I heard a song for the first time the other morning. The song is titled, “It Wasn’t His Child.” It was about Joseph, the oft forgotten member of most manger scenes. We talk a lot of Mary and, of course, the Christ Child. We speak of shepherds and angels and stars and Magi. We don’t talk about Joseph. He is the silent one. While none of his words are recorded, his character and obedience are.
Matthew Chapters 1 and 2 tell us most about Joseph. He was a righteous man. He was also a kind man as evidenced by the fact that when he found out Mary was pregnant he did not want to publicly shame her. We see his obedience when the angels appear to him in dreams three times and tell him what to do. He immediately gets up and does it. He takes Mary as his wife. He takes his family to safety in Egypt. He returns to Nazareth when it is safe. (Read Matt 1 & 2 today)
We know he took Mary and Jesus to do the things prescribed by law when Jesus was dedicated. We know he anxiously searched for Jesus when as a 12-year-old He disappeared on their trip to Jerusalem. He was a father who cared.
What we assume from the culture of the day is that Joseph would have taught his son his own trade, carpentry. He would have taken him to synagogue and educated him in the things of God. All this, knowing that Jesus was not his child.
As I listened to the song, I thought, isn’t it amazing that Jesus, God’s Son, was adopted and raised by Joseph as a child here on earth and that now we are adopted by Father God as His children through Jesus His Son.
Here is the link to “It Wasn’t His Son” sung by Tim McGraw.
