers "were astonished
at His understanding and answers" (verse 47), as were Joseph and Mary when they came
upon the sight of some of the nation's most respected religious authorities listening
intently to their 12-year-old son.
Mary's reaction was likely a mixture of worry and relief: "Son, why have You
done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously" (verse 47). From
this we see Joseph was obviously a concerned father.
What Happened to Joseph?
James Hastings discusses why no mention of Joseph is made after that Passover
feast in Jerusalem: "Joseph never appears in the Gospel story after the visit to
Jerusalem when Jesus had attained the age of twelve years and become 'a son of the
Law' (Luke 2:41-51); and since Mary always appears alone in the narratives of the
public ministry, it is a reasonable inference that he had died during the interval."
This seems the most likely scenario. Although the Gospels do not give Joseph's age,
Joseph was probably older than Mary. Perhaps he died before Jesus began His ministry.
Although the Scriptures give us only a few glimpses of Joseph, they tell us he was
a kind man and a loving father. Perhaps no greater compliment can be paid to him
than that of Jesus Himself: When He tried to give mankind a better conception of
the love and character of God, He used the term Father to express our Creator's
loving relationship toward us.
Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ
Although more is said of Mary than of Joseph, not many scriptures are dedicated
to the mother of Jesus.
Mary was of the tribe of Judah and a descendant of David, hence of the royal line.
Somewhere around circa 4 B.C. Mary was living in Nazareth. She was unmarried, betrothed
to Joseph.
At the appropriate time in God's plan (Galatians 4:4), He began fulfilling His promise
of the ages: "At this time the angel Gabriel came to her with a message from God,
and announced to her that she was to be the mother of the long-expected Messiah--that
by the power of the Holy Spirit the everlasting Son of the Father should be born
of her (Luke 1:26-35; comp. Rom. 1:3)" (Unger's Bible Dictionary, p. 702).
The angel also informed Mary her cousin Elizabeth was within three months of delivering
a son (Luke 1:36), whom the Bible identifies as John the Baptist.
Mary decided to visit her cousin. As Mary entered her house, Elizabeth confirmed
God's revelation that Mary was to give birth to the Messiah: "Then she (Elizabeth)
spoke out with a loud voice and said, 'Blessed are you among women, and blessed is
the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord
should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my
ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there
will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord' " (Luke 1:42-45).
Mary stayed with Elizabeth three months, then returned home (verse 56). After this,
Joseph discovered Mary was with child and, having been assured that her conception
was of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:18-25), he took her as his wife. The time for tax
enrollment came shortly thereafter.
Bethlehem, Birth and Blessings
Mary accompanied Joseph to Bethlehem to be enrolled for taxation purposes. It
was during this time that Jesus was born and lay in a manger (Luke 2:1,7). As instructed
by Scripture, Jesus was circumcised on the eighth day (Luke 2:21; Genesis 17:12).
Mary and Joseph were faithful to God and His Word. On the 40th day after the birth
of Jesus, Mary presented herself with Jesus for their purification in the temple
(Luke 2:22-24). "The poverty of Joseph and Mary is alluded to in the mention of their
offering, 'a pair of turtle-doves, or two young pigeons' " (Unger's,
p. 702; compare Leviticus 12:8).
During Joseph's and Mary's visit to the temple in Jerusalem, Mary met Simeon and
the prophetess Anna. Simeon thanked God for His promise that "he would not see death
before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:26). Simeon took the infant in his
arms, thanked God and declared the prophecy that through Christ salvation would come
also to the gentiles and glory to God's people Israel (verse 32).
The aged prophetess Anna (probably more than 100 years old) also "gave thanks to
the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (verse 38).
Herod's Murderous Plot
Joseph and Mary returned to Bethlehem, where an angel warned them Herod planned
to kill Jesus. "Wise men" from the East had seen the star marking Jesus' birth and
came to worship Him. When Herod heard these things, he and the people of Jerusalem
were troubled.
Herod gathered the chief priests and scribes to determine the place of Jesus' birth.
They told him Jesus was to be born in Bethlehem. Privately, Herod asked the wise
men when the star had appeared. He then deceptively instructed the wise men to find
the newborn Messiah "that I may come and worship Him alsoî (Matthew 2:8). But the
wise men were divinely warned in a dream that they shouldn't return to Herod. Instead,
they should return to their native land by a different route (verse 12).
At that time an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream. "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" (verse 13). Joseph obeyed God and took Mary
and Jesus to Egypt until the death of Herod so the Scripture would be fulfilled that
stated: "Out of Egypt I called My Son" (verse 15; compare Hosea 11:1).
When Herod realized the wise men would not return to him, he responded brutally to
the threat to his power. Herod put to death the male children in and around Bethlehem,
from 2 years old and younger (mat). The prophet Jeremiah, writing hundreds of
years earlier, had predicted this calamity: "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation
and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because
they are no more" (Matthew 2:18; Jeremiah 31:15).
After Herod's death an angel appeared in a dream to Joseph while he was still in
Egypt: "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" (Matthew 2:20).
When Joseph and Mary returned with Jesus, God again warned Joseph in a dream not
to go to Bethlehem and the surrounding area, but to move to the region of Galilee
(verse 22). "And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophets, 'He shall be called a Nazarene' " (verse 23).
Luke summarizes the childhood of Jesus: "And the Child grew and became strong in
spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him" (Luke 2:40). Joseph
and Mary continued to exhibit their humble, faithful approach to God.
After the mention at the time of the Passover feast in Jerusalem when Jesus was 12,
Joseph isn't mentioned again in the Gospels. Mary is mentioned four subsequent times.
Portrait of a Believing Mother
In the first subsequent mention of Mary, she was in the nearby Galilean town
of Cana, where Jesus and His disciples were invited to a wedding feast. When the
wedding celebrants ran out of wine, Mary mentioned the embarrassing predicament to
Jesus (John 2:3).
Jesus replied that this wasn't a matter He should be concerned with. Nevertheless
He responded to her unspoken request. Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus
told them to do. He replied by turning 150 gallons of water into fine wine. Mary
learned faith and patience from this miracle.
The second mention of Mary was when she and Jesus' brothers were with Him in Capernaum
at a public gathering (verse 12). While He was talking to a large group of people,
someone informed Him His mother and brothers wanted to speak with Him.
Jesus responded with a great spiritual truth: " 'Who is My mother and who are
My brothers?' And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, 'Here
are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is
My brother and sister and mother' " (Matthew 12:48-50). Doing the will of God
makes us part of God's family, a brother or sister to Jesus Christ.
Incidentally, this passage demonstrates that Mary went on to have additional children
after Jesus was born. Mark 6:3 names four half-brothers--James, Joses, Judas and
Simon--plus an unspecified number of "sisters." Jesus obviously grew up in a family
with at least six siblings, the natural children of Joseph and Mary. Two, James and
Jude (Judas), later came to accept that their elder half-brother was indeed the Messiah
and went on to write the biblical books that bear their names.
The third later mention of Mary was when she and John were standing near the feet
of Jesus as He was crucified. In spite of the pain and anguish Jesus was enduring,
He thought of his mother's welfare: "When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the
disciple (John) whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, 'Woman, behold
your son!' Then He said to the disciple, 'Behold your mother!' And from that hour
that disciple took her to his own home" (John 19:26-27). Mary's firstborn son never
slighted His responsibilities, as this touching example illustrates.
Finally, after Christ's death, resurrection and ascension to heaven, we find Mary,
with other faithful followers of the Lord, praying together. His disciples "all continued
with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women and Mary the mother of
Jesus, and with His brothers" (Acts 1:14).
We are introduced to Mary when an angel tells her she would miraculously conceive
and give birth to the promised Messiah. At the Bible's last mention of her, Mary
is left to our memories in faithful prayer to God, awaiting her son's return.
Although God entrusted Joseph and Mary with the responsibility and blessing of overseeing
the childhood of His own Son, the family relationship doesn't stop there. Jesus Christ
has included others--you and me--in His spiritual family as His brothers and sisters
(Matthew 12:48-50; compare Hebrews 2:11). Through Him many more will share in God's
promise: "I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says
the Lord Almighty" (2Corinthians 6:18).
© 1999-2022 United Church of God, an International Association
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